Laurel in many ways was at the forefront of the movement to extend education beyond the very wealthy in Prince George's County. The earliest known school in the community, established by Horace Capron and the owners of the Patuxent Manufacturing Company in the 1840's, provided free education to the children of mill workers. Private academies attended by prosperous families and girls finishing schools also thrived. The state established free public education after the Civil War, and records show that in 1868 Prince George's County's largest public school was in Laurel. By the late 19th Century, Laurel, with strong community support that overcame county resistance, became the site of the county's first public high school, the only one in Prince George's County before the turn of the century.
Admission is free and there is a gift shop on the premises.