The Frederick S. DeMarr Library of County History
A Research Home in Prince George’s County
The Frederick S. DeMarr Library of County History is the research collection of the Prince George’s County Historical Society. The library began as the private collection of local historian Frederick S. DeMarr and was left to the Society after his passing in 1997. Over time, the library expanded to include photographs, maps, newspapers, and manuscripts that document the history of Prince George’s County and Maryland. In 2008, the library moved to the lower level of the Greenbelt Branch Library, allowing the once-private collection to settle into a dedicated and public home.
The Prince George’s County Historical Society was founded in 1952 to promote the study and preservation of the county’s history. The Society’s library resided in several historic houses in Prince George’s County, including Montpelier and Riversdale, before settling at Marietta House Museum for several years. There, in partnership with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, they shaped the rooms, stories, tours, and public presentation of the historic home. They also worked with the county parks agency and the wider Prince George’s County community to share, research, and interpret history while continuing to grow the library’s collection.
Over time, the collection expanded to include a wider range of subjects, including more diverse texts and materials. As the holdings increased, so did the need for a dedicated research space. The move to the Greenbelt Branch Library in 2008 provided the DeMarr Library with its first permanent home, offering better space for cataloging, storage, and public access.
A key focus of the library has been settling into and shaping its own research home through ongoing organization and full cataloging of the collection. A current priority is completing this work so the Society’s holdings can be listed online and made fully accessible. The DeMarr Library operates independently of the county’s library system and is maintained by a dedicated team of volunteers. As a result, cataloging and inventory work have moved gradually, shaped by the time and hands available.
Although the DeMarr Library holds one of the county’s more extensive collections, limited staffing and incomplete cataloging can affect how easily materials are discovered, accessed, and interpreted. The story of the DeMarr Library shows how a volunteer-run institution works through familiar challenges, as collections grew faster than the resources and systems to support access and research. With greater support, the library's full value and potential could be better appreciated, accessed, and used.
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