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African American Experiences
Southern Maryland is the home of the first person of African descent to serve in a legislature in America. His name was Mathias de Sousa and he was one of the original colonists to arrive on the Ark in 1634.
Come walk the paths of these remarkable people and help us all to remember them.
Notable Individuals
Mathias de Sousa
Mathias de Sousa was one of the nine indentured servants brought to Maryland by Jesuit missionaries, and was on the Ark when Lord Baltimore’s expedition arrived in the St. Mary’s River in 1634. He was one of the first individuals of African descent to settle in the Maryland colony. His indenture was finished by 1638, and he became a “freemen” (a term for any man who was not a servant). Mathias became a mariner and fur trader. In 1641, he commanded a trading voyage to the Susquehannock Indians and in 1642 was master of a small cargo vessel. Mathias served in the 1642 legislative assembly. This makes Mathias de Sousa the first man of African descent to participate in an Assembly or Legislature in America.
Josiah Henson
Josiah Henson was an author, abolitionist, and minister. Born into slavery on June 15, 1789 in Charles County, Maryland, he was sold three times before the age of eighteen. He escaped to Upper Canada in 1830 and founded a settlement and laborer’s school for other fugitive slaves in Kent County, Canada. Henson’s autobiography, The Life of Josiah Henson, inspired Harriett Beecher Stowe to write “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”.
Matthew Henson
Matthew Henson, a noted explorer from Southern Maryland, along with explorer Robert Peary and four Inuit guides—Egingwah, Ooqueah, Ootah, and Seeglo—become the first to set foot on the North Pole in 1909.
A year after the Civil War ended, Matthew Henson was born on August 8, 1866 to freeborn African American sharecroppers in Charles County, Maryland, and he was believed to be great-grandnephew of Josiah Henson. This famed African American explored the Artic with Admiral Peary for two decades. On April 6, 1909, Peary, Henson and the rest of their team made history, becoming the first people to reach the North Pole. Matthew Henson died in New York City in 1955.
Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray
If Grandfather had not volunteered for the Union in 1863 and come south three years later as a missionary among the Negro freedmen, our family might not have walked in such proud shoes and felt so assured of its place in history.”
— Pauli Murray, Proud Shoes: The Story of an American Family
Born November 20, 1910, the Reverend Dr. Pauli Murray came from a proud history involving her grandmother freed after the Civil War, and her grandfather whose family was born free and who fought in the Civil War.
After a speech from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, praising UNC-Chapel Hill as being a liberal institution, Murray wrote to the President and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt, beginning a lifelong correspondence with the First Lady. Pauli Murray was involved in a number of events promoting inclusion for people of color and women, including a protest of bus laws in 1940, a successful sit-in to integrate a restaurant in 1943, and becoming a founding member of the National Organization for Women.
After graduating first in her class at Howard University, Pauli Murray was denied enrollment at Harvard due to her gender. Pauli Murray then attended Berkeley Law School and went on to write the book “State’s Laws on Race and Color in 1951”, which Thurgood Marshall called “the bible for the civil rights movement”.
Pauli Murray, became the first African American to earn a law degree from Yale and the first African American woman to be ordained a priest in the Episcopal Church. The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray, civil rights activist, feminist, attorney, poet, author, and priest died on July 1, 1985.
Harriet Elizabeth Brown
Despite her eight years of teaching experience and certification, Brown’s annual salary was $600, whereas white teachers with equivalent qualifications and experience earned $1100 annually.
Deeply troubled by this unfairness and injustice in the salary structure of Calvert County educators, Brown teamed up with the esteemed N.A.A.C.P. attorney, Thurgood Marshall, to initiate legal action against the county. Her lawsuit contended that the statute endorsing separate salary scales for public school teachers based on race violated the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This momentous case reached a settlement on December 27, 1937, when the Calvert County Board of Education agreed to standardize salaries and erase the pay gap. This landmark legal victory paved the way for the Maryland Teachers Pay Equalization Law a couple of years later, marking the state’s inaugural step towards pay parity.
Brown’s case acted as the turning point in the battle for salary equality in Maryland, ultimately leaving a resounding impact across the nation.
Joseph C. Parks
J.C. Parks served in the U.S. Army during World War I. In 1919, he became the supervisor of what was known as colored schools for Charles County Public Schools (CCPS). An advocate for education, Parks led the way in drafting plans and securing funds for the county’s first and second high schools—Pomonkey and Bel Alton—as well as many elementary schools including one named in his honor: the J.C. Parks Elementary School.
Parks helped establish the first public library in the county. He later became executive secretary of the Maryland State Teachers Association, advocating for equal salaries for teachers statewide. J.C. Parks retired from CCPS in 1961.
Notable Locations
Throughout the Southern Maryland region, there are historical sites, cultural monuments, events, and parks that explore the complex story of Black life in Southern Maryland.
Historic Sotterley
A historic plantation circa 1703, Sotterley has built itself into a premier location for exploring the complicated past of the region. This unique historic setting has transformed its mission into one of inclusion and exploration.
