Announcing the FY 2024 African American Heritage Preservation Program Awardees

Robert W. Johnson Community Center – Washington County ($150,000) | Sponsor: Robert W. Johnson Community Center, Inc.

Funding will help restore the Robert W. Johnson Community Center – founded as a school for Black children in 1888 before becoming a Black YMCA in 1947 – so it can continue to be a place for community events and educational programming. The RWJCC offers after school programming as well as adult education classes. Funding will support renovation of the community pool, plumbing and electrical upgrades, and other renovation efforts.

Hoppy Adams House – Annapolis ($245,000) | Sponsor: Charles W. “Hoppy” Adams Jr. Foundation, Inc.

Known for spreading soul and R&B music to Black and white audiences, Charles “Hoppy” Adams Jr. was a celebrated African American radio broadcaster with WANN Annapolis. Adams hosted popular concerts at Carr’s Beach, an important venue on the Chitlin Circuit during segregation. In 1964, Adams built this expansive brick ranch-style home within the tight-knit Black community of Parole, on land passed down by his family since 1880. Adams lived in the house until his death in 2005. Funding will support ADA compliance efforts, electrical upgrades, and structural support. 

American Hall – Washington County ($250,000) | Sponsor: The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Free And Accepted Masons Of Maryland And Its Jurisdiction, Inc.

The Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Free And Accepted Masons Of Maryland And Its Jurisdiction, Inc. , aims to restore American Hall, which was the meeting place of Lyon Post #31 G.A.R. Making it one of the last surviving meeting places of an African American G.A.R. post in the country.  Originally built in 1883, American Hall used to house the fraternal lodge, community meeting space, and a school in the basement. This project aims to rehabilitate the building for further community use with the addition of an exhibit. Funding will support structural repairs, architectural drawings, and a bathroom addition.

Upton Mansion – Baltimore City ($250,000) | Sponsor: Afro Charities, Inc.

Upton Mansion, located in the Old West Baltimore Historic District, was once the home of Robert J. Young, one of Baltimore’s most successful African American real estate developers in the early 20th century. This project aims to restore the mansion as the headquarters for Afro Charities, Afro Archives, and the AFRO American Newspapers. The archives include approximately three million photograms, several thousand letters, back issues of the newspaper’s 13 editions, and personal audio recordings of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. The Upton Mansion will serve as the permanent home and research center for this collection, allowing it to be available to the public. Funding will support new construction of an annex and windows and doors repairs. 

Henry’s Hotel – Worcester County ($250,000) | Sponsor: Henry Hotel Foundation, Inc.

Built in the late 1800s, Henry’s Hotel, formerly known as “Henry’s Colored Hotel,” is one of the oldest hotels in Ocean City. It was also the last hotel that allowed African Americans access to the beach during Jim Crow-era restrictions. This project aims to turn the building into a museum and learning center that will educate the public on how African Americans contributed to the town’s development, yet suffered from discrimination under segregation. Funding will support a new foundation, staircase, and porch.

Historic Oliver Community Firehouse – Baltimore City ($247,000) | Sponsor: African American Fire Fighters Historical Society, Inc.

Built in 1905, the historic firehouse in Baltimore’s Oliver neighborhood, Truck House #5, is a two-story structure with two truck bays that will be acquired from the City through the Vacants to Value program and restored as the International Black FireFighters Museum & Safety Education Center. Funding will support exterior rehabilitation including window repairs as well as carpentry and masonry repairs. 

Brown’s UMC Multi Cultural Heritage Center – Calvert County ($250,000) | Sponsor: Brown’s UMC Multi Cultural Heritage Center, Inc.

Built in the 1890s, the one-room Brown’s United Methodist Church (UMC) serves as a reminder of the days of segregation and is one of the oldest African American churches in Calvert County. Once completed, the UMC Multi-Cultural Heritage Center will have an exhibit showcasing local history within. Rehabilitation of the cemetery will allow for self-guided as well as guided tours of the cemetery. Funding will support foundation repairs, flooring repairs, and a roof replacement.

Buffalo Soldier Living History Site – Wicomico County ($250,000) | Sponsor: Buffalo Soldier Living History Site Co.

Formerly known as the “Colored Settlement,” the Buffalo Soldier Living History Site will be established on a site, bought in 1898, of former Buffalo Soldier Thomas E. Polk. The site aims to revitalize this dwelling by establishing a museum. Exhibits will include preserving local and state African American military history and holding  reenactments. Funding will support selective demolition, structural repairs, and door repairs. 

Brewer Hill Cemetery – Annapolis ($250,000) | Sponsor: Brewer Hill Cemetery Association, Inc.

Brewer Hill Cemetery is the oldest Black graveyard in the City of Annapolis. Judge Nichols Brewer originally owned the cemetery and used it to bury those he enslaved, his servants, and other employees of the Black community. Among the interred are people with significant stories, such as Mary Naylor, who maintained her innocence until her hanging in 1861 for allegedly poisoning her master. Funding will support overall cemetery conservation efforts including fence repairs and masonry repairs.

The Bellevue Passage Museum – Talbot County ($250,000) | Sponsor: Mid-Shore Community Foundation, Inc.

The Bellevue Passage Museum aims to shed light on African American culture and heritage by showcasing the untold story of Bellevue’s self-sufficiency and how they thrived and contributed to the state’s economy. Bellevue was once a self-sufficient African American community that initially was centered around employment provided by the W.H. Valliant Packing Co., established in 1895. The museum is on a mission to conserve the African American maritime story that is largely being erased and to become a center of entrepreneurship to the younger generation and a place for community gatherings. Funding will support construction of a new annex, site work, and accessibility improvements. 

The Fruitland Community Center – Wicomico County ($203,000) | Sponsor: Fruitland Community Center, Inc.

The Fruitland Community Center is housed in the former Morris Street Colored School, constructed in 1912. Since 1985, the building has been used as a community center that assists low-income youth in Fruitland by providing an after school program that seeks to provide educational activities and teaching African American history. Funding will support structural repairs, carpentry and metal repairs, as well as mechanical and electrical upgrades.

Grasonville Community Center – Queen Anne’s County ($250,000) | Sponsor: Grasonville Community Center

Grasonville Community Center aims to connect and share the African American experiences in the community by providing a place where one can go to engage in programs that offer mentorship, physical and mental health guidance, and other resources. Future plans include providing an after school and summer program that will use the Center’s Black History Library and Health Room to teach history to young visitors. Funding will support kitchen upgrades, interior and exterior rehabilitation, and window repairs.

Malone Methodist Episcopal Church – Dorchester County ($250,000) | Sponsor: Harrisville/Malone Cemetery Maintenance Fund, Inc.

Free-born families began settling in Malone in the late 18th century. Malone Methodist Episcopal Church began serving this African American community when it was built in 1895.  The church and community have links to Harriet Tubman’s extended family, who lived in the area and are buried in the cemetery adjacent to the church. Funding will support floor and roof repairs, exterior rehabilitation efforts, and finishes and painting.

Bryan’s Chapel and Cemetery – Queen Anne’s County ($250,000) | Sponsor: Bryan’s United Methodist Church, Inc.

Bryan’s Chapel was founded in the 1800s and is the second oldest African American Methodist Episcopal Church in the United Methodist Peninsula-Delaware Conference. The Bryan’s Church congregation helped establish a school, a beneficial society, and the county’s NAACP Chapter. Shortly after the Civil War, the congregation helped establish an African American school in 1866 that a Rosenwald school later replaced. Funding will support ground penetrating radar, headstone conservation, and foundation and masonry repairs of the Chapel.

