Seabrook Schoolhouse6116 Seabrook Road, Lanham, MD 20706301-464-5291; TTY 301-699-2544 Hours of OperationOpen the first Friday of each month, 11 am-3 pm, and by appointment The Seabrook Schoolhouse was built in 1896 for the residents of the Seabrook community and provided education for local students until the early 1950s. One of the few surviving one-room schoolhouses in Prince George's County, the building is unique in that it was built to resemble the Victorian Gothic architectural style of the cottages that were originally built in the community. HistoryThe Seabrook community was named for Thomas Seabrook, a topographical engineer employed by the Philadelphia Railroad. The railroad company also named the train station built in the area after Seabrook.Thomas Seabrook envisioned a community in the area built on a co-op basis. He constructed three Victorian cottages, Deer Park (a picnic area with an enclosed area for several tame deer), and a baseball diamond. According to Sara Lumpkins, a longtime resident of Seabrook and the Postmaster from 1949-1972, the Pennsylvania Railroad ran trains from Baltimore and Washington in the late 1800's bringing families to spend the day in the park. School prior to 1895 was held in a room above Binnix Store and Post Office across the railroad tracks. In 1895, a group of families met to petition the School Board to build a new school in the area. The Board agreed to fund $500 for its construction. After considerable controversy about the site of the new school, the group agreed to build on land provided by Thomas Seabrook. In 1896, the school opened as a one-room school for grades one through eight. In 1953, when nearby Seabrook Elementary School was completed, the building was sold to the Seabrook Civic Association. In the early 1990's the association, no longer able to maintain the building, turned it over to M-NCPPC and restoration was begun in 1995. Most of the original materials in the building were preserved. The Schoolhouse now occupies a ½ acre lot and is one of the few preserved one-room schoolhouses in Prince George's County. It is a museum open to the public for tours, special events and by appointment.
Call Marietta House Museum at 301-464-5291 to arrange a tour or learn more about the interpretive exhibits and programs offered at Seabrook Schoolhouse. |
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