Aquasco is an

unincorporated area An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

in southeastern

Prince George's County Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it the second-most populous ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

, United States, surrounding the town of Eagle Harbor and bordering

Charles County Charles County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 166,617. The county seat is La Plata. The county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. The ...

. As of the 2020 census, the CDP had a population of 913. Aquasco was home to the Aquasco Speedway.

Geography

Aquasco occupies the southeastern corner of Prince George's County and is centered on the intersection of

Maryland Route 381 Maryland Route 381 (MD 381) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. Known as Brandywine Road, the highway runs from MD 231 at Patuxent north to U.S. Route 301 (US 301) in Brandywine. MD 381 connects Brandywine with the southeaster ...

, Aquasco Road, and Maryland Route 233, Dr. Bowen Road. The

Patuxent River The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington, D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeas ...

forms the eastern boundary of the community. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total area of , of which was land and , or 10.55%, was water, consisting primarily of the Patuxent River. The Aquasco CDP contains the

Chalk Point Generating Station The Chalk Point Generating Station is an electricity-generating plant, comprising oil and natural gas fired units, owned by NRG Energy, located near the town of Eagle Harbor, Maryland, United States, on the Patuxent River. Plant operator GenOn E ...

and surrounds the tiny incorporated town of Eagle Harbor.

Demographics

Aquasco first appeared as a

census designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

in the 2010 U.S. Census.

2020 census

History

Aquasco is named for a nearby tract first surveyed and patented in 1650. The name is derived from the Native American name ''Aquascake''. Located between Swanson's Creek and the Patuxent River, the community developed as an agricultural center for the production of

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

. The main roads connecting the widely scattered tobacco

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

s were established in the 18th century and, in the early 19th century, the village of Woodville began to form. It was named after the Wood family, early settlers of Aquasco. By mid-century, the village had a grist mill, several small stores, a tavern, blacksmith, school, post office, and Methodist and Episcopal churches.M-NCPPC African-American Heritage Survey, October 1996: Properties Within or Closely Associated With Historic Communities (Prince George's County, Maryland), 1996
Because of the number of plantations, the slave population was relatively high in this section of Prince George's County. The

Freedmen's Bureau The Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands, usually referred to as simply the Freedmen's Bureau, was a U.S. government agency of early post American Civil War Reconstruction, assisting freedmen (i.e., former enslaved people) in the ...

established a school at Woodville in 1867. The school later became home to John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church.

African Americans African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa ...

also worshiped at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, established in 1848 as a mission church of St. Paul's Parish Church, which later became St. Phillip's Episcopal Church.

Historic sites

The following is a list of historic sites in Aquasco identified by the

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) is a bi-county agency that administers parks and planning in Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. History The commission was formed in 1927 by the Maryland G ...

Government

Prince George's County Police Department The Prince George's County Police Department (PGPD) is the primary law enforcement agency in Prince George's County, Maryland, Prince George's County, Maryland in the United States, servicing a population of over 900,000 residents and visitors ...

District 5 Station in Clinton CDP serves the community. The

U.S. Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

operates the Aquasco Post Office.AQUASCO
"

. Retrieved on September 11, 2018. "22503 AQUASCO RD AQUASCO, MD 20608-9998"

Education

Aquasco residents are assigned to schools in

Prince George's County Public Schools Prince George's County Public Schools (PGCPS) is a public school district that serves Prince George's County, Maryland. During the 2023–24 academic year, the district enrolled around 133,000 students and operated over 200 schools. PGCPS is t ...

.2010 CENSUS - CENSUS BLOCK MAP (INDEX): Aquasco CDP, MD
"

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

. Retrieved on September 2, 2018. Pages
1234
an
5
Residential areas of the CDP area are zoned to Baden Elementary School,NEIGHBORHOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS AND BOUNDARIES SCHOOL YEAR 2018-2019
"

. Retrieved on September 2, 2018. Gwynn Park Middle School,NEIGHBORHOOD MIDDLE SCHOOLS AND BOUNDARIES SCHOOL YEAR 2018-2019
"

. Retrieved on September 2, 2018. and

Gwynn Park High School Gwynn Park High School (GPHS) is in Brandywine census-designated place, Prince George's County, Maryland,NEIGHBORHOOD HIGH SCHOOLS AND BOUNDARIES SCHOOL YEAR 2018-2019
"

. Retrieved on September 2, 2018.

Notable person

Leonard Covington Leonard Wailes Covington (October 30, 1768 – November 14, 1813) was a United States Army brigadier general and a member of the United States House of Representatives. Biography Born in Aquasco, Prince George's County, in what was then the Br ...

, American brigadier general and member of the House of Representatives from Maryland

References

External links

Villa de Alpacas Farm at Historic Villa De Sales circa 1877, Aquasco, MD

St. Dominic Catholic Mission Church circa 1879, Aquasco, MD

Detailed history of St. Dominic Catholic Church in Aquasco, MD

{{authority control Census-designated places in Maryland Census-designated places in Prince George's County, Maryland