Sotterley Mission Statement: “To preserve our historic structures and natural environment and use the powerful stories of our land, lives, and labor to bring American history to life while serving as an educational and cultural resource.”
Sotterley Vision Statement: “To foster a better understanding of our world today by providing a living link to America’s complex history and legacy of slavery.”
Through the Descendants Project and the UNESCO Slave Route Project, Historic Sotterley will continue to be a powerful place to visit in Southern Maryland.
Biscoe Gray Heritage Farm
The Biscoe Gray Heritage Farm, a site rich in natural and cultural resources, is a living laboratory to explore, understand, and experience Southern Maryland agricultural practices and lifestyles throughout its history.
The rehabilitation of the George E. Rice House and outbuildings provides an important aspect of interpreting the African American history of the site; they illustrate early to mid-20th century small-scale farming, as well as the role of African Americans as landowners and tenant farmers. Their preservation is vital to understanding African American heritage and culture in the region, and conveys the story of the Rice family and their connection to the land, and the ways in which African Americans shaped the physical and social landscape of Southern Maryland at the time.
Serenity Farm
A recently discovered and now preserved graveyard of enslaved individuals can be visited at Serenity Farm in Benedict. The graves are dated between 1790 and 1810, and include 23 graves, of which the remains of 13 individuals are noted. Read an article from the Baltimore Sun or watch a film about the discovery of this graveyard.
This is a private farm, but the owners are committed to sharing this history, so call ahead for an appointment. There is no charge to visit.
Drayden African-American Schoolhouse
Explore the stories of struggle of the Southern Maryland African American community during an era of segregated education at this authentically restored, one-room schoolhouse. The Drayden African-American Schoolhouse is a frame building whose foundation rests on tree trunks on its original site on Cherryfield Road in Drayden, MD.
Acquired by the St. Mary’s County Government in 2000, this site has been designated as an important symbol of education in St. Mary’s County, to be preserved and interpreted within the Museum Division of St. Mary’s County.
Commemorative to the Enslaved
The Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland provides visitors with the space to acknowledge and learn from the lives of those who once toiled here, while providing a place for reflection and introspection about the nature of slavery and its connections to modern society.
Washington Birch House
Washington Burch, an African American who transitioned from enslavement to freedom, accomplished significant milestones in the late 19th century. At the age of 35 in 1870, he became a registered voter, just nine years after the Emancipation Proclamation. In 1868, Burch became a State Delegate for the District of Republicans Convention and established a school for African American children. He also purchased his home in 1874, now known as the Catslide House or Burch House, which stands as a historical testament to post-Civil War life in Port Tobacco.
The Catslide House, originally constructed in the mid to late 18th century, is one of the last surviving colonial buildings in the area. It is open for public tours, offering a glimpse into the past and the remarkable journey of Washington Burch, who played a pivotal role in Port Tobacco’s History.
United States Colored Troops Memorial Statue
The United States Colored Troops Memorial Statue is a memorial to the more than 700 African-American soldiers and sailors from St. Mary’s County, Maryland who served in the Union forces during the American Civil War. It is located in the city of Lexington Park, Maryland.
Address: 21550 Willows Rd, Lexington Park, MD 20653
Network to Freedom Sites in Southern Maryland
The National Park Service created the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom to commemorate the places and people who shaped the journey to freedom. Network to Freedom sites are documented places where people escaped from enslavement, including routes they took, places where they stayed or found assistance, and places where their freedom was tried and tested.
Network to Freedom programs provide information about the Underground Railroad and people who escaped. Network to Freedom research facilities are places where you can learn more about the Underground Railroad through government documents, land records, fugitive slave records, census records, genealogy files, and more.
Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum
The Battle of St. Leonard Creek, a War of 1812 naval engagement, occurred here and is retold in the narrative of Charles Ball, who self-emancipated and fled north to freedom. Two enslaved people from this site enlisted in the Union Army and became free.
Old Jail of St. Mary’s County
The exhibits feature the stories of five enslaved people who ran away and were then incarcerated. They highlight some of the choices confronting freedom seekers and the struggles they endured.
Point Lookout State Park & Civil War Museum
In 1863, the federal government erected a Civil War prison camp that eventually held 50,000 Confederate prisoners. Among the federal army units to serve as guards were African-American soldiers of the U.S. Colored Troops regiments.
Port Tobacco Courthouse
This reconstructed courthouse is where two African Americans were tried for aiding in the flight of more than 30 armed freedom seekers from Southern Maryland in 1845.
Historic Sotterley
This museum is a 94-acre remnant of a large plantation, circa 1703, and a UNESCO Slave Route Site of Memory. It interprets the lives of people who lived and labored here.
African American Heritage House
The African American Heritage Society of Charles County, Inc. is a non-profit organization with a dedicated mission to foster public awareness and understanding of the African American way of life; the culture and historical contributions of African Americans to the growth and development of Southern Maryland and the nation. In 1999, the African American Heritage House was purchased to serve as a cultural/educational center.
