Pomonkey, Maryland

Pomonkey is named for the Pamunkey tribe of Native Americans that lived in the area. The Brent family owned much of the land from before the American Revolutionary War, asserting their claims after Giles Brent married princess Mary Kittamaquund in the 17th century. Robert Brent (1764-1819) became the first mayor of Washington, D.C. (and freed his slaves in his will).{{cite book |last1=Richardson |first1=Hester |title=Side-lights on Maryland history, with sketches of early Maryland families |date=1913 |publisher=Baltimore, Williams and Wilkins company |url=https://archive.org/details/sidelightsonmar00richgoog/page/n11/mode/2up |accessdate=3 February 2020}}

In the early 19th century, the village of Bumpy Oak was renamed Pomonkey when it was designated a postal stop.Bryans Road, Appendix B Appendix B Brief History of Bryans Road Another Robert Brent (1759-1810) and Dorothy Leigh Brent built a plantation house in this area, which they called Brentfield (which later burned down). Their children included Maryland judge George Brent (1817-1881) and Louisiana's U.S. Representative William Leigh Brent (1784-1848), one of whose sons became Maryland Attorney General Robert James Brent{{cite web |title=Archives of Maryland (Biographical Series) Robert J. Brent (1811-1872) |url=https://msa.maryland.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc3500/sc3520/001500/001503/html/01503bio.html |website=Maryland State Archives |accessdate=3 February 2020}} and another Confederate General Joseph Lancaster Brent.David M. French, The Brent Family; the Carroll Families of Colonial Maryland (Alexandria, Virginia typescript copyright 1981) pp. 85-87{{cite journal |last1=Chilton |first1=W.B. |title=The Brent Family (Continued) |journal=The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography |year=1913 |volume=21 |issue=1 |pages=96–97 |jstor=4243248 }}

The former Pomonkey High School was one of two black segregated high schools in Charles County until the 1960s, and has a proud alumni association.{{Cite news

|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28071-2005Feb16.html

|title=Area's Black Schoolhouses Still Have a Lesson to Teach

|first1=Joshua

|last1=Partlow

|first2=Amit R.

|last2=Paley

|newspaper=The Washington Post

|date=February 17, 2005

|accessdate=2007-12-23

}}
As noted here, the other school was Bel Alton. From 1946 to 1970 the "Pomonkey Spoon Factory" manufactured wooden tools and small items."Portraits of America: Charles County", page 55 of volume 2, published 2009. In 2022, the Pomonkey High School Alumni Association held a Centennial Celebration which celebrated its 100 years of history including the fact that it was the first high school in the county created for black students.{{Cite web |last=Schools |first=Charles County Public |date=2022-08-26 |title=Pomonkey High School Alumni Association Holds Centennial Celebration; Honoring 100 Years Of History |url=http://thebaynet.com/pomonkey-high-school-alumni-association-holds-centennial-celebration-honoring-100-years-of-history/ |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=The BayNet |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Schools |first=Charles County Public |date=2022-08-26 |title=Pomonkey High School Alumni Association holds centennial celebration |url=http://southernmarylandchronicle.com/2022/08/26/pomonkey-high-school-alumni-association-holds-centennial-celebration/ |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=The Southern Maryland Chronicle |language=en-US}}

For several years, Maryland Airport has planned a {{convert|1300|ft|m|abbr=on}} expansion, including an energetics (explosives) technical center and business park employing over 3,000 people. However, environmental concerns related to stormwater discharge into Mattawoman Creek delayed those plans.Maryland Independent newspaper, October 30, 2009, page A-8. The Naval Research Laboratory has its Free Space Antenna Range on Bumpy Oak Road.{{cite book |title=Fact Book |date=1985 |publisher=Naval Research Laboratory |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jaEHO1LrRP4C&q=Free+Space+Antenna+Range,+Pomonkey,+MD&pg=PA11 |accessdate=3 February 2020}}{{cite web |title=Pomonkey |url=https://www.globalsecurity.org/space/facility/pomonkey.htm |website=globalsecurity.org}}{{Cite web |title=The Case for Protection of the Watershed Resources of Mattawoman Creek |url=https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/Documents/Mattawoman_Ecosystem_Final_Report_March_2012.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221006230514/https://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/documents/Mattawoman_Ecosystem_Final_Report_March_2012.pdf |archive-date=6 October 2022 |website=Maryland Department of Natural Resources}}

