Crofton

Janice Booth

• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9780738567839
• eBook ISBN: 9781439622773
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: North American History
• Index: History

Established in 1964 as a planned community, Croftons almost 2, 000 acres have been colonized and cultivated since the mid-17th century. Its roots can be traced to Americas first planned communityWilliamsburg, Virginia. Williamsburgs elegance and charm inspired developer W. Hamilton Crawfords idyllic design for Crofton: a grand boulevard, curving residential streets, arching trees, a country club, and easy access to nearby Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. This collection of photographs from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century reflects the life and times of the maturing village of Crofton. Fields of tobacco and corn, towering woodlands, cherry tree saplings along Crofton Parkway, the dedication of Crofton Park, summer Little League campImages of America: Crofton is a compendium of dreams fulfilled. Independence Day parades; fairs; bicycle races; pumpkin-design competitions; softball, soccer, and basketball teams; and summer concerts on the Green are all here. While historians record the facts, artists and cameras capture the small moments as well as the grand events. Those moments, large and small, are what readers will find between these covers.

Six

LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM

Hamilton Crawford dreamed of developing a pastoral community with the elegance and character of Colonial American traditions. Looking at Crofton as it grows into the 21st century, that dream seems to be realized. Crofton and its surrounding communities maintain the air of quiet dignity. Couples walk their children and pets along the parkway and through the parks. The annual Independence Day festivities remain the events that anchor the community. Social clubs and athletic teams still flourish. Life goes on; families leave and others arrive. And in all the ebb and flow of life, there is nothing lovelier than pausing to watch the geese and feel the breeze across Crofton Meadows Lake. (Courtesy of CF.)

And if a walk around one of Crofton’s lovely lakes is not enough, there is always the playground at Swann Park. The park honors Tom and Barbara Swann, civic leaders in Crofton village. Barbara Swann was town manager for many years. Tom Swann was honored as the 1973 Citizen of the Year for his work with teens, establishing a teen club in Crofton. (Courtesy of MW.)

Crofton’s town hall sits modestly on Crofton Parkway. The Crofton town manager and the police department are housed there. In 1973, the developers donated the sales office to the community for its town hall. (Courtesy of MW.)

The Village Green, with its small businesses, still serves the community. Pictured here is the Sly Fox Tavern. Designed after the Reynolds Tavern in Williamsburg, the Sly Fox was initially the Village Green Tavern. The post office was also situated on the Village Green until the construction, during the late 1990s, of the new post office in what was once Walch’s Grove. (Courtesy of MW.)

Pictured here is the Crofton Public Library on Riedel Road, a f...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• One - PLANTING FOR THE FUTURE
• Two - FOUNDATIONS FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM
• Three - COMMUNITY ROOTS
• Four - NURTURING THE COMMUNITY
• Five - SOLIDIFYING THE DREAM CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS CEMENT THE COMMUNITY
• Six - LIVING THE AMERICAN DREAM