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1930s
The first residents who moved to the new town of Greenbelt in 1937
survived a "tenant selection process" which consisted of an
interview in
their former home. Among other criteria, potential residents had to be
willing to become involved in community activities.
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Pioneer families formed the Journalism Club, the Greenbelt
Cooperator
(later the Greenbelt News Review), the American Legion, and four
Women's
Clubs. They also organized Labor Day and Fourth of July celebrations, both
of which still survive today. Notice how many events were being held in
October 1939!
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Greenbelters joined together to form Greenbelt Consumer Services, Inc.
(GCS) to cooperatively manage the businesses in town including the
pharmacy/drug store, the grocery store and the Greenbelt Theatre. Even the
children of Greenbelt operated a co-op--the "Gumdrop Co-op"--in
the elementary school.
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Although places of worship were not built into the original Greenbelt city
plans, citizens used the Community Center (the building in which you now
stand) to conduct the first religious services. Interdenominational
Protestant and Jewish services were held here. Catholics held mass at the
Greenbelt Theatre.
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1940s
World War II drew the community together in new ways and also caused the
city to more than double in size. Nearly 1,000 new wartime
"defense" or
frame homes were built to house people who were defense or government
workers.
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Many Greenbelters worked in and commuted to Washington D.C. When the
Capital Transit Authority refused to provide bus service to and from
Greenbelt, the town council and citizens forced the company to change its
mind.
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Greenbelt women worked together to support the men overseas. Different
organizations in the community including the women of B'nai B'rith and
Women's Club created the "Greenbelt Cookie Jar." The women baked
70 dozen
cookies each week and sent them to the soldiers.
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Greenbelters helped the war effort by serving as airplane spotters who
kept an eye on enemy planes. Men, women and children took their turns
sitting on the roof of the Greenbelt Theatre. The community also sponsored
drives for paper, metal and rubber, which would be used to build machinery
for the war. Like many others throughout the country, citizens also
planted "Victory Gardens" to produce food for canning.
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The Drop-Inn, an after-school youth center, was built in the mid-1940s.
Young people between the ages of 14-18 listened to the juke box, made
crafts and ate hot dogs. They also were responsible for managing the
facility. Everyone had a job.
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The late 1940s and early 1950s saw the rise of many of the local churches.
Greenbelt Community Church, St. Hugh's Catholic Church, Holy Cross
Lutheran Church, the Jewish Community Center (to become Mishkan Torah
Synagogue) and Mowatt Memorial United Methodist Church opened their doors
in the years following World War II.
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1950s
Following the war, Greenbelters found themselves facing new challenges to
their community. As early as 1945, the federal government was deciding
what to do with the city. The citizens came together in the early 1950s to
form the Greenbelt Veterans Housing Corporation (which later became
Greenbelt Homes, Inc.) to purchase the housing stock from the federal
government. In 1952, GVHC bought 1,580 dwellings, 709 acres of vacant land
and some apartment units and garages.
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Post-war development, which affected much of the nation, also hit
Greenbelt. In 1954, planners proposed the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, a
new shopping center and several high-rise buildings. All the while,
citizens fought to preserve their green space and their sense of
community. As Greenbelt scholar Cathy Knepper writes, "Greenbelt
residents
did not simply react against development, but rather, worked actively
for
a particular kind of development which they felt would enhance their
community."
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They also had to battle the "Red Scare" which affected life for
many
Americans in the 1950s. The Red Scare was a movement to isolate an
individual from the community and accuse him or her of being a communist.
Abraham Chasanow was one Greenbelt victim who was threatened with loss of
his Navy Department job. When he was accused of being a communist,
Greenbelters fought back by testifying on his behalf. A motion picture
starring Ray Milland and Ernest Borgnine, "Three Brave Men" was
made about
the incident.
The community continued to sponsor events and preserve its civic spirit
throughout this decade. In 1953, Greenbelters of all religious
denominations helped build the Jewish Community Center. The youth were
also active at this time, publishing The Baby Cooperator and
fighting to
maintain the privilege of roller skating in the Community Center on Friday
nights.
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The community also elected its first woman mayor, Elizabeth Harrington,
who took office in 1949. She was the first female mayor in the state of
Maryland.
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1960s
Greenbelters in the 1960s witnessed the most dramatic development to ever
occur in the city. Communities including Springhill Lake, Boxwood Village,
Lakeside North, Charlestowne North, Charlestowne Village, as well as
Beltway Plaza, the shopping center, were constructed.
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Greenbelters joined together to form Greenbelt Consumer Services, Inc.
(GCS) to cooperatively manage the businesses in town including the
pharmacy/drug store, the grocery store and the Greenbelt Theatre. Even the
children of Greenbelt operated a co-op--the "Gumdrop Co-op"--in
the elementary school.
The Drop-Inn, an after-school youth center, was built in the mid-1940s.
Young people between the ages of 14-18 listened to the juke box, made
crafts and ate hot dogs. They also were responsible for managing the
facility. Everyone had a job.
