History
The State of Maryland chartered the Maryland
Agricultural College in 1856 to offer a practical and scientific education to
the sons of farmers. The original site of the college consisted of 428 acres and
was part of the Rossborough Farms, then owned by Charles B. Calvert, a prime
mover in planning and securing the college.
Located in northwestern Prince George’s County, the campus comprises 1,250
acres of rolling topography, east of the fall line in the westernmost portion of
the Coastal Plain Province and within the Anacostia-Potomac-Chesapeake Bay
Watershed. Over its history, the campus’ landscape heritage has evolved to
comprise a variety of eco-cultural landscape types that a trained eye may
recognize on a campus walk.