Locust United Methodist Church – Howard County ($233,500) | Sponsor: Locust United Methodist Church

Locust United Methodist Church was founded in 1869 by a group of formerly enslaved people in what was then called Freetown (Howard County). The predominantly African American congregation has been active for more than 150 years and in its current structure since 1951. This project will  renovate and add an addition to serve as the home of the current history collection and stories of community members descended from the church’s founders. Funding will support selective demolition, new construction of a pavilion, and interior rehabilitation efforts.

Two Sisters’ Houses (Caulkers’ Houses) – Baltimore City ($250,000) | Sponsor: The Society For The Preservation Of Federal Hill And Fell’s Point, Inc.

Built around 1979, the Two Sisters’ Houses (or Caulkers’ Houses) are the only extant survivors of a wooden building type that was once the predominant housing stock for the lower and middle classes in Baltimore. These once-common buildings were vitally important to the early architectural and physical character of the port city of Baltimore. The buildings housed many working Baltimore residents, including African-American ship caulkers Richard Jones, Henry Scott, and John Whittington from 1842 to 1854. Funding will support fire safety improvements, carpentry and masonry repairs, and mechanical and electrical upgrades. 

The Yellow/Hearse House – Kent County ($200,000) | Sponsor: Kent County Public Library

The Yellow/Hearse House was originally built in 1906 and served most of its existence as the only funeral parlor for those of African descent in Kent County. The Hearse House represents the rich history of Kent County’s African American-owned businesses. This project aims to increase heritage education and tourism in the Calvert Street business and residential corridor, highlighting the Walley family and the neighborhood in which their business, the funeral parlor, existed. Funds will support insulation installation, bathroom and kitchen upgrades, and framing repairs. 

Jones & Moore Luncheon/Bambricks Cards & Gifts – Dorchester County ($138,000) | Sponsor: Alpha Genesis Community Development Corporation

The Jones & Moore Luncheon/Bambricks Cards & Gifts aims to renovate a two-story commercial property located at the corner of Cannery Way.  The rear parking lot of the building is now the viewing area for the nationally acclaimed “Take My Hand” mural of Harriet Tubman. Rehabilitation of the building will help bring new arts and cultural programming as well as other business ventures into the district. Funding will support gutter and downspout repairs, window and door repairs, and roof replacement. 

Mt. Calvary United Methodist Church – Meeting Hall and Cemetery – Anne Arundel County ($186,000) | Sponsor: Mt. Calvary Community Engagement Incorporated

With grant funds supporting both cemetery and building preservation efforts, Mt. Calvary United Methodist Church will establish a heritage center in its Meeting Hall to share the histories of the local African American community in Arnold. The Hall served as the original Meeting House for the African American community between 1832-1842. By preserving the cemetery, where Civil Rights activists and veterans are buried, the church can provide further educational opportunities in addition to programs in the Meeting Hall. Funding will support ground penetrating radar, site work, and foundation and masonry repairs.

Ridgley Methodist Church and Cemetery – Prince George’s County ($111,000) | Sponsor: Mildred Ridgley Gray Charitable Trust, Inc.

Ridgely Methodist Church is one of only two buildings that remain in the small rural African American community of Ridgely, founded by freedmen around 1871. Historically, the church also functioned as a school for the local Black children. By undergoing rehabilitation efforts, the church hopes to increase the awareness of African American history through special programs, lectures, and tours. Funding will support cemetery conservation efforts, ground penetrating radar, and a fence installation.

Scotland African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Zion Church – Montgomery County ($104,000) | Sponsor: Scotland A.M.E. Zion Church

Scotland A.M.E. provides an opportunity for the public to continue to learn the local history of the predominantly African American Scotland community that has persisted for over 115 years as a congregation and 150 years as a community. The project will provide an opportunity for the public to continue to learn the local story of the predominantly African American Scotland community through interpretive panels and stories shared by congregants in public programs Funding will support foundation repairs, lifting the building, and stabilization efforts. 

Bushy Park Community Cemetery – Howard County ($63,500) | Sponsor: Bushy Park Community Cemetery, Inc.

Bushy Park Community Cemetery was historically part of farmland worked by the enslaved populations of Howard County. The cemetery is the burial location of many enslaved and freed individuals, United States Colored Troops soldiers, and Civil Rights leaders. The cemetery’s restoration, supported by grant funds, will allow for educational opportunities centered on those interred there. Funding will support cemetery conservation efforts, ground penetrating radar, and vegetation removal.

James Stephenson House, Enslaved Quarters – Harford County ($119,000) | Sponsor: Maryland Department of Natural Resources

The James Stephenson House, and its associated dwellings, was originally built at the turn of the eighteenth century. The house and quarters are located within Susquehanna State Park. When the quarters building was originally surveyed in the late 1970s, it was mistaken for a smokehouse. The building, now one of the few documented freestanding quarters on public land. Funding will support roof, window, and door repairs, carpentry and masonry repairs, and chimney and shutter repairs.

American Legion Mannie Scott Post 193 Building – Caroline County ($250,000) | Sponsor: The American Legion, Department Of Maryland, Mannie Scott Post #193, Incorporated

Mannie Scott Post No. 193 was chartered in 1947 by the American Legion – a United States veteran association and nonprofit organization created to enhance the well-being of American veterans, their families, military members, and their communities. Post No. 193 is Caroline County’s only African American active post dedicated to those who have served in active duty military in all branches of America’s Armed Forces. Post No. 193 offers programming to the local community that promote justice, freedom, and democracy. Funding will support insulation installation, bathroom and kitchen upgrades, and siding repairs or replacements.

Following Freedom’s Footprints: Exploring MHT’s Easement Sites in the Network to Freedom

By Dr. Brenna Spray, MHT Outreach Coordinator

In honor of International Underground Railroad Month, we want to share some of the Maryland Historical Trust (MHT) easement sites included in the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom, an effort that aims to “honor, preserve and promote the history of resistance to enslavement through escape and flight.” Across the United States, from Maine to Florida and Virginia to Kansas, there are over 740 sites, facilities, and programs; a few even reach as far west as Colorado and California! Maryland hosts nearly 90 of these 740 sites, and MHT holds preservation easements on nine of them, working with property owners to safeguard them in perpetuity. 

Sotterley Plantation (St. Mary’s County)

Cape Coast Castle (Wikicommons)

Sotterley Plantation began in 1703 with James Bowles, the son of a wealthy London merchant who traded tobacco, lumber, livestock, and enslaved people throughout England, West Africa, and the Caribbean. In September of 1720, the Generous Jenny delivered 218 enslaved men, women, and children to Bowles, who had purchased them from the Windward Coast (modern day Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Ivory Coast) and from the Cape Coast Castle on the Gold Coast (modern day Ghana). It remains unclear how many of these enslaved individuals stayed at Sotterley, as on Bowles’ death in 1727, his widow and daughters inherited 41 enslaved people. James Bowles’ daughter, Rebecca, married George Plater II, initiating four generations of Plater ownership at Sotterley Plantation (Our History – Sotterley, 2018). 

