The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum 1601-03 E North Ave, 21213 410-563-3404 Nation’s fi rst black history wax museum with more than 100 life-size wax fi gures in historical scenes, including a dramatic exhibit of a slave ship. greatblacksinwax.org Orchard Street Church/ Baltimore Urban League 512 Orchard St, 21201 410-523-8150 Oral history says this was a safe house on the Underground Railroad, now the home of the Greater Baltimore Urban League. baltimoreheritage.org Pennsylvania Avenue Heritage Trail 1528 Pennsylvania Ave, 21217 443-984-2369 Along the trail, colorful and informative story signs and site markers introduce you to Baltimore African Americans that helped build the city, gain civil rights and change the face of American music, art, literature and politics. Guided tours are available May-Oct. explorebaltimore.org/ tours/Pennsylvania-avenue-heritage-trail President Street Station/Baltimore Civil War Museum 601 President St, 21202 410-461-9377; 410-396-1954 This station was part of the Baltimore, Philadelphia and Wilmington Railroad, which became part of an ambitious Underground Railroad network whose activists in those cities and beyond secured passage for freedom seekers. Like Frederick Douglass, many carried forged freedom passes or, like Harriet Eglin, wore disguises. Learn about freedom seekers who rode the train. baltimore.org/listings/ historic-sites/baltimore-civil-war-museum-president-street-station Reddy Gray Burial Site Loudon Park National Cemetery, 3445 Frederick Ave, 21229 410-644-9696 The Loudon Park National Cemetery is the fi nal resting place for Reddy Gray, a former slave, who escaped slavery on the Underground Railroad in 1863. Gray was born in slavery in Baltimore County, the property of Thomas Cradock Risteau. He enlisted with the United States Colored Troops one year after his escape. Following the war, he worked, married and raised a family. His post-escape life, documented in pension and census records, defi ed the stereotype of the “helpless freedman.” Upon his death in 1922, he was buried in Loudon Park National Cemetery. https://www.cem.va.gov/ cems/nchp/loudonpark.asp Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture 830 E Pratt St, 21202 443-263-1800 Largest African-American museum on the East Coast features exhibits, programming, kids’ activities, genealogy resource center and soul food café. Smithsonian a liate. lewismuseum.org Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist Church Dolphin & Etting Sts, 21217 410-523-7200 Established in 1787, this was the fi rst African-American Methodist church in the state and is often referred to as the “Mother Church of African-American Methodism.” The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, during its formative years, held their meetings at the church. umc.org/fi nd-a-church/ church/79724 St. Frances Academy 501 E Chase St, 21202 410-539-5794 Established in 1828, by Mother Mary Lange, it is the oldest continuously operating school for black Catholic children in the United States and is still educating children in Baltimore. It was founded to teach “children of color to read the Bible,” which was illegal at the time. sfacademy.org St. Frances Xavier Church 1501 E Oliver St, 21213 410-727-3103 The fi rst African-American Catholic community in the country, it was co-founded in 1793. josephites.org/parish/md/sfx MOTHER MARY ELIZABETH LANGE (1784–1882) founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the world’s fi rst African-American Roman Catholic order. The order opened a Catholic school for girls, thus beginning St. Frances Academy, the oldest continuously operating school for black Catholic children in the United States. Maryland’s Underground Railroad & African-American Heritage Travel Guide 23
African American Heritage Guide 2022 African American Heritage Guide: Page 23
