Laurel, Maryland: Progress Through People
The city of Laurel, Maryland, has had a rich history, and as the city’s motto indicates, it’s been largely due to the efforts of visionaries who have driven cultural and economic progress.
From Richard Snowden’s land grants to his son’s founding of the Patuxent ironworks, the earliest days of what would first be known as Laurel Factory were grounded in the ambition of its leaders, and this legacy would continue with Nicholas Snowden’s mill, which was the economic engine that powered Laurel’s growth. The town grew around the mill, becoming a thriving community that grew and prospered throughout the 1800s and 1900s.
Today, the city of Laurel is primarily known to outsiders as the home of the Laurel Park thoroughbred track and a bedroom community for Washington, D.C., but to those in the know, Laurel is much more than that. It’s a city steeped in history as well as humanity and good will, a hospitable place to live, work, and play built on a firm foundation of big dreams and determination. With this site, we hope to show the world more about our beloved city and the fascinating stories of what made it what it is today.