Explore the Civil Rights Era in Anne Arundel County, MD

Wesley Summerfield Booze, age 102, is a resident of Pumphrey in northern Anne Arundel County. He has spent his entire life helping others in his community, including serving in the Army for four years during WWII. In 2017, St. Charles Street in Pumphrey was renamed W. Booze Way in his honor. Booze discusses what life was like in northern Anne Arundel County during the period of segregation, providing memories of sites of recreation and leisure such as a pool hall he owned, as well as local entertainment and dance hall venues. Citation, Image, & Video Credits.

2. Olympic Glory

Lloyd "Butch" Keaser grew up in the Pumphrey community and developed into a champion wrestler, eventually graduating from the Naval Academy and earning the Navy's Leadership Award. Keaser went on to win titles in the AAU, World Cup, Worlds in Iran, and U.S. Greco Roman and Pan-Am Games, served as an alternate at the 1972 Olympic Games, and won a Silver Medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics. He later served in the Marines before becoming a system engineer with IBM and working with disadvantaged youth. The Lloyd W. Keaser Community Center on Belle Grove Road in Brooklyn is named in his honor, and this historic building, originally an Elementary School, now functions as a recreation center. Keaser shares his memories of growing up in Pumphrey, excelling on a world stage, and giving back to those in his community. Citation, Image, & Video Credits.

3. Truck Farming Life in North County: BBQ Pits, Recreation, & Leisure

Marva Gaither and her six sisters and six brothers grew up on a "truck" farm in Severn that produced fruits and vegetables, including Arundel cantaloupes, strawberries, corn, beans, green beans, and tomatoes. Her ancestor Jeremiah Gaither and his wife Fannie moved to the area from Elkridge in 1879, purchasing 55 acres of property near the intersection of Timber Ridge, which is now Old Telegraph Road and Queenstown Road. Marva Gaither attended the Severn Rosenwald School and Wiley H. Bates High School and remembers as a child climbing a tree to watch the construction of what is now Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. She shares memories of many gathering spots and leisure activities for African Americans in this once rural area of the County, including popular BBQ pits, which provided delicious food and entertainment.

4. Athlete, Coach, & Teacher: A man for all seasons

Larry Brogden was raised in the Dorsey community in northern Anne Arundel County during segregation where he excelled in sports and became an all-star athlete at Wiley H. Bates High School in Annapolis. He discusses the positive influence of athletics and the challenges he faced, including the times he had to walk 24 miles home from practice because there was no after-school buses provided for African American students. Brogden went on to teach and coach youth at Bates and Annapolis High School following desegregation.

5. Queenstown Good Life: Family, faith, food & fun

Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles, a member of the Annapolis City Council representing the Parole area, is a descendent of the Queen Family. She discusses the strong bonds that still exist within this proud African American enclave in northern Anne Arundel County. This historic community and its Queenstown Rosenwald School provided residents security, support, and many opportunities to socialize and enjoy life.

6. The Queenstown Community: Family & Church

Phyllis Matthews grew up in the Queenstown community in northern Anne Arundel County and she shares fond memories of this close-knit enclave, where families looked after one another and childhoods were spent playing dodgeball, baseball, and making homemade ice cream. She graduated from Wiley H. Bates High School in 1948, and remembers long bus rides to and from school. Matthews attended Metropolitan United Methodist Church and looked forward each year to attending camp meetings. Later in life, she taught Sunday School at St. Mark United Methodist Church at Ridge Road in Dorsey.

7. At the back of the Church and on its Stage

Beaula Moore (née Gaither) discusses the challenges and joys of growing up in Queenstown in northern Anne Arundel County during segregation. Raised in the Catholic faith, she remembers long walks to Holy Trinity Church in Glen Burnie, where African Americans were restricted to the back rows during services. Moore also shares memories of performing in community plays and her experiences as a dancer at the United Methodist Church in Queenstown.

