Crofton

Established in 1964 as a planned community, Crofton's almost 2,000 acres have been colonized and cultivated since the mid-17th century. Its roots can be traced to America's first planned community--Williamsburg, Virginia. Williamsburg's elegance and charm inspired developer W. Hamilton Crawford's idyllic design for Crofton: a grand boulevard, curving residential streets, arching trees, a country club, and easy access to nearby Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. This collection of photographs from the mid-19th to the mid-20th century reflects the life and times of the maturing village of Crofton. Fields of tobacco and corn, towering woodlands, cherry tree saplings along Crofton Parkway, the dedication of Crofton Park, summer Little League camp--Images of America: Crofton is a compendium of dreams fulfilled. Independence Day parades; fairs; bicycle races; pumpkin-design competitions; softball, soccer, and basketball teams; and summer concerts on the Green are all here. While historians record the facts, artists and cameras capture the small moments as well as the grand events. Those moments, large and small, are what readers will find between these covers.

Author Janice Fuhrman Booth is an adjunct professor of journalism and a freelance writer. She is grateful to the Anne Arundel County Branch of Pen Women for suggesting this project.