Pomonkey itself is an unincorporated area and not part of a Census Designated Place, so few statistics for Pomonkey are available. Bryans Road, Maryland is the nearest community to Pomonkey for which data are available.{{cite web

|url=http://www.city-data.com/zips/20616.html

|title=20616 Zip Code (Bryans Road, Maryland) Detailed Profile

|publisher=City-data.com

|accessdate=2008-01-04

}} However, the area lies at the meeting of ZIP codes 20616 (Bryans Road), 20640 (Indian Head) and 20646 (La Plata).{{cite web

|url=http://www.mdp.state.md.us/MSDC/Zipcode_map/2002/chzc2002.pdf

|title=Charles County, Maryland 2002 Zip Code Areas

|publisher=Maryland State Data Center

|accessdate=2008-01-04

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051028000946/http://www.mdp.state.md.us/MSDC/Zipcode_map/2002/chzc2002.pdf

|archive-date=2005-10-28

|url-status=dead

}} As of 2000, Election District 7 (named for Pomonkey, but which includes Bryans Road and Indian Head) had a population of 11,859 persons. The racial breakdown was 59.0% white, 35.8% black, 1.5% American Indian and Alaskan Native, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Asian Indian, 0.2% Chinese, 0.6% Filipino, <0.1% Japanese, 0.1% Korean, <0.1% Vietnamese, 0.1% Other Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, 0.5% Other race, 1.8% two or more races.{{Cite web |title=Table C-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 |url=http://www.charlescounty.org/pgm/planning/census/charts/Pomonkey.PDF |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030913202258/http://www.charlescounty.org/pgm/planning/census/charts/Pomonkey.PDF |archive-date=13 September 2003 |website=charlescounty.org}}

• J.C. Parks Elementary School
• Maryland Airport{{Cite web |title=AirNav: 2W5 - Maryland Airport |url=http://www.airnav.com/airport/2W5 |access-date= |website=airnav.com}}
• Matthew Henson Middle School
• Saint Johns Cemetery
• Saint Johns Chapel{{Cite web |title=Pomonkey MD 20646 USA Map |url=http://abstusa.com/md/pomonkey |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120427121606/http://abstusa.com/md/pomonkey |archive-date=27 April 2012 |website=abstusa.com}}{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable (WP:NOTRS).|date=January 2024}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/facility/pomonkey.htm "Pomonkey"] – Describes former NRL installation
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110526142709/http://www.mde.state.md.us/assets/document/brownfields/Pomonkey_Launch.pdf Pomonkey Launch and Control (MD-217/218, W-54)]
• {{cite web

|url=http://www.charlescounty.org/PGM/planning/plans/commplanning/bryansroad/default.htm

|title=Bryans Road Indian Head Sub-Area Plan

|publisher=Department Of Planning & Growth Management, Charles County, Maryland

|accessdate=2007-12-22

}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070908150724/http://www.interment.net/data/us/md/charles/dents/index.htm Dents Level Cemetery]
• {{cite news

|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/20/AR2007072002531.html

|title=After a Long Wait, Charles Airport to Expand

|author=Philip Rucker

|newspaper=The Washington Post

|date=July 22, 2007

|accessdate=2007-12-22

}}

• {{cite web

|url=http://www.csmd.edu/Library/SMSC/ccschools/sports/index.htm

|title=Inside Our School World, Sports: African Americans During a Century of Segregation, Charles County, Maryland

|publisher=College of Southern Maryland

|date=2007-07-20

|accessdate=2007-12-22

}}

{{Charles County, Maryland}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Unincorporated communities in Maryland

Category:Unincorporated communities in Charles County, Maryland