Cresaptown is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

(CDP) located in Allegany County,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 6,247. Prior to 2010 it was part of the Cresaptown-Bel Air CDP. Cresaptown's

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

was established December 22, 1800. Cresaptown is located southwest of

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

Demographics

History

Prior to 1728, Cresaptown was the site of a

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

village along the

Potomac River The Potomac River () drains the Mid-Atlantic United States, flowing from the Potomac Highlands into Chesapeake Bay. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map. Retrieved Augus ...

. The inhabitants of this region were a portion of the Shawanese tribe, a sub-division of the Algonquian group, one of the most warlike combinations of that period. The warriors engaged in hunting and fishing for food and furs, while their families were left at home to tend the

maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...

and grass that grew in the rich soil of the Potomac valley. The maize was ground into corn meal and made into Shawnee cake, a popular diet of the Shawnees living in the valley.William Harrison Lowdermilk, ''History of Cumberland, Md'', Harvard University, 1878, page 19-20 The Shawanees in the valley lived in shelters composed of two forked posts that were driven into the ground, and on these was laid a ridge pole. Small saplings, cut to a length of about , were laid against the pole, one end resting on the ground, forming a shelter similar to a V-shaped tent. This was covered with bark and skins and made tight enough to protect against rain or snow. The floors were spread with furs, which made sure for seats or beds. Emanuel Custer, father of

George Armstrong Custer George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...

, was born in Cresaptown 1806, and moved to Ohio in 1845, finally settling in Michigan. Cresaptown was named for the family of Daniel Cresap, early settlers.

Industry

The

North Branch Correctional Institution North Branch Correctional Institution (NBCI) is a high-tech, maximum security prison or "hyper-max prison" operated by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services in Cresaptown, unincorporated Allegany County, Maryland, ...

, a supermax prison facility, is located in Cresaptown. The 372nd Military Police Company, known for participating in

Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse Abu or ABU may refer to: Places * Abu (volcano), a volcano on the island of Honshū in Japan * Abu, Yamaguchi is a town located in Abu District, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The town had a population of 3,372 in 2016. In April 2022, the town ...

, is based here.

Nearby cities

Cumberland, Maryland Cumberland is a U.S. city in and the county seat of Allegany County, Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its s ...

References

Census-designated places in Allegany County, Maryland Census-designated places in Maryland Populated places in the Cumberland, MD-WV MSA Cumberland, MD-WV MSA Populated places on the North Branch Potomac River {{AlleganyCountyMD-geo-stub

Demographics

History

Industry

Nearby cities

See also

References