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Between the 1780s and 1790s, those enslaved by the Plater family made numerous attempts to seek freedom, including Clem Hill and Towerhill, whose attempts put Sotterley in the Network to Freedom. Clem Hill, described as ‘exceedingly artful’ in his runaway ad, left Sotterley in November 1784 (Plater, 1784). Enslavers in North America specifically targeted western Africa, particularly the Gold Coast, when searching for artisans; is it possible that Clem was descended from the original group of enslaved brought from the Gold Coast to Sotterley (Holloway, 2005, pp. 34, 42–44)? In January 1786, a 25-year-old man named Towerhill left Sotterley, likely aiming for Baltimore – a popular destination for freedom seekers, due to transportation options and the large free Black population (Plater, 1786). Is it possible that he reached the city? We will never know for sure, but Towerhill of Sotterley left two years before the birth of a freeborn man named Towerhill who lived in Baltimore City, according to his 1809 certificate of freedom (Certificate of Freedom for Towerhill, 1809). 

Port Tobacco Courthouse and Jail (Charles County)

In July of 1845, 75 enslaved men embarked from Charles County on a journey to find freedom in Pennsylvania, led by Mark Caesar and Bill Wheeler, in a movement now known as the Port Tobacco Escape of 1845. While traversing southern Maryland into Montgomery County, this group was attacked by the “Montgomery Volunteers,” a group of men Sheriff Daniel Hayes Candler of Rockville called together to stop the men from Charles County. These freedom seekers resisted, and around 30 managed to evade capture—unfortunately, Mark Caesar and Bill Wheeler were not among them.  

Although Mark Caesar had been promised emancipation in 1844 by his enslaver, Port Tobacco planter John Barnes, he was tried as an enslaved man when arrested and faced conviction on “ten indictments for assisting ten slaves to runaway” in November 1845. Mark Caesar’s conviction resulted in consecutive sentences of five years each. He survived only five years in jail, where he died of consumption in November 1850 (Mark Caesar, 2011). 

After Bill Wheeler’s conviction for the uprising, he initially received a death sentence by hanging. However, a special act of the Legislature ensured that he would have life imprisonment should his sentence be commuted—which the Governor did eventually. He managed to escape from jail, once again seeking freedom. It is unclear whether he eventually achieved freedom (William “Bill” Wheeler, 2010). 

Both men faced trial at the Port Tobacco Courthouse and imprisonment at the Port Tobacco Jail, part of the Network to Freedom. Hear the full story of these two men and the Port Tobacco Escape from Charles County. 

Belair Mansion (Prince George’s County)

Samuel and Anne Tasker Ogle owned Belair Mansion (c. 1745), beginning over a century of Ogle and Taskers calling the site home. At any one time, the Ogles held at least 50 enslaved people at the property. In addition to inventories that list the names, ages, and occasionally occupations of those enslaved, we know of several who tried to seek freedom. 

Runaway ad for Dennis (Maryland State Archives)

The earliest known attempt was by a cook named Joe, who sailed on a boat to Philadelphia in 1744. A shoemaker named Tom escaped and may have found freedom in 1775 with the assistance of “some white people who make too familiar with [Ogle’s] slaves” (Explore Network to Freedom). In 1814, a different Tom left Belair with British soldiers—it is unclear whether he travelled with them or if he enlisted to gain freedom. The last known attempt occurred in 1852 by 27-year-old Dennis, although there is little information accompanying his runaway ad.

Riversdale House Museum (Prince George’s County)

Belgian immigrant Henri Stier built Riversdale, now a historic site owned by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in 1801. His daughter, Rosalie Stier Calvert, took over ownership when the Stier family returned to Europe, and the Calvert family maintained ownership for many generations.

Emily Plummer

Adam Francis Plummer was one of the many people enslaved by the Calverts at Riversdale. He married Emily Saunders in 1841 at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, and they went on to have nine children together—despite the fact that they were enslaved at different plantations. In 1863, while enslaved at Woodlawn by the Thompson family, Emily decided to seek freedom in Baltimore with three of their older children and their twin toddlers, Nellie and Robert. The six freedom seekers did not make it to the city and were instead jailed. The Thompsons lacked the money to secure their release, and when Adam heard that his family was imprisoned in Baltimore, he received permission from Charles Benedict Calvert to retrieve them. Emily and the children arrived at Riversdale in December 1863.

The entire family was emancipated in 1864 at Riversdale, and the Network to Freedom now includes the site to commemorate Emily’s bravery. This is something that their daughter, Nellie, goes on to write about in her book, Out of the depths; or The triumph of the cross (1927):

No young woman of today can imagine the bravery that it took on mother’s part to venture to Baltimore alone, as it were, through troops of soldiers, during war time, with a girl of 11 years and a boy of 12, a girl 9 years, and two babies to be carried. Rut love knows no fear. We still think she was a heroine, indeed! (Plummer, 1927, p. 83)

Marietta House (Prince George’s County)

Marietta House, a tobacco plantation, was built by enslaved workers at the direction of US Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Duvall, who enslaved anywhere between nine and 50 individuals, including families of Ducketts, Butlers, Jacksons, and Browns. Freedom seekers born at Marietta, including Frank (last name unknown), Joe (last name unknown), and Benjamin Duckett, attempted to self-emancipate. These stories are what made  Marietta House – also a historic site operated by the M-NCPPC – a part of the Network to Freedom.

Little is known about Frank, except that he left in 1814. In a runaway ad published by Gabriel Duvall in May 1837, Joe is said to have had two brothers, Tom and Phil. By 1837, Tom lived as a freeman in Baltimore, and it is likely that Joe would have attempted to reach this location (Duvall, 1837).

Runaway ad for Benjamin Duckett, 1856 (MSA)

A few years later, in 1844, Gabriel Duvall passed away and his grandsons, Edmund and Marcus, divided Benjamin Duckett’s family and dispersed much of the enslaved population at Marietta. As a boy, Duckett would have observed many self-emancipation attempts by those in his community, including Joe.  Zachariah Berry purchased and enslaved Benjamin Duckett from Edmund Duvall sometime between 1849 and 1856. Although the exact property where Duckett lived is uncertain – Zachariah Berry had properties in Washington, DC, and Prince George’s County – we do know that Benjamin Duckett left from Prince George’s County in September 1856 (Berry, 1856). He arrived in Philadelphia three weeks later, though his route is unknown. He was given a small amount of money by the Philadelphia Vigilance Committee so that he could continue his journey northward (Benjamin Duckett, 2017). It does not appear that Duckett was ever forced to return to Zachariah Berry, as three years later, Berry was still advertising for Duckett’s return—his reward had gone from $50 to $500 (Berry, 1859).

Baltimore and Ohio (B&O) Museum (Baltimore City)

Resurrection of Henry “Box” Brown (Wikicommons)

Freedom seekers often utilized the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad to achieve self-emancipation. A train was a riskier choice as there was a higher chance of recapture due to its crowded, public nature; this is why more covert methods of travel were often preferred, despite being slower. Henry “Box” Brown and the Craft family journeyed through the Baltimore station (the current site of the B&O Railroad Museum). Perhaps the most famous among these individuals, Brown, arranged to be shipped to Philadelphia via the Adams Express Company (which was known for both efficiency and confidentiality—they never looked inside the boxes they carried) (Robbins, 2009, pp. 12–13). After purposely burning his hand with sulfuric acid to avoid work that day, Brown managed to fit into a roughly 3x3x2 foot box to pose as dry goods. His full journey encompassed 27 hours of multiple wagon journeys, railway trips, and steamboat and ferry sailings to reach his destination, including passage through Baltimore. How much does it cost to seek freedom? For Henry “Box” Brown, $86 (or $3,414 in 2023) (Morris, 2011, pp. 15–17). 

