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.

Southern Maryland is also the place where Josiah Henson was enslaved, and the place of brutality he wrote about in his later autobiography, which became the basis for Harriet Beecher Stowe’s “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.”

Possibly a descendant of Josiah Henson, Mathew Henson was also from Southern Maryland and he was one of the first people to reach the North Pole along with Admiral Peary in 1909. There are so many more stories than these, both of triumph and of pain. Come walk the paths of these remarkable people and help us all to remember them.

Slavery in Maryland

Maryland did not begin as an “official” slave state, although the founders were possible slave traders. It began, as with the story of Mathias de Sousa, as a place that any person that arrived as an indentured servant, could become a free person after they had served the time of their indentureship. Tragically, this did not last. The first slaves arrived in Maryland in 1642 and by 1694 persons of African descent, and their descendants, could be enslaved throughout the colony.

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 of freemen. 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 and African American 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

The Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray was the first African American woman priest ordained in the Episcopal Church, having served as a seminarian at St. Phillips Chapel, Aquasco, where her uncle had served 50 years before. Born November 20, 1910, to an interracial couple in Baltimore, Maryland, Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray came from a proud history involving her grandmother, who was born a slave in North Carolina, and her grandfather, 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 life-long correspondence with the First Lady. Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray was involved in a number of events promoting inclusion for people of color, including a protest of bus laws in 1940. After being denied enrollment at Harvard due to her gender, Pauli Murray attend Berkeley Law school and went on to write a 700+ page book titled “State’s Laws on Race and Color in 1951”, which Thurgood Marshall called “the bible for the civil rights movement”. She became the first African American to earn a doctoral law degree from Yale. Rev. Dr. Pauli Murray died July 1, 1985.

Harriet Elizabeth Brown

Harriet Elizabeth Brown, a dedicated educator from Calvert County, played a pivotal role in advocating for equal pay in Maryland’s education sector, transcending racial boundaries.

Despite her eight years of teaching experience and a first-grade teaching certificate, Brown’s annual salary amounted to $600.00, whereas white teachers with equivalent qualifications and experience were earning $1100.00 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 of that era, 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 their 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 subsequently 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 entire nation.

Joseph C. Parks

Joseph Christopher Parks is best known for obtaining the funds to build J.C. Parks Elementary School in Charles County, Maryland.

J.C. Parks served in the U.S. Army during World War I. In 1919, he became the supervisor of 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.

With the help of P.D. Brown, Parks established the first public library in the county. Parks went on to become executive secretary to the Maryland State Teachers Association. With this position he advocated for equal salaries for teachers statewide. Parks retired from CCPS in 1961.

Notable Locations

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 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.

Left: Illustrative recreation of one of the faces of an individual buried there.

Drayden African-American Schoolhouse

(c. 1890)
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 with its foundation resting on tree trunks located on its original site on Cherryfield Road in Drayden, MD.

Acquired by St. Mary’s County Government in 2000, this site has been designated as an important and significant symbol of education in St. Mary’s County to be preserved and interpreted within the Museum Division of the St. Mary’s County Department of Recreation and Parks. Known as one of the best-preserved African American schoolhouses in the country, this recently-renovated (2018), one-room structure stands on its original site and has not been significantly altered. Built around 1890, it continued use until 1944. Visit their website for more information.

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 slavery 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 shaping the African American community’s history in Port Tobacco.

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 the enslaved escaped from bondage, routes they took, places where they stayed or found assistance, and sometimes places where their freedom was tried and tested.

Network to Freedom programs provide authentic 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 slave narrative of Charles Ball, who 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 jail museum’s exhibits feature the stories of five runaway slaves who were incarcerated, highlighting 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 and site of slavery. A UNESCO Slave Route Site of Memory, it interprets the lives of all people who once lived and worked here and features an original 19th century slave cabin, exhibits, and a 1703 manor house.

If you would like to learn more about African American history in Maryland, visit the African American Heritage House in Charles County (by appointment only) –

Experience Southern Maryland
African American Heritage Sites

Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s County have partnered with Destination Southern Maryland to create the Southern Maryland African American Heritage Guide and Map.

Discover the stories that shape the fabric of Southern Maryland. Explore the history behind compelling individuals, establishments, and organizations and how their stories helped shape the region. The profound history of African Americans resonates throughout the three counties of Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s.

Southern Maryland
National Heritage Area

Southern Maryland
National Heritage Area

African American Experiences

African American Experiences

Slavery in Maryland