National Register of Historic Places

Suitland Parkway

Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
Listed
June 1, 1995
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
95000604

About this property

The Suitland Parkway is a limited-access parkway in Washington, D.C., and Prince George's County, Maryland, administered and maintained by the U.S. National Park Service (NPS), National Capital Parks-East. The road has partial controlled access with a combination of interchanges and at-grade intersections, but without property access for neighboring land-owners. Conceived in 1937, it was built during World War II to provide a road connection between military facilities in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and is named after Suitland, Maryland. It fully opened on December 9, 1944 as the Camp Springs highway, so called because it connected Camp Springs (now Joint Base Andrews) in Prince George's County with Bolling Air Force Base. However one lane of the highway was opened in mid-October 1944. The Suitland Parkway is 9.35 miles (15.05 km) long. Its eastern terminus is at Pennsylvania Avenue (Maryland Route 4), just outside the Capital Beltway and near Joint Base Andrews. Its western terminus is at Interstate 295 and the northbound approach to the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. The parkway was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. It is also part of the National Highway System. The eastern half was a two-lane undivided expressway, and the western half a four-lane divided expressway. In the 1990s the eastern half was doubled in size to match the western half, with that work completed in 1996. Around the same time a 2-mile-long trail, the Suitland Parkway Trail, was constructed from Pomeroy Road to Southern Avenue.

Location

Washington, District of Columbia County, District of Columbia
38.84669, -76.94557

Categories

TRANSPORTATIONLANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Suitland Parkway

This page lists Suitland Parkway. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Suitland Parkway report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Southeast No. 3 Boundary Marker of the Original District of Columbia
Listed
1.1 mi
Southeast No. 5 Boundary Marker of the Original District of Columbia
Listed
1.6 mi
Southeast No. 2 Boundary Marker of the Original District of Columbia
Listed
1.9 mi
Texas Gardens Apartments
Colonial
1.9 mi
Engine Company 19
Modern
2.1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Suitland Parkway listed on the National Register?

Suitland Parkway was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 1, 1995.

What type of historic resource is Suitland Parkway?

Suitland Parkway is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Suitland Parkway?

The period of significance for Suitland Parkway is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Suitland Parkway?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Suitland Parkway will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in District of Columbia County

Historic places, battles, and census history across District of Columbia County.

Explore District of ColumbiaCounty ›

More historic places in District of Columbia

Browse all historic places in District of Columbia.

View District of Columbiahistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

District of Columbia history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

District of Columbiahistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Suitland Parkway will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report