Mount Clare (Baltimore City)

Built over 250 years ago, Mount Clare was originally an 800-acre plantation on the Patapsco River and housed the Baltimore Iron Works (one of the largest industrial undertakings of the colonial period). Both were owned and operated by Charles Carroll. Between the Mount Clare plantation and the Baltimore Iron Works, Carroll enslaved over 200 people. The enslaved workers at the Baltimore Iron Works had a wide range of skilled knowledge, with occupations such as blacksmith and hammerman (Slavery and Freedom in Maryland, 2007).

Runaway ad for Eddenborough (MSA)

Situated only five miles from Baltimore, it is unsurprising that there were many attempts at freedom by the enslaved population throughout the 18^th century. In 1777, when the iron works facility suffered from food shortages, a manager at the Baltimore Iron Works wrote that the “people and stock were almost starving” (Industrial Slavery, 2007). That same year, Carroll placed a runaway ad for the cooper Eddenborough (Carroll, 1777). In it, Eddenborough is described as having an accent, so it is possible that he was born in Africa. Assuming he went to Baltimore, Eddenborough would have had many options with the city’s growing free Black population and Philadelphia only a 40-mile journey.

St. Stephen’s African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery (Talbot County)

Headstone of Matthew Roberts at St. Stephen’s

St. Stephen’s African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery in Talbot County serves as the final resting place for nearly 18 soldiers of the USCT, many of whom were originally enslaved at Wye Plantation. Their names are John Blackwell, Ennels Clayton, Isaac Copper, John Copper, Benjamin Demby, Charles Demby, William Doane, William Doran, Harace Gibson, Zachary Glasgow, Joseph Gooby, Joseph H. Johnson, Peter Johnson, Edward Jones, Enolds Money, Frederick Pipes, Henry Roberts, and Matthew Roberts.

Despite many objections by the Governor and other politicians, as well as slaveholding citizens, in 1863, the United States Colored Troops (USCT) began mass enlistments of Black men to fight for the Union. These men were often recruited directly from plantations in Maryland. One contemporary of Col. Edward Lloyd VI (owner of Wye Plantation during this period), wrote about the “boat loads” of enslaved men enlisting with USCT:

It appears that since we left the county [Talbot County] two week[s] ago, recruiting for the negro regiments have been going on with accelerated rapidity, and new vigor….I hear that Mr. Edward Lloyd, of Miles River neck, our largest slave holder, lost at One time as many as 84 able bodied hands and that enough have not been left to him “to black his boots…” (Wagandt, 1967, p. 135).

Before USCT conducted this mass recruitment at Wye Plantation, Matthew Roberts self-emancipated himself from Col. Edward Lloyd VI by using the local terrain to evade slave catchers. He then faked his own death and took a ferry to Baltimore, joining the 4^th USCT (Mathew Roberts, 2014). Roberts, along with the other soldiers, found their own way out of enslavement through escape and military service. After the end of the Civil War, Roberts and the other members of USCT built a Black community, Unionville, just a few miles from the site of their original enslavement (Messner, 2020). St. Stephen’s serves as a place of remembrance for these soldiers and their descendants.

Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum (Calvert County)

Enlistment papers for William Coates (Ancestry.com)

According to the 1850 census, George Peterson enslaved 16 people at what is today known as Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum (JPPM). During the height of the Civil War, both William Coates (aged 18) and William Jones (aged 19) enlisted at Camp Stanton for a three-year term with with Peterson’s permission: a signed statement by Peterson showed that they were enslaved at his farm on the Patuxent River. During this period, any enslavers were compensated for allowing men to join the USCT (for example, Peterson received $300 in place of the labor Coates would have provided).

A private all through his service, Coates was enlisted in Company I of the 7^th Regiment, while Jones rose to corporal in Company H of the 7^th Regiment. We know both men were mustered out in Texas in October 1866. Coates returned to Calvert County where, by 1880, he married a woman named Rebecca and lived near the Peterson farm. We do not know what became of William Jones (Samford, 2021).

While MHT does not have an easement with JPPM, it is a state-owned museum for history and archaeology. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its 9,000 years of documented human inhabitation and the cultural diversity of the sites at JPPM (Patterson Archeological and Historic District, 1982).

There is always more to learn and explore about the Underground Railroad and the Network to Freedom. Created by the Maryland State Archives, the Legacy to Slavery database has an extensive digital collection of runaway ads, slave schedules, manumissions, and more. Medusa, MHT’s online database of architectural and archaeological sites, is a great way to fully explore any Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties sites and National Register of Historic Places properties in Maryland. You can also read past MHT blog posts about the underground railroad here:

International Underground Railroad Month in Maryland, Part I: “I See the Underground Railroad Everywhere”

International Underground Railroad Month in Maryland, Part II: “A State Located at the Intersection of Slavery and Freedom”

References

B & O Transportation Museum & Mount Clare Station. (1961, September 15). National Register Properties in Maryland. LINK

Belair. (1977, September 17). National Register Properties in Maryland. LINK

Benjamin Duckett. (2017). Maryland State Archives. LINK

Berry, Z. (1856, October 8). Runaway Ad for Benjamin Duckett. Planter’s Advocate. LINK

Berry, Z. (1859, January 5). Runaway Ad for Benjamin Duckett. Planter’s Advocate. LINK

Carroll, C. (1777, August 19). Runaway Ad for Eddenborough. LINK

Certificate of Freedom for Towerhill (C290-1, Entry 51). (1809). LINK

Duvall, G. (1837, May 20). Runaway Ad for Joe. Daily National Intelligencer. LINK

Explore Network to Freedom. (2023). LINK

Holloway, J. E. (2005). Africanisms in American Culture, Second Edition. Indiana University Press.

Industrial Slavery—The Baltimore Iron Works. (2007). LINK

Marietta. (1994, July 25). National Register Properties in Maryland. LINK

Mark Caesar. (2011). Maryland State Archives. LINK

Mathew Roberts. (2014). Maryland State Archives. LINK

Messner, W. F. (2020). A Home of Their Own: African Americans and the Evolution of Unionville, Maryland. Maryland Historical Magazine, 115(2–3), 11–32.

Morris, R. V. (2011). Black Faces of War: A Legacy of Honor from the American Revolution to Today. Quarto Publishing Group USA.

Mount Clare. (1970, May 10). National Register Properties in Maryland. LINK

Our History—Sotterley. (2018, October 26). LINK

Patterson Archeological and Historic District. (1982, April 12). National Register Properties in Maryland. LINK

Plater, G. (1784, November 29). Runaway Ad for Clem Hill. Maryland Gazette. LINK

Plater, G. (1786, January 28). Runaway Ad for Towerhill. Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser. LINK

Plummer, N. A. (1927). Out of the depths; or, The triumph of the cross. Hyattsville, Md. LINK

Riversdale. (1973, April 11). National Register Properties in Maryland. LINK

Robbins, H. (2009). Fugitive Mail: The Deliverance of Henry “Box” Brown and Antebellum Postal Politics. American Studies, 50(1), 5–25.

Samford, P. (2021, February 11). Camp Stanton and the U. S. Colored Troops. Maryland History by the Object. LINK

Slavery and Freedom in Maryland. (2007). Mount Clare. LINK

Sotterley. (2000, February 16). National Register Properties in Maryland. LINK

St. Stephens African Methodist Episcopal Church. (2004). LINK

Wagandt, C. L. (Ed.). (1967). The Civil War Journal of Dr. Samuel A. Harrison. Civil War History, 13(2), 131–146.

