In the 19th century, the Ferrall family owned the land on which Capital Plaza was built, on the north side of Annapolis Road, not the Coopers. The Coopers' land was on the other side (south side) of the road. William Cooper first bought land there in that vicinity in 1819 (about 100 acres, land records AB 1, f. 108) and added more in 1820 and 1830. After his widow died, the land passed by will to his son John Cooper (who was married to a Ferrall daughter). The Cooper property was sold in a tax sale in 1882. After passing through several owners, it was purchased by Mary Warner who held onto it for several decades, until suburban development (Land records Liber 96, f. 70, still called "the Cooper place" in 1913). I think Warner Avenue was named for her.
The Ferralls began selling off parts of their 312-acre farm on the north side of Annapolis Road (including Capital Plaza) in the 1870s. The chunk that eventually became Capital Plaza was a 40-acre farm owned by Joshua Q. Shipley from 1879-1899. By the 1950s the Shipley farm had been divided into about a dozen smaller parcels. In the mid-1950s, Albert V. Williams, a prominent builder of roads and shopping centers from Baltimore County, bought them all one-by-one to put together enough land to build Capital Plaza. The shopping center was formally opened on Aug 7, 1963. Miss Universe was there for the ceremonies (Washington Post, August 7, 1963).
Alan Virta
--Previous Message--
: I am unable to find the deed of the
: Cooper family who used to own the land
: in which Capitol Plaza once sat.
:
: Cooper Lane lead to the farm or plantation
:
Message Thread
« Back to index
| Home |
Board |
Books |
Calendar |
Join Us |
Library |
History Links |
Location |
For problems or questions regarding the PGCHS site or message board contact webmaster(at)pghistory.org
For more information about PGCHS, contact info(at)pghistory.org.