About The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925
Upper Marlborough, Md. (1882-1925)

The Prince George's Enquirer and Southern Maryland Advertiser

The Prince George's Enquirer and Southern Maryland Advertiser was established as a weekly newspaper in 1882 by Joseph K. Roberts and Frederick Sasscer, Jr., two politically well-connected lawyers from the seat of Prince George's County in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. The Enquirer replaced the Prince Georgian and Southern Maryland Advertiser, a paper established by Michael J. Slayman during the Civil War after federal authorities suppressed the pro-Confederate Planter’s Advocate. Roberts died in 1888 and Sasscer continued to edit the Enquirer, eventually becoming the owner. He ran it as a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party. Samuel A. Wyvill, who had joined the paper as an apprentice in 1903, became part owner in 1909. The Enquirer was published until January 30, 1925, when Sasscer and Wyvill bought the Marlboro Gazette from Mary E. Wilson and Charles I. Wilson and named the merged paper the Enquirer-Gazette.

Despite proximity to the nation's capital, newspapers in Prince George's County recorded the resilience of its conservative inhabitants and their traditions. Tobacco had been the staple crop for hundreds of years, and tobacco prices remained a key market indicator in the local economy. Socially, the Enquirer noted the gatherings of old antebellum families at deliberately anachronistic chivalric tournaments featuring tilting on horseback. By the turn of the 20^th century, outsiders began to acquire some of the grand old plantations. Most notably, New York's William Woodward bought the Bel Air estate and established a breeding and training operation that produced many champion thoroughbred race horses. The Enquirer closely followed meets at county racetracks in Upper Marlboro, Bowie, and Laurel, which contributed to the reputation of Maryland as a center for equine sports.

The advent of the automobile lessened the isolation of Prince George's County. The state government began work in 1922 on a modern road, Crain Highway, which connected Baltimore to the Potomac River via Upper Marlboro. The University of Maryland was established in 1920, merging professional schools in Baltimore with the Maryland State College (formerly the Maryland Agricultural College) in College Park. New towns and communities began emerging along transportation routes and on the fringes of the District of Columbia. Progress was slow for the county's large African American population, but the opening of the Bowie Normal School in 1911 marked the beginnings of an institution that later became Bowie State University.

Provided by: University of Maryland, College Park, MD