8. Matthewstown Fun: relaxing and enjoying life with bands and bbq

Denise Glenn-Rich and Darcel Glenn-Cooper are descendants of the Matthews family and grew up in Matthewstown in northern Anne Arundel County. The grandparents of these sisters founded and maintained an important community gathering site called Matthews Park, which included a store, produce market supplied by local truck farms, barbeque pit, and movie theater. They share fond memories this family-run leisure destination where African Americans in the community could enjoy delicious food, socialize, and also hear live bands perform. ]

9. Historic Bacontown and Emancipation Community Park

Nancy Daniels grew up in Bacontown, an African American enclave in the northwest area of Anne Arundel County. In 1845, her great-great great-great-grandfather Thomas Burley, a free man who worked at the Amelung Glass Works in Frederick, saved enough money to purchase the freedom and file the manumission of his wife Anne and daughter Ellen and her five children. Daniels talks about the historical significance of Emancipation Community Park in the Grove, as well the centrality of church and school during segregation.

10. Freetown: Life within a historic free African American enclave

The Freetown community in present-day Glen Burnie is situated on property that Captain James Spencer purchased in 1845, after securing his own freedom in 1839. This enclave became one of the largest communities of free blacks in Anne Arundel County, outside of Annapolis. Freetown is bordered by Spencer's Wharf to the North, Pasadena to the South, Solley Road and Batts Branch to the East, and land owned by the Pumphrey family to the West.

Tony Spencer, the great-great grandson of James Spencer discusses the history of Freetown and the strong, close-knit community that survives today.

11. All Night Camp Meetings: Singing, praying, and serving food

Mary Hunt Curtis is a descendant of the Pack family, free African Americans who in the 19th century settled Packtown, an area now called Severna Forest in Severna Park. Her grandfather, James Levi Pack Jr., was a leader in this community and helped found Asbury Town Neck Methodist Church. Curtis fondly recalls attending camp meetings organized by churches in the Town Neck, Broadneck, Freetown, and Magothy areas of northern Anne Arundel County, as well as the Eastern Shore, Baltimore, and Philadelphia. She shares memories of tent camps, preparing and cooking food, all night praying, singing, and musical bands.

12. Weekend Traditions: Baltimore markets, five and dimes, baseball games, and crabbing

Mary Hunt Curtis grew up in Packtown, an area of Severna Park now called Severna Forest which her Pack family ancestors settled in the 19th century. She provides a glimpse of what life was like for her on a typical weekend growing up in the 1940s. Saturday mornings were spent driving to Baltimore City to frequent markets and socialize. Later in the afternoon the family watched her father and the Earleigh Heights Eagles play against teams from Freetown, Browns Woods, Galesville, and Lothian. Other fond memories involve crabbing by boat on Saturday evenings and preparing delicious meals on Sunday mornings.

13. Crownsville Hospital: Organizing recreation for residents

Vernell "Chuck" Makell was a social worker at Crownsville Hospital Center, where he cared for and made a positive difference in the lives of patients given few opportunities for engaging interaction and entertainment. He recalls the immense challenge of working in this psychiatric facility, and the satisfaction of organizing enjoyable outdoor leisure activities, including organized basketball. During and after high school, Makell was a star basketball player and well known throughout the surrounding region for his athletic abilities.

14. Crownsville Hospital: Baseball, bingo, Orioles games, dances, and cookouts

Florine E. Thompson began working in the patient placement office at Crownsville Hospital Center in 1960. She supervised as many as 200 patients in six different wards and helped to organize activities such as bingo parties, basketball, and, for selective patients, even trips to parks in Baltimore and Orioles games. Thompson recalls patients attending dances at night after dinner, holiday cookouts, church services, and taking advantage of a library and classes offered for earning a GED or High School Equivalency Certificate.

15. Crownsville Hospital: "We had any kind of food you could get in a restaurant"

Pauline Watkins Proctor worked for many years as a cook and later a kitchen supervisor at Crownsville Hospital Center, a state-run psychiatric facility for African Americans. She discusses the considerable effort required to provide nutritional, enjoyable daily meals for patients, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Watkins Proctor also shares memories of utilizing fruits and vegetables grown on local farms owned by the hospital, as well as preparing special foods for cookouts, parties, and holiday celebrations.

16. Crownsville Hospital: Sewing for dress and comfort

Dorothea McCullers worked as a seamstress for 38 years at Crownsville Hospital Center, a state-run facility for African American psychiatric patients, which numbered as many as 2,000 in 1964. She and her coworkers sewed pajamas, gowns, dresses, and coats, as well as linens, quilts, and window treatments for rooms. McCullers shares stories about how staff took a personal interest in patients and looked after their welfare. They found small ways to ensure they were as happy and comfortable as possible.

