College park, maryland, owes its name and much of its history to the maryland agricultural college, which was founded in 1856 under the morrill act and built on land donated by the calvert family. the original goal of the college was to provide a scientific education to the sons of maryland farmers, but the college grew far beyond those early dreams to become the flagship campus of the university of maryland. the rich history of college park also reflects its strong transportation heritage related to roads, railroads, streetcars, and air travel. college park's development was fueled by its proximity to route 1, the nation's first highway, and the b&o railroad, a few blocks to the east. with the advent of the trolley line, college park became a streetcar suburb, as people commuted to and from washington, d.c. the college park airport is the world's oldest continuously operating airport and the site of many aviation firsts, including early flight experiments and instructions led by wilbur wright.