Visit These Historic Black Sites

The Orchard Street Church (Baltimore Urban League)

The Orchard Street Church, located at 512 Orchard Street in Baltimore, has a long and storied history for the African-American Community. The current building was built in 1882 by architect Frank E. Davis. The original was built in 1838, with expansions in 1853 and 1865. It is the oldest building built by a Black congregation in Baltimore (David Armenti for Baltimore Heritage). 

Prior to the Civil War, the church was a stop on the Underground Railroad. After the war, the church became a grand meeting place, hosting graduations, conventions, and civic activities. Samuel Green, a founder of Morgan State University, and Harry S. Cummings, Baltimore’s first Black city councilman, are among the famous people who were once members. It’s fitting that the facility now houses the Greater Baltimore Urban League, a civic organization that continues work in the community through education and outreach. 

Guided tours and a look at library exhibits are available by appointment. Enter under the red canopy on the side door. While visiting it is best to park on the street or the lot across the street. The parking lot adjacent to the Church is a tow lot.

https://www.gbul.org/  512 Orchard Street 410.523.8150

Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture

There are several things that make Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture special; one is their ability to present exhibits that blend history and current events in a way that brings new meaning and understanding to our stories. My first visit to the museum was in 2007 to see Textual Rhythms: Constructing the Jazz Tradition, Contemporary American Quilts. There were 50 pieces created by some of the most famous African-American quilters, jazz-themed and fluid.

This juxtaposition of the old and new really come together in the current exhibit Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. Profiles of men with revolutionary voices including James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Kendrick Lamar are displayed using a combination of contemporary art, poetry, and photography. The exhibit runs from February 2022 – August 14, 2022. Also do not miss the museum’s permanent collections curated to teach the history of the contributions of Maryland’s native African-American populations.   

Located in Baltimore’s Harbor East neighborhood, near historic Little Italy, the museum is surrounded by a plethora of restaurants. Whether you are looking for traditional Italian or contemporary seafood, it’s available. Try Teavolve, an African-American owned tea house and café located nearby. 

The museum can be reached using the Orange line of the City’s free Circulator bus lines. Parking is available in a garage directly across the street; metered parking is available along President’s Street.  Don’t leave without a visit to the museum’s gift shop. Be sure to check out some of the posters from past exhibits. Also visit their website to learn about lectures and activities for all age groups.

Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park

Located in the historic, waterfront neighborhood of Fells Point the Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park offers a unique view of African-American history in the United States. The lives of orator, abolitionist and author, Frederick Douglass, and Isaac Myers, a free-born African-American living in Baltimore during slavery, who made his living as a ship caulker and later founded The Chesapeake Railway & Dry Dock Company to employ Black workers, are both showcased.

The facility also houses the Berman Gallery, which features a rotating exhibit of local African-American artists. It is available to host events, both inside the gallery and/or on the large courtyard area outside. The museum sits at the western edge of Thames Street and is surrounded by water on two sides. It is a beautiful spot to watch the sunset by the docks. The property offers a gorgeous background for wedding receptions, parties, and other events during the summer months.

1417 Thames Street Baltimore, MD 21231 The museum is experiencing closure due to COVID-19, so check their website for updated information http://livingclassrooms.org/programs/fdimmp/ Just four blocks away is Teavolve, a Black-owned teahouse and café.

Billie Holiday Statue

Jazz singer Billie Holiday was born on April 7, 1915, in Philadelphia. She moved to Baltimore at the age of three and spent much of her childhood living in the Upper Fells Point neighborhood at 217 S. Durham Street. There you will find several wall murals and painted screens in her honor. At the age of 12, Billie (then known as Eleanora) moved to Argyle Street in West Baltimore, close to the city’s famed Pennsylvania Ave. 

In her memoir, “Lady Sings the Blues,” she recants a tough upbringing, riddled with child abuse, detention, and later, her own drug abuse, but recalls first hearing the music of Bessie Smith on a phonographic recording. That inspired her to find her voice. She later sang in several clubs on Pennsylvania Avenue including, the Royal Theater. You can see the statue created in her honor at 1400 Pennsylvania Ave. and the marquee for Baltimore’s famed Royal Theater located nearby.

The neighborhood is currently under huge revitalization and transition into the Black Arts District. The statue depicts Holliday with her signature flower in her hair. Two reliefs, one depicting an infant being held upside down by the legs is a tribute to her famous song “God Bless the Child”; the other depicts a lynching in honor of “Strange Fruit.” The statue sits across the street from where the Royal Theatre used to stand. She played there on many occasions. Utilize safety and precaution while traveling. 1400 Pennsylvania Ave.

Negro Heroes Monument

Erected in 1972, now located in the War Memorial Plaza adjacent to Baltimore’s City Hall, the Negro Heroes of the U.S. Monument was created to honor African-American soldiers who went to war for the United States. The plaque reads “Dedicated to the memory of the Negro Heroes of the United States. Sleep in Peace, slain in thy country’s wars.” 

The piece depicts a soldier holding a wreath and sash. Written on the sash is a chronology of the wars in which African-American soldiers fought from 1775 to 1970 in the service of the United States. The nine-foot bronze statue was created by Sculptor, James E. Lewis of Baltimore. 100 Holliday Street.

Thurgood Marshall Childhood Home (Plaque)

Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall was most famously known for the case Brown vs. the Board of Education, in which he argued and won in front of the nation’s highest court, prior to his historical nomination — thus, changing the landscape of public education for Black Americans across the country. 

Born in 1908, he grew up in West Baltimore in a three-story rowhouse located at 1632 Division Street. As a young child, he worked in West Baltimore at a hat shop on the famous Pennsylvania Ave. There is a plaque on the side of the house in his honor. If visiting the Black Arts District by car, the home is located about five minutes away.  

He began practicing law in Baltimore in 1933, after graduating from Howard University’s Law School. In 1967 he became the nation’s first African-American U.S. Supreme Court Justice. 

A monument to the Supreme Court Justice is in the state’s capital, Annapolis, outside of the State House, a 40-minute drive by car. 25 State Circle, Annapolis Maryland 21401. 

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper Plaque

Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was a poet, author, and lecturer, as well as an abolitionist and women’s rights advocate. She was born September 25, 1825, in Baltimore, to free parents, and resided on Camden Street in her early years. She attended a school that was run by her uncle on Sharp Street in downtown Baltimore. She was the very first woman of African-American descent to publish a book of poetry, “Forest Leaves,” although her work later included short stories and essays. In total, she published nine books.

You will find a small memorial plaque donated in her honor on the side of the Baltimore Convention Center at the Sharp Street entrance. This is the spot where the school stood. The plaque tells the story of her marriage and career. She was one of the most outstanding and well-known writers of the 19^th century.