Lincoln Park, Rockville, Maryland facts for kids
Lincoln Park is a special neighborhood located in Rockville, Maryland. It is found just east of the B&O Railroad tracks. Many high school students from Lincoln Park attend Richard Montgomery High School. The community also has a local center that helps residents in the area.
A Look at Lincoln Park's History
Lincoln Park was created in the late 1890s. It was one of the first places in Montgomery County where land was sold specifically to Black people. This was different from many other African American communities in the county.
How Lincoln Park Began
Many other communities for African Americans in Montgomery County started differently. Some began with land given as a gift, perhaps from a former slave owner. Others started when freed slaves bought land after the American Civil War.
About 40 such communities were settled by freed slaves in Montgomery County during the 1800s. Today, some of these historic places include Ken-Gar in Kensington, Scotland in Potomac, and Lyttonsville in Silver Spring.
Lincoln Park's story is unique. Many of the first people who bought homes there were related. They were connected by family or marriage. Families like the Sheltons, Summerours, Hills, and Prathers have kept strong family ties. Their descendants still live in Lincoln Park today, even after many generations.
Lincoln Park Today
Today, Lincoln Park is a community with about 320 homes. It still feels like a small town within the larger city of Rockville. The "Legacy development" project is helping to improve and update the area.
Rockville Housing Enterprises, which is the city's public housing agency, once owned 60 homes in Lincoln Park. These homes were meant to be "affordable housing." By 2009, they had sold 56 of these homes. This helps more people own their own homes in the community.
