A History of the Lakeland Community of College Park

By T. Carter Ross Corridor Conversations Events March 1, 2022

On Feb. 26, 2022, members of the Lakeland Community Heritage Project — Maxine Gross, Violetta Sharps-Jones, Courtnie Thurston, and Robert Thurston — discussed this historic African-American community of College Park. College Park Mayor Patrick Wojahn also discussed the city’s restorative justice efforts surrounding Lakeland. Formed around 1890 on the doorstep of the Maryland Agricultural College, now the University of Maryland, the story of Lakeland is the tale of a community that was established and flourished in a segregated society, developing its own institutions and traditions, including the area’s only high school for African Americans, built in 1928. The Lakeland Community Heritage Project was formed to preserve Lakeland’s history and the stories of its people through photographic archives and oral histories.

The event was part of the Route 1 Corridor Conversations series organized by Hyattsville Aging in Place, Helping Hands University Park, Neighbors Helping Neighbors College Park, and Explorations on Aging College Park with sponsorship from the City of Hyattsville.

Additional Resources

Here are links for more information about topics mentioned in the talk:

Lakeland Community Heritage Project
Lakeland Digital Archive
Lakeland: African Americans in College Park (book)
Shadows of Lakeland (video)
Restorative Justice for Lakeland (video)
City of College Park Restorative Justice Steering Committee
Mapping Racism (Hyattsville CDC)

A History of the Lakeland Community of College Park

Additional Resources

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