The community developed in direct relationship with the Washington Branch of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad. The railroad's main branch into Washington opened in July 1872, with stations established at Glenn Dale, Seabrook, and Lanham, among others. Thomas Seabrook, an engineer for the railroad, purchased 500 acres (2.0 km2) of land in 1871 around the location of a planned station for the purpose of creating a retreat community, and later that year the railroad chose to call the station "Seabrook's".[6] By 1880, a station building and three Gothic cottages had been built, followed by commercial buildings and a schoolhouse. By 1914, the community remained small with just a few buildings located at the intersection of Seabrook Road with the railroad. By 1957, the community had grown to include approximately 185 houses along 10 streets. The streets were arranged in a grid pattern roughly parallel to the railroad line. The community extended from present-day Good Luck Road south to Annapolis Road.
Residential development continued on vacant lots within the community throughout the 20th century, while commercial development focused along the main roads. Commercial strip development is located along Annapolis Road and Lanham-Severn Road. The original railroad station and early commercial buildings are no longer extant, though the old schoolhouse and a few of the early dwellings survive.[7][8]
Most of the more recently built Seabrook (some of which was originally called Seabrook Acres) is a development of red brick homes along the Lanham-Severn Road, now Maryland Route 564 in Maryland, approximately one half mile east of the Capital Beltway. Many of its homes were built in the 1950s to serve the needs of new employees at the newly established NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, which is located immediately to the north. Development of apartment complexes and other large structures has occurred during recent years of developer expansion. However, Seabrook remains a residential area with numerous single homes surrounded by green lawns shaded by century-old oak trees.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Seabrook census-designated place has a total area of 3.0 square miles (7.8 km2), all land.[9]
Seabrook first appeared as a census designated place in the 2010 U.S. Census[11] formed from all of the deleted Goddard CDP, part of the deleted Lanham-Seabrook CDP, and part of the Glenn Dale CDP.[11]
2020 census
Seabrook CDP, Maryland – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Seabrook has its own MARCcommuter rail station (Seabrook Station). Seabrook residents are served by a large number of small businesses, including restaurants, fast foot eateries, banks, lawyer services, laundry services, veterinary services, car repair, and numerous other businesses which are located at the Seabrook Station. Seabrook shoppers also tend to shop at the supermarkets and stores at Glenn Dale, slightly to the east on Route 564, or drive east approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) to Bowie, with its large shopping complexes such as the Bowie Town Center.
Lanham, Maryland, an older community, lies to the west on both sides of the Washington Beltway. Within the Lanham-Seabrook area, there is only one post office (20706), located a half mile east of Seabrook Station on route 564, which both towns must share. As a result, since the post office has been designated "Lanham", all mail to both the Seabrook and Lanham area is town-designated as "Lanham" or "Lanham-Seabrook".