William “Bill” Wheeler. (2010). Maryland State Archives. LINK

Port Tobacco Historic District. (1989, August 4). National Register Properties in Maryland. LINK

First and Franklin Presbyterian Church’s Contribution to the LGBTQIA+ Community in Baltimore

By David Pierson, First and Franklin Presbyterian Church Elder 

A History of First Presbyterian and Franklin Street Presbyterian Churches 

The old First Presbyterian Church, where the Constitutional Union Party Convention was held at Baltimore, MD (LOC)

The First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1761 by families who came to Baltimore Towne from the Pennsylvania frontier to escape the terrors of the French and Indian War. They were merchants, physicians, farmers, and builders. This group of church founders was known as “Dissenters,” who agitated early and often. Examples include an arrest for plotting to kidnap the Royal Governor of Maryland during the revolution, fighting off Governor William Paca’s plan to establish the Anglican Church as the State religion, lobbying for the passage of the Slave Trade Act of 1800, and resisting (but failing to prevent) the burning of Washington. Their founding minister, The Rev. Dr. Patrick Allison (1740 – 1802) was a Chaplain to the flinty Continental Congress when it met in Baltimore in 1776/77 and was a close friend of George Washington. His grandson, Mayor George W. Brown, defended Union troops moving through Baltimore in 1861 by physically fighting off a mob in what some consider the first casualties of the Civil War. 

First & Franklin Presbyterian Church (originally Franklin Street Church)

The Franklin Street Presbyterian Church was founded in 1844. Its brick Gothic structure still stands on the corner of Cathedral and Franklin Street. In 1973, the two historic congregations united to form First & Franklin Presbyterian Church. Against this backdrop, First & Franklin has been defending social justice for labor unions, civil rights, women’s rights, and LGBTQIA+ rights in Baltimore for more than 260 years. 

Changing Demographics in Baltimore

First & Franklin Church

As early as 1905 leaders of the First Presbyterian Church at Park Ave and Madison St observed the changing demographics of Mt Vernon. The great families that had sustained them were moving out to the north and west of Baltimore and many of the big houses were turning into apartments. This influx of constantly changing residents contributed their part to these challenges. By 1955 it was obvious that the demographics of Mt. Vernon were shifting more dramatically and while many churches were relocating to the outlying vicinities, the Franklin Street Presbyterian Church recommitted itself to the city and to the challenges both physically and spiritually that lie ahead.   

Because of the fear of arrest, secrecy, and the necessarily opaque nature of the LGBTQIA+ community in Baltimore, the exact origins of social justice efforts to support this community are murky, but what could be said with certainty is that the Mt. Vernon neighborhood became the center of Baltimore’s LGBTQIA+ community in the mid to late 20^th century. Social justice for First & Franklin therefore took the form of support for their LGBTQIA+ community neighbors, marching in pride parades, and supporting a street ministry to homeless and abused LGBTQIA+ individuals. 

Into this context First & Franklin hired David Colman as associate pastor in 1978. A closeted gay man, David began an informal assessment of the community to focus social justice energies. The pastor at the time, James Bearden, gave David the space he needed to pursue his focus on a community that meant so much to him, and when pastor Bearden retired in 1983, David Colman stepped up to become interim pastor for two years.   

In 1980, First & Franklin adopted “The More Light Statement,” which aligned themselves with a small but growing number of other congregations in search of a better understanding of issues surrounding gay and lesbian rights, welcoming all regardless of sexual orientation, and joining the Covenant Network of Presbyterians. 

Interior of First & Franklin Church

In 1982, David Colman began quietly finding ways to acknowledge same sex relationships. According to David:

“there was no guidance on what to call any kind of service of affirmation for same sex relationships. One thing was certain: such services were never confused with “Gay weddings”; something that was repeated several times during my conversations with a couple prior to their service of affirmation. I suspect that “Blessing Service” would be closest to what occurred, since not even the (Presbyterian) General Assembly had thought to limit what its clergy could or couldn’t bless. 

I remember one in particular because it involved two women, one of whom was a police officer. What was memorable was the fact that her ex-husband was also a police officer, and she had grave concerns that he might show up and disturb the proceedings. He didn’t, but it added a layer of tension to the proceedings that they/we could have done without.  

Another LGBTQIA+ issue that I got caught up in was police entrapment of gay men…I want to say Howard St.  A man who attended First & Franklin…showed up at Backus House where I was then living (’78-’79) and explained that he had been arrested…As it turned out, it wasn’t the first time. I can’t remember her name, but he recommended a woman attorney whose husband owned a gay bar in W. Baltimore called Lynn’s. These kinds of cases turned out to be something of a specialty for her practice. I attended his hearing as a character witness. Subsequently, she and I met up for lunch; at which she opened my eyes to the extent of the entrapment problem. Several years later, a member of the church was also entrapped, this time at a prominent spot on a road the name of which is long forgotten. He was married and very shaken up. Guess who his attorney was? His character witness? 

In between these two events, I was asked whether I would join with a few other clergy who planned to set up an appointment with the police to talk about their entrapment practices…The meeting took place. Nothing changed. But the church was present.

There was no blueprint in place for manifesting First & Franklin’s LGBTQIA+ aspirations. It was always a work in progress and a bit of a one-man band.”  

First and Franklin Presbyterian Church and the Fight Against AIDS 

In 1981, word of a Gay-Related Immune Deficiency or GRID first began to circulate. By 1983 the disease was spreading rapidly in Baltimore. Certain doctors at Johns Hopkins University began treating individuals with symptoms of what would become known as AIDS. In early spring of 1983, the first support group for people with AIDS began meeting in Dr. Bernie Branson’s office in the Medical Arts Building on Read St. By the end of April these meetings outgrew his office and the first AIDS Support Group outside of a clinical environment was held at First & Franklin on April 27th.   

On June 8, 1983, Dr. Branson notes that local interest became overwhelming.

“I have plenty of recollections from that time period, and a few clippings as well.  I’m not sure of the exact June 8 date – a group consisting of patients and their significant others began weekly meetings in my waiting room March 30, 1983.  Because of extensive public interest, we soon outgrew the space; First & Franklin allowed us to meet there, and we held a public meeting for the community shortly thereafter.” 

In 1985, it became clear that the suffering caused by the social isolation from the fear of AIDS was taking its toll on the physical and spiritual health of those infected with the disease. In response, First & Franklin began the “passing of the peace” through hugs and handshakes. That same year, a small but growing group of Presbyterian churches around the country were forming Presbyterians for Lesbians and Gay Concerns. That group held several of their national meetings at First & Franklin. 

By 1986, the new pastor at First & Franklin, Harry Holfelder, gathered a group of like-minded denominations and congregations around downtown to establish the AIDS Interfaith Network, coordinating religious leaders in response to AIDS and leading to the establishment of a hospice for persons with AIDS in Baltimore. 

First and Franklin Presbyterian Church and the Fight for LGBTQIA+ Equality 

Around this time, David Colman met his partner, David Clarke. It was clear to David that he could no longer hide his relationship from his congregation and hold an official office in a national organization that prohibited his presence as a leader of the church. So, one day in early 1987, David announced his sexuality from the pulpit and resigned a few minutes later. Today he resides in Vermont with David Clarke.  

All of this activity put First & Franklin at serious risk of offending the Presbyterian National Church, and exposing itself to dissolution of the congregation, closure, and seizure of its endowment. First & Franklin consistently worked with others to overture the national church to change their Book of Order regarding same-sex marriage and the ordination of gay and lesbian people.  

As the pastor of First & Franklin, Allison Halseyfiled an Amicus Brief in 2009 and spoke at a state hearing in Annapolis promoting marriage equality in Maryland. The next year she began performing same-sex weddings. The very first was Phil Adams and Gary Norris on June 28, 2010. She subsequently performed three additional weddings before same sex marriage became legal in Maryland in 2013.  

With the passage of the marriage equality act in 2015, many groups including First & Franklin relaxed their focus on LGBTQIA+ rights. First & Franklin took up the anti-gun violence cause in the city of Baltimore with their powerful weekly purple ribbon protest and their Guns to Gardens gun buyback program. However, it’s clear that the work of social justice for the LGBTQIA+ community is far from over. Recent state laws and efforts to silence this community have gained momentum. It’s clear that there is still work to be done.   

First and Franklin Presbyterian Church Today

This year marks the 40^th anniversary of the scourge of AIDS in Baltimore. In commemoration of the lives lost, First & Franklin will be hosting two panels of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. The quilts will be on display through June, on Wednesdays from 5:30pm to 7pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 2pm.

Baltimore Heritage’s Five Minute Histories: The Fight Against AIDS at First & Franklin Church

The church is located at 210 W. Madison St. Baltimore, MD 21201. www.firstfranklin.org 

Preserve the Past in Your Backyard: Save Baltimore’s Privies for the Future

Lauren Schiszik, M.H.P., Historic Preservation Planner and Staff Archaeologist, Baltimore City Department of Planning

The term “privy” means a secret and is often used as a colloquial term for outhouses. While the rough wooden outhouses are long gone from people’s backyards in Baltimore City and Maryland, the brick- or wood-lined pits that were used to dispose human waste and other trash are often still present underground. The remains of those privies can turn up all kinds of personal information about the people who used them, about their health, diet, heritage, and past times. From the rural mill villages of Dickeyville and Woodberry, to the dense quarters of Federal Hill, Fells Point, and Seton Hill, you can still find the remains of privies today in backyards and under garages if you know how to look for them.

Outhouses line the rear yards of homes in the Fells Point neighborhood in this photo from the mid-20th century. This photo was taken as part of a documentation of the area, characterized as the “Broadway Slum.” as part of an urban renewal project. (Broadway Slum Redevelopment, 8, Box: S8-B1, Folder: 21. Citizens Planning and Housing Association Records, R0032-CPHA. Baltimore Studies Archives. University of Baltimore.)

Although Baltimore funded the construction of a comprehensive sewer system in the early 1900s, the business district downtown and the developing suburbs were the first to get indoor plumbing and bathrooms. While Baltimore’s public works department constructed sewer and water lines across the city, it was the responsibility of each property owner to install plumbing on their property. The oldest neighborhoods were often the ones that went much longer without interior plumbing due to the difficulty and expense of retrofitting plumbing and sewer lines into the buildings, and it wasn’t until the mid-twentieth century that every home in Baltimore had an indoor bathroom. Thus, people used privies in their backyards in many parts of Baltimore City into the 20th century, and these privies often served dual roles as bathroom and trash pit. There were “night soil collectors” that would muck out the privies and transport the contents to the city dump, but eventually, the privies were abandoned and filled in with trash. The contents within them are preserved, like a secret, in backyards all across the city.

Baltimore City has 38 local historic districts and over 200 Baltimore City Landmarks, which includes over 15,000 properties. These historic properties are subject to the review of the Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP), and the design guidelines regulate work completed on the exteriors of properties, including the yard. Just like owners of properties in local historic districts are stewards of the built environment, they may also be the unknowing stewards of archaeological resources. CHAP’s design guidelines state that every reasonable effort must be made to identify, protect, and preserve archaeological significant resources, and direct that applicants should leave known archaeological resources intact, whenever possible. The Commission may require that work involving subsurface disturbance, such as excavation, utility work, and new construction, be subject to an archaeological assessment completed by a professional archaeologist. Excavation on properties in CHAP districts or on Baltimore City Landmarks requires approval from CHAP staff and may also require a building permit.

As archaeological sites, privies can provide an incredible amount of information about how people lived in the past. Written records often tell us very little about the people who collectively comprised the majority of Baltimore’s population: free and enslaved Black people, immigrants from Europe and Asia, women, children. In order to learn about their lives, historians often have to turn to other “texts” like oral histories and archaeological sites.

Archaeological sites are non-renewable cultural resources. The act of excavating a privy or other archaeological site destroys it, and thus, professional archaeologists take care when excavating a privy to only dig part of it. They leave the rest for future archaeologists who can hopefully learn more using less destructive methods. It is better still to leave known archaeological sites alone, preserving them in place, which stewards them for future generations. However, if an archaeological site is going to be disturbed due to construction or development, it is important to excavate them scientifically, systematically recording the finds, studying and cataloging the artifacts, and ultimately writing a report that shares a complete story of what the artifacts can tell about the people that used them. This ensures that although the site itself is gone, the information from the site is not lost.

Archaeological resources represent a wealth of historical information about our shared heritage. The privies that have been scientifically excavated and recorded in Baltimore have provided a plethora of information about people’s lives in the 19th and 20th centuries. Careful excavation can uncover different periods of use of the privy, offering tightly dated time frames for artifacts that can then be connected to specific families that lived at the property. Detailed analysis can provide insights about the economic status, heritage, diet, and health of the people that lived there. Mammal, fish, and bird bones, delicate eggshells, even botanical materials like fruit pits, nuts, and seeds can teach archaeologists about what cuts of meat were used, how the food was prepared, whether the family hunted game, raised fowl, fished, or foraged. The bottles – medicine, liquor, perfume – and the pieces of ceramic dishes can teach about health conditions, local businesses and manufacturers, national and international trade. There are artifacts that were likely accidentally dropped in the privy, like buttons, jewelry, keys, coins, and toys.

The discovery of these objects is thrilling, but the knowledge gleaned from them is even more thrilling, and is far more lasting if it is recorded and shared. There is a long history of unscientific privy-digging in Baltimore City and elsewhere across the country. Social media has raised the profile of privy-digging and relic hunting as both recreation and business. Folks share their finds on social media, allowing followers to experience the thrill of discovery and purchase the artifacts that are uncovered. Privies in local historic districts and local landmarks have been excavated without CHAP review or approval mostly because they are located in rear yards and are largely unseen. Thus, education about the value of privies and archaeological sites in terms of our collective heritage is vital, so that property owners can become stewards of these important, largely invisible resources.

If folks are interested in learning more about archaeology in Baltimore City, there are some wonderful organizations to follow and get involved with, like the Central Chapter of the Archeological Society of Maryland, the Herring Run Archeology Project, Baltimore Heritage, Baltimore Archaeology Forum, and the Baltimore Community Archaeology Lab.

The Ship Caulkers’ Houses: Honoring the Legacy of Baltimore’s Black Caulkers

By Sarah Groesbeck, Architectural Historian, & Secretary, Friends of the Ship Caulkers’ Houses 

1847 View of Baltimore from Federal Hill, by E. Whitefield (Library of Congress).

The Ship Caulkers’ Houses, located at 612-614 S Wolfe Street, Baltimore, are two one-and-one-half story wood frame houses in the Fell’s Point neighborhood. The houses are owned by the Society for the Preservation of Federal Hill and Fell’s Point, which has tasked the Friends of the Ship Caulkers’ Houses with the rehabilitation of the houses and finding a permanent, sustainable use for them. Our project to stabilize the Ship Caulkers’ Houses was awarded an African American Heritage Preservation Program (AAHPP) grant, which funded the critical stabilization of these fragile houses, which were close to collapse.

Rendering of the 600 Block of S. Wolfe Street, c.1820 (Arnold Capute).

Ship Caulkers’ Houses in 2018 before restoration work began

July 25, 1850, must have been a hot, sticky day in Baltimore’s Fell’s Point neighborhood. The harbor wharfs along its south side dominated life in Fell’s Point, providing a livelihood for its working-class residents and supplying a constant stream of sailors, merchants, and migrants from across the country and throughout the world. On this July day, a census taker stopped at what is now 614 S Wolfe Street, one of a row of eight identical story-and-a-half wood-frame houses. Stretching north from 614 to Fleet Street, each house measured a mere 12’x16’ and included one room on the first story, an attic loft above, and perhaps some form of lean-to addition on the back. Built ca. 1797 as a form of eighteenth-century speculative tract housing, these rental properties were home to a rotating cast of occupants who usually stayed no more than 5-10 years.

1850 Census Record for Richard Jones (Ancestry.com).

The 1850 tenants of 614 S Wolfe Street were the Jones’s, a free Black family headed by Richard (50 years old) and Rebecca (36 years old). The two had six living children: Ozius (14); Charles (13); Francis (6); Horace (3); Alex (8); and Maria (1). Additionally, the census taker listed a boarder, 45-year-old Lazarus Arnold, who lived with the eight Jones family members in this two-room house. Baltimore City Directories show that the Jones family had been living at this address since at least 1842 and in the vicinity even earlier. Richard Jones is listed as a caulker in the census; he was one of many Black ship caulkers living in Fell’s Point. Other Black caulkers who lived in the houses between 1840 and 1860 include John Offer (1840-1841), Henry Scott (1851-1854), and John Wittington (1853-1854).

During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, enslaved Blacks worked the ship building trades in Baltimore. Those who gained their freedom, and remained in Baltimore, passed their skills from father to son. By the 1840s, ship caulking, the process of making a vessel water-tight, was an almost exclusively African American trade in Baltimore that employed both free and enslaved Blacks. Newspaper articles in the 1840s-1850s, referred to them simply as “caulker” without specifying race because it was understood that Baltimore’s caulkers were Black.

This near monopoly provided free ship caulkers some leverage in a racist system that was stacked against them. Their wages were less than white workers, but significantly higher than the average Black worker’s wage in Baltimore. White shipyard owners tolerated and benefited from the Black caulkers’ dominance of their trade, because Black workers were paid lower wages and they worked in the owners’ yards with the understanding that they would boycott new shipyards and suppress competition.

Within the limits of the freedom they possessed, this group of free Black caulkers created a community to help and support each other. They formed a trade union and, through it, a Beneficial Society to provide aid to members who fell on difficult times such as unemployment, injury, or sickness. While these mutual aid societies were common throughout the United States through the nineteenth century, African American organizations were different than white ones, as they served the additional purpose of helping formerly enslaved members adjust to free life. This community also formed the East Baltimore Mental Improvement Society, a literary and debating society that was held in its members’ homes.

Literacy was important to Black Baltimoreans as a whole and Black literacy rates grew through the nineteenth century, thanks to schools such as the Dallas Street Church’s Sunday School on S Dallas St (the same block on which Douglass Place now sits). Sunday Schools like this one taught reading through Bible study, sometimes providing night classes for those working during the day. The Dallas Street Church’s Sunday School was the first Sunday School in the eastern half of Baltimore City and its first anniversary celebration was attended by Frederick Douglass in 1831 when he was still enslaved.

Richard Jones’s 1832 Certificate of Freedom (Maryland State Archives).

The limits of freedom, however, would have been visible daily. Although Baltimore was home to the largest free Black population in the country, it also was a large slave trading port. Free Black people like Richard Jones and his family had to record proof of their freedom and obtain a Certificate of Freedom.  But even with a recorded Certificate of Freedom, Maryland laws allowed free Black people to be sold into slavery if convicted of a crime or, after an 1832 vagrancy law was passed, for being “unproductive.”  Limits were placed on gathering and assemblies, including religious organizations. Ship caulkers lived and worked alongside enslaved people, some of whom became part of their community. Most famously, Frederick Douglass participated in the East Baltimore Mental Improvement Society before he escaped enslavement in 1838. Though legally he was not allowed to attend, the free members of the group risked their own safety by inviting him to attend and participate in the society.

Baltimore Sun advertisement for white caulkers (May 14, 1858).

The 1858 Caulkers Riots ended the approximately 20-year monopoly these Black caulkers held in Baltimore. In the spring of that year, white workers began agitating to replace the Black caulkers. The shipyard of J.D. Fardy & Bro., in Federal Hill, placed advertisements in the Baltimore Sun for “several good white caulkers” and began employing white caulkers. Soon after, groups of white men began harassing Black caulkers working in the other yards in Federal Hill; threats of violence became real when a mob of 40-50 white men attacked Black caulkers at the yard of A.J. Robinson, beating and stabbing a number of these men. The threats and attacks continued, forcing the Black caulkers to remain home and not work. The white “caulkers,” many of whom possessed no skill in the trade, forced shipyard owners (who now had no other options) to pay them full wages for their work. By late summer, the new status quo in Baltimore’s shipyards was Black and white caulkers. Violence against the Black caulkers continued through the Civil War and in September 1865, a strike by white workers resulted in an agreement to gradually replace Black caulkers with whites. 

The legacy of these Black ship caulkers has lasted far beyond the few decades they held the monopoly on their trade. Their ranks included Isaac Myers, who was influential in the formation of the Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company as well as a labor and political leader. John W Locks, president of the Chesapeake Marine Railway, went on to be one of the wealthiest Black businessmen in Baltimore. Beyond these luminaries, research into the lives of ship caulkers has begun to uncover the stories of men who were leaders in the fraternal organizations, churches, and educational institutions that were so influential to Blacks in Baltimore during the second half of the nineteenth century. And ship caulking continued to be a viable trade for Black Baltimoreans who passed down the trade from father to son through the early twentieth century.

Over the years, the story of the ship caulkers and their connection to the houses at 612-614 S Wolfe Street had been largely forgotten and left untold. Preserving these houses is more than merely saving brick and timber; the houses provide a tangible link between the present and the past that cannot be made in any other way. The preservation of African American sites is essential to telling and understanding the Black experience in the United States throughout our history. These sites, along with those of other historically marginalized groups, are necessary to telling the full story of our shared history.

Elevations of the Ship Caulkers’ Houses showing their appearance once the exterior restoration is completed (Arnold Capute).

Our work to preserve the Ship Caulkers’ Houses has reached a major milestone with the completion of the stabilization of the houses, which are now once again standing on their own. This work continues; in January 2023 we began the restoration the houses’ exterior finishes (siding, roofing, windows, doors, and a reconstructed chimney). Once this work is completed, we’ll be back with a new post detailing the AAHPP grant work that has been completed over the past three years. In the meantime, follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @shipcaulkershouses. Visit our website, www.shipcaulkers.org, to learn more about the houses and how you can support this important work.

Announcing FY2023 African American Historic Preservation Program Grant Recipients!

By Ivy Weeks, Capital Programs Administrator

We are pleased to announce this year’s African American Heritage Preservation Program (AAHPP) grant recipients! Jointly administered by The Maryland Commission on African American History and Culture and the Maryland Historical Trust, the AAHPP promotes the preservation of Maryland’s African American heritage by funding construction projects at significant sites throughout the state. This year’s projects include museums, cemeteries, an interpretive memorial, a historic lodge, community centers, and a historic school. Read more about our newly funded AAHPP grant projects below.

Mount Auburn Cemetery – Baltimore City ($100,000) | Sponsor: Mount Auburn Cemetery Company

Dedicated in 1872 and originally known as “The City of the Dead for Colored People,” Mount Auburn Cemetery was one of the first—and now only remaining—cemetery owned and operated by African Americans in Baltimore. It is a unique representation of the values and burial traditions of this community from the late 19th century to the present. Grant funds will support repairs to damaged decorative and security fencing, as well as resurfacing inner roadways.

Hoppy Adams House – Annapolis, Anne Arundel County ($100,000) | Sponsor: Charles W. “Hoppy” Adams Jr. Foundation, Inc.

Celebrated African American radio broadcaster for WANN Annapolis, Charles “Hoppy” Adams Jr was widely known for spreading soul and R&B music to Black and white audiences. Adams hosted popular concerts at Carr’s Beach, an important venue on the “Chitlin Circuit” during segregation. This project will rehabilitate the home Adams built for himself in 1964, which was left to the elements when he passed in 2005. Future phases of work will convert the space into a museum and event space to celebrate the life of Hoppy Adams and the unifying effect of R&B music during this divisive era.

Mt. Calvary United Methodist Church – Arnold, Anne Arundel County ($86,000) | Sponsor: Mount Calvary United Methodist Church

Mt. Calvary United Methodist Church began gathering on this site between 1832- 1842, making it the oldest African American congregation in Arnold. Grant funds will support the replacement of the 40-year-old roof and repairing the deteriorating handicap ramp that is currently causing moisture intrusion for the church, as well as adding a second ramp.

Eastport Elementary School, 3rd Street – Annapolis, Anne Arundel County ($100,000) | Sponsor: The Seafarers Yacht Club, Inc.

Originally built in 1918 as Eastport’s school for African American children, Eastport Elementary School closed when Anne Arundel School finally integrated, nearly a decade after Brown v Board of Education. Today, the building is owned by the Seafarers Yacht Club, Inc., formed in 1959 by a group of Black men with a shared interest in boating. They purchased the vacant building in 1967 after they were inspired to form their own club in response to marinas that routinely refused Black boaters to dock at their piers, as well as yacht clubs that denied membership to Black captains. This grant project will fund interior and exterior repairs and security improvements.

The club officers in dress whites, honoring a recently deceased member. Courtesy: Seafarers Yacht Club

Old Wallville School – Prince Frederick, Calvert County ($27,000) | Sponsor: Friends of the Old Wallville School, Inc.

A representation of the segregated educational facilities of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Old Wallville School is a one-room wooden schoolhouse that was used to educate African American students in the unincorporated village from 1880-1934. In 2006, the building was moved and placed adjacent to Calvert Elementary School. Now restored to its appearance in the early 1930s, it is used as a popular heritage tourism destination. This grant project will fund rot and roof repairs, structural signage replacement, and painting to protect the building from the elements and heavy use.

Parren J Mitchell House and Cultural Center – Baltimore City ($100,000) | Sponsor: Upton Planning Committee, Inc.

Originally built 1880, this rowhome is probably best known for its resident Parren Mitchell, the Black Congressmen to represent Maryland. This renovation project will return the long-vacant building to its historic role as a center of political and social life for the community and region as the new Parren Mitchell Center, which will serve as an events and retreat center. Grant funds will support exterior masonry restoration and repointing, window restoration, and accessibility improvements.

Boyds Negro School – Boyds, Montgomery County ($50,000) | Sponsor: Boyds Clarksburg Historical Society, Inc.

Built in 1895, Boyds Negro School is Montgomery County’s only remaining one-room schoolhouse for African American children that is regularly open to the public. This project will focus on engineering and site work to protect the building and grounds from flooding. It will also add a handicap ramp to make the building ADA accessible.

Richard Potter House – Denton, Caroline County ($50,000) | Sponsor: Fiber Arts Center of the Eastern Shore Inc.

Richard Potter published a book in 1866 – The Narrative of the Experience, Adventures and Escape of Richard Potter – documenting his experiences from when he was kidnapped in Greensboro, Maryland, enslaved in Delaware, and eventual escape and return to Caroline County to what is now known as the Richard Potter House (c.1810). The site is included as part of the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom. This project will restore the first floor of the home to its 1855 interior, using it as a museum and classroom space.

Mt. Zion Memorial Church– Princess Anne, Somerset County ($86,000) | Sponsor: Somerset County Historical Trust, Inc.

Mt. Zion Memorial Church survives as one of the few late-19th century African American churches in Somerset County and its intact condition enhances its architectural significance. Inside, one of the most distinctive features of the building — the early-20th century bead board ceiling – is at risk due to a leaking roof. While Mt. Zion is no longer used to hold regular church services, it does reflect the lasting influence of Methodism on the African American community in Somerset County. Grant funds will repair severe water damage.

New Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church – Berlin, Worcester County ($67,000) | Sponsor: New Bethel United Methodist Church, Inc.

Founded in 1855, New Bethel is the oldest African American Methodist congregation in Worcester County. Known as the Godfather of gospel music, Rev. Charles Albert Tindley was a member of the church in boyhood, and attended when he would visit from Philadelphia as an adult. The grant project will fund roof replacement and carpentry repairs.

Ridgley Methodist Church – Landover, Prince George’s County ($50,000) | Sponsor: Mildred Ridgley Gray Charitable Trust, Inc.

Built in 1921, the Ridgley Methodist Episcopal Church is in its original form and features memorial stained-glass windows with pointed frames. The building was relocated by the State Highway Commission in 1990. The cemetery, which dates to 1892, occupies the west end of the property. There are a number of unmarked graves, and about 20 gravestones dating from the 1910s to the 1940s. Most of the stones are hand-carved and many feature a carved flower and vine motif. The grant project will fund exterior repairs to the church and conservation of the cemetery.

Information in this section has been updated since publication.

St. James African Union First Colored Methodist Protestant Church – Towson, Baltimore County ($30,000) | Sponsor: St. James African Union Methodist Protestant Church, Inc

In 1881, the St. James African Union First Colored Methodist Protestant Church was built on property believed to be the first documented African American landholding in Towson. The church began as a one-story wood-frame building and was raised to two stories in 1906 to accommodate the congregation’s growth. This project will fund structural repairs to the roof framing and chimney, as well as full roof replacement.

Buffalo Soldier Park – Eden, Wicomico County ($74,000) | Sponsor: Greater Washington Dc Chapter Of The Ninth And Tenth (Horse) Cavalry Association, Inc.

Named “Buffalo Soldier House” for his time in the United States 9th Cavalry Regiment Company C, Thomas Polk, Sr. built a two-story home on his property sometime in the late 1920s and rebuilt it in 1962-63 after it was destroyed in a fire. This project will focus on the pre-development and renovations needed to convert his home into the Buffalo Soldier Living History Site, which will include a visitors’ center and exhibit space.

Adams Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery – Lothian, Anne Arundel County ($80,000) | Sponsor: Adams U.M. Church

Adams Methodist Episcopal Church site contains two church buildings: the original 1883 church, a simple weatherboard-sided late-Victorian structure; and a more modern brick church, completed in 1968. Work for this project will focus on the brick church and on the graveyard on site.

If you are planning to apply for funding for an AAHPP project, the FY2024  grant round will begin in the spring of 2023, with workshops in April and applications due July 1. For more information about AAHPP, please visit our website or contact Ivy Weeks, Capital Programs Administrator, at ivy.weeks@maryland.gov.