The Banneker-Douglass Museum: Bonna L. Nelson

The Banneker-Douglass Museum

Preserving Maryland’s African American Heritage by Bonna L. Nelson

The Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM) is dedicated to discovering, documenting, interpreting, preserving and promoting African American heritage for all Maryland citizens and visitors.

Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass would be most pleased with the State of Maryland’s official museum of African American history and culture that is named in their honor. I thought about that as we walked through the exhibit halls of the Banneker-Douglass Museum (BDM). It was a muggy, scorching hot day, typical for Maryland in July, when we took our granddaughter, Bella, for a tour of a few Annapolis sites. The BDM was high on our list of stops to learn more about Maryland’s African American people with our always-inquisitive girl, as well as stops at the Maryland State House and the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial at the Annapolis City Dock. As we approached the red brick and glass building that houses BDM, we noticed that half of the structure

looked like a church with beautiful stained-glass windows. We later learned that it is indeed a church ~ or, rather, was. The other half of the brick structure looked newer, incorporating sleek, modern architecture. After entering the BDM, we noticed how the newer building section integrates with the side exterior wall of the old St. Moriah Church.

Ted Hyman, seated at the reception desk, cheerfully welcomed us to the museum, and we felt immediately comforted by his warm greeting and the cool, refreshing air inside. Ted, the BDM security officer, explained how to tour the self-guided museum and its exhibits. Granddaughter, Bella, stands with a bronze likeness of Harriet Tubman.

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Being known as quite the storyteller, so he told us, he also shared stories about famous and not-so-famous Maryland African Americans, the history of the BDM and details of its namesakes and exhibits.

Ted shared that the BDM, a fivestar Trip Advisor site, opened in 1984 and is named for Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass. The church side of the museum is the former Mount Moriah African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, a two-and-a-half-story gable-fronted Victorian-Gothic brick structure built in 1875.

After much-needed renovations were found to be too costly, the church was rendered unusable for services, and was destined by the county for demolition. The community rallied successfully to save

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Banneker-Douglass and libraries and other services supported by the Banneker Douglas the building, however. Old Mount Museum Foundation (BDMF). Moriah AME Church was renovated, The BDMF hopes that you will was listed on the National Register of visit, explore, enjoy, attend events Historic Places in 1973 and became and programs, volunteer and donate the BDM. It later was enhanced by historical and cultural materials for the construction of the expansive ad- exhibits and educational purposes. dition. The church continues to serve Your monetary donation supports the community by telling the stories BDMF’s mission of promoting, docuof the lives and traditions of Mary- menting, protecting, interpreting land’s African American people. and preserving African American

In each December issue of Tide- history and culture in Maryland to water Times, the publishers and I improve the understanding and aplike to highlight a non-profi t orga- preciation of America’s rich cultural nization with the hope that you will diversity for all. learn more about the organization The BDMF is a qualifi ed private and support its mission with a holi- non-profit 501©(3) organization day donation. The BDM focuses on a created and operated to benefi t the community-based approach to build- BDM. It was founded in 1976 to suping collections, exhibitions, archives port the Maryland Commission on and a library. It also provides tours, Afro-American History and Culture public programs, outreach to schools in establishing and maintaining the BDM as the State of Maryland repository of African American history and culture. Information on how to donate to the BDMF is included at the end of the story. We all thank you. In addition to my husband, John, Bella and I were joined on this Annapolis tour by our friend Mylene Kempers, an Annapolis resident. She was sharing “her Annapolis” with us and remembered Ted from a previous BDM tour. They raved about a spectacular 2021 mural exhibit that Mylene had seen at the BDM. We were not that familiar with Benjamin Banneker, but we learned more about him from Ted and the

BDM exhibits and website. Banneker was a naturalist, mathematician, astronomer and almanac author. He was also a landowner, surveyor and farmer.

Banneker was the first recognized African American man of science and mathematics. His scientific achievements included crafting the first wooden striking clock in America, assisting with surveying Washington, D.C., corresponding with Thomas Jefferson about slavery and racial equality and writing several popular almanacs based on his knowledge of astronomy, which included the prediction of eclipses and tides. He kept detailed journals about his nature studies with a special focus on his examination of hives and honey bees as well as cicadas.

Banneker, 1731–1806, was freeborn on a tobacco farm in Baltimore County’s Patapsco Valley. A park and museum named after him are located on his original homestead, and there are other parks, schools and streets commemorating his accomplishments. The self-taught scientist also had a United States Postal Service stamp issued in 1980 to honor his achievements.

Frederick Douglass, 1818–1895, is more familiar to us Talbot Countians, as this is where he was born. He is also a well-known historical figure, both nationally and around the world. Douglass was a social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer and statesman. He escaped slavery in 1838 and shortly thereafter joined the American Anti-Slavery Society as a traveling speaker. He was the first African American to achieve international fame as a social crusader.

He was a strong advocate for both the anti-slavery movement and women’s suffrage. He lobbied politicians and presidents for his causes and produced several newspapers and autobiographies. An internationally recognized orator, he was a national leader in the abolitionist movement. His autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845), became a best seller and is still important

reading for high school and college students and for those wishing for a better understanding of slavery.

Douglass is honored with museums, parks, streets and highways, portraits and statues in other areas of the state and nation, as well as by an impressive statue on the Talbot County Courthouse lawn. The BDM is on the Frederick Douglass Driving Tour and is a National Park Service Network to Freedom Site.

The museum exhibits and dioramas present the contributions of famous Maryland African Americans in addition to those of Banneker and Douglass. Exhibits include trailblazing notables such as the famous Underground Railroad fi gure Harriet Tubman (whose recent