Orme, Maryland USA

Orme, Maryland, is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County. The area has historical significance, linked to the Orme family who were early Maryland colonists, including a Presbyterian minister, a Lieutenant during the American Revolution, and a Captain who served in the Continental Army.

History

According to a 1941 Gazetteer, it is described as a “village” of about 50 people, located roughly half a mile southeast of a place called Horsehead; elevation about 220 feet.

A post office once served the community: the Orme post office was in operation from 1893 until 1914.

The area around Orme includes historic rural land. For example, the “Orme-Carr House” in the broader region of southeastern Prince George's County was built around the turn of the twentieth century on land purchased by a Lemuel L. Orme in 1867, in a tract called “Terra Executabilis.”

The region historically has been agricultural (tobacco farming in the 19th century) in that southeastern corner of the county.

Character

Orme is very small, rural in character, and not a large town or city. It retains the sense of a modest community within the broader suburban/rural fringe of Prince George’s County. The historical details (post office dates, land records) show that it had at least enough population and identity to have a name and a functioning postal service in the late 19th/early 20th century.

The Orme Family

Early Colonists: Members of the Orme family were prominent in colonial Maryland.

Rev. John Orme: A Presbyterian minister who lived in both Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

Moses Orme III: Served as a Lieutenant in the Maryland Militia during the American Revolution.

Captain Robert Orme: Served in the Continental Army and was the son of Reverend John Orme. He was born in Prince George's County in 1744 and died there in 1820.