Route One, Our Hometown Main Street
City of Hyattsville
Records from the early 1700's indicate that a riverfront settlement named Beale Town was once located on the site that later became Hyattstown. The little outpost never achieved town status. In 1742, the residents petitioned to have a new town laid out one-half mile away at Garrison's Landing (later named Bladensburg) and Beale Town ceased to function as a legal entity.
In March 1845, Christopher Clarke Hyatt purchased his first parcel in the same area. The presence of the railroad and telegraph made the location ideal for settlement, and the surrounding farmland began to be sub-divided into housing lots. By 1859, the area had officially become known as Hyattsville by the U. S. Post Office and cartographers, and in 1886, the City of Hyattsville was incorporated.
The city grew quickly as both a year round community and as a summer residence for Washingtonians beleagured by the city's hot, humid weather. During the mid- 20th century, Hyattsville was the center of commercial and political activities in Prince George's County. In 2004, a large portion of the city was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, doubling the number of properties within the original district established in 1982.
Today, Hyattsville is a thriving suburb, enjoying the advantages of a small town. Homes cover the spectrum from Victorian Mansions to bungalows, contemporary town homes to modern houses and apartments. Just as the housing stock is diverse, so too are the backgrounds and interests of the active citizenry. Many projects are underway focusing on education, art, the environment, historic preservation and revitalization along Route One, our main street. For example, Franklin's original building once served Hyattsville as a fire house, a hardware store and now as a restaurant. The Gateway Arts District, designated in 2002, includes sites all along our Main Street, Two nearby Metro Stations on the Green Line expand our opportunities and our boundaries and continue our transportation traditions. Visit and Enjoy our Renaissance.
Photo caption 1
Victorian Railroad Station, B & O Railroad Station, Hyattsville, circa 1905
Photo caption 2
Map of Hyattsville, 1972, by E. R. McKean
Photo caption 3
Christopher Clarke Hyatt, for whom Hyattsville was named, was born on September 19, 1799. He died in 1884 before the town was incorporated.
Photo caption 4
Downtown Hyattsville after Hurricane Connie ripped through the area in 1955. Connie's torrential rain saturated the Northeastern U. S., setting it up for massive flooding when, just five days later, Hurricane Diane spun up the East Coast and drenched the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast. In 1955, the names Connie and Diane were retired from the National Hurricane Center's list of names due to the large amount of damage caused by the storms.
Marker is at the intersection of Baltimore Avenue (U.S. 1) and Gallatin Street, on the right when traveling north on Baltimore Avenue.
Courtesy hmdb.org