17. Beach Segregation Ends: A momentous Supreme Court decree

This aerial photo taken in 1952 documents racially segregated beaches and bathhouses at Sandy Point State Park, as well as the newly constructed Chesapeake Bay Bridge. African Americans restricted to East Beach and denied access to the more expansive, preferable South Beach, filed a civil lawsuit and successfully challenged this inequality. In 1955, Sandy Point, Fort Smallwood, and other state parks became integrated by order of the U.S. Supreme Court, through the landmark ruling Maryland and City Council of Baltimore City v. Dawson. Genealogist and oral historian Lyndra Marshall (née Pratt) discusses the early history of this popular state park.

18. Lynching in Anne Arundel County: A horrendous and shameful past

On June 19, 2018, the Annapolis City Council approved a resolution apologizing for the lynchings of five African Americans that took place in Anne Arundel County and Annapolis, the county seat: John Simms in 1875, George Briscoe in 1884, Wright Smith in 1898, Henry Davis in 1906 and King Johnson in 1911. On December 21, 2018, a service was held at the Arundel Center (site of the Old Calvert Street Jail) in memory of Henry Davis and all African Americans victimized by lynching and to condemn these heinous, murderous crimes by white mobs that were never prosecuted. The Equal Justice Initiative documented more than 4,000 lynchings in the United States between the Civil War and World War II. ( See this 2018 article from AFRO .)

Reverend Dr. Carletta Allen of Asbury United Methodist Church in Annapolis recounts the shameful history of lynching and the need to confront serious challenges in the present day.

19. Annapolis Segregation: Church and school were where you went during segregation

Mary Thompson was born and raised in Annapolis during the period of segregation when there were few opportunities for African Americans and many restrictions on where they could go. She attended Wiley H. Bates High School and now resides at the Wiley H. Bates Apartments housing community in Annapolis, where she is actively involved in daily activities and programs. Thompson discusses life in the Old Fourth Ward community, and remembers walking to and from church and school, both of which provided guidance, education, and different forms of entertainment. Camp meetings were especially important, with singing, praying, and band music.

20. Carvel Hall: Hospitality for visiting Naval Academy families

Alma Cropper grew up in the Parole community and graduated from Wiley H. Bates High School in 1953. From 1932 to 1966, Bates was the only public school in Anne Arundel County that African Americans could attend for a secondary education. Cropper discusses the exceptional education and training students received at Bates, and how the school prepared her to work in the field of hospitality at Carvel Hall, an Inn formerly housed in the circa 1760s William Paca House at 186 Prince George Street in Annapolis. This historic house and gardens are now owned by the State of Maryland and managed by Historic Annapolis, Inc.

21. Protests & Sit-ins in Annapolis

In the fall of 1962, African American protesters organized a sit-in at Dick Poole's Restaurant which stood on the corner of Cathedral and West Streets in Annapolis. The restaurant, one of many in Anne Arundel County that refused to serve people of color, responded by spraying water hoses on peaceful activists. The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) organized and trained protestors to challenge segregation laws at the local black YMCA. Deborah Barber shares her memories of participating in both training and protests during segregation.

22. Recreation and leisure thrives in Annapolis

Janice Hayes-Williams is a well-known local historian and community leader who grew up in Annapolis. She has conducted research and documented the experiences of African Americans in Annapolis for many publications, including the Annapolis Capital newspaper. Hayes-Williams discusses the different ways African Americans in Annapolis challenged and rose above segregation, creating places of recreation and leisure which they enjoyed on their own terms.

23. The Wiley H. Bates High School Marching Band: High class sound and style

Nancy Daniels shares her memories of the Wiley H. Bates High School Marching Band, which was renowned for its stylish uniforms, outstanding dance routines, and extremely talented musicians. From 1932 to 1966 Bates was the only public school in Anne Arundel County that African Americans could attend for a secondary education. Bates replaced the original Annapolis Colored High School located in the Stanton School on West Washington Street in Annapolis. In 2007, a $2 million dollar complex called the Wiley H. Bates Heritage Park opened to the public. A Legacy Center and Memorