St. Mary's County Maryland Visitor Guide 2025 - Magazine - Page 22
H I S T O RY
The Commemorative
AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY
Visit Drayden African American Schoolhouse, an authentically restored,
one-room schoolhouse that served African American students from 1890
to the early 1940s.
Celebrate notable local people and organizations at the African American
Monument in Elmer Brown Freedom Park. The eternal flame at the top of
the monument commemorates the accomplishments of African Americans
in St. Mary's County: past, present, and future.
Take a journey through history at Lexington Manor Passive Park, home to
the United States Colored Troops Interpretive Center. Follow the interpretive
panels and learn about the hundreds of African American sailors and soldiers
who served in the Civil War at the United States Colored Troops Memorial, just
steps away in John Lancaster Park (named for St. Mary's first African American
County Commissioner).
TO ENSLAVED PEOPLES OF
SOUTHERN MARYLAND
is an immersive art experience
at St. Mary’s College of Maryland
that honors the story of resilience
that defined the lives of the
enslaved people who once lived
on the field where you stand.
Take time to reflect as you read
rows of erasure poetry aloud—
these words come from historical
documents including runaway slave
advertisements, newspaper articles,
and slave depositions related to a
former plantation in St. Mary’s.
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