Allen Pond Park is an multi-use park, located in and managed by the City of Bowie in

Prince George's County Prince George's County (often shortened to PG County or PG) is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it the second-most populous ...

, Maryland. The park includes an ice arena,

amphitheater An amphitheatre ( U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meaning "place for vie ...

, boat rentals, skate park, stocked pond, six lighted ballfields, picnic areas and pavilions, walking and biking trails, a lighted

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

court, fitness station and several playground areas. It is also the home of Opportunity Park, which offers 100% accessible experiences at its tot lot, school-aged

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

, fitness cluster and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

. The park has a 39% total wood coverage, with the pond occupying 12% of the park. The parking lot that services the park can be accessed from 3404 Mitchellville Road, across from the Mitchellville Road Soccer Fields, and from the main 3330 Northview Drive entrance.

Allen Pond

Allen Pond is a ten-acre man-made lake and the centerpiece of this eponymous park. It drains into

Collington Branch Collington Branch is a stream that flows into the Western Branch of the Patuxent River in Prince George's County, Maryland. Inflows Woodward Pond, sometimes referred to Foxhill Lake drains into Collington Branch. Allen Pond is a ten-acre man-m ...

Bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

and

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxi ...

are frequently taken from the pond. In 1993, several reports of

piranha A piranha (, or ; ) is any of a number of freshwater fish species in the subfamily Serrasalminae, of the family Serrasalmidae, in the order Characiformes. These fish inhabit South American rivers, floodplains, lakes and reservoirs. Although ...

s being caught in Allen Pond surfaced, with one reported in excess of 11 inches long.

History

The pond and surrounding area was owned by a farmer, James Allen. He and his family raised cattle and

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

on the property. Allen established the pond as a fishing attraction and sold access as annual shares for ten dollars. The land including the pond was sold to

Levitt & Sons Levitt & Sons was a real estate development company founded by Abraham Levitt and later managed by his son William Levitt. The company built the town of Levittown, New York. The company's designs and building practices transformed the home building ...

, the developer of Belair at Bowie, in 1965 with Allen making a request that the pond and surrounding area become a park for the community. The Robert V. Setera Amphitheater was built on the grounds in the late 1960s.

References

External links

Park website
{{Protected areas of Maryland Bowie, Maryland Lakes of Prince George's County, Maryland Chesapeake Bay watershed Bodies of water of Prince George's County, Maryland Ponds of the United States

Allen Pond

History

See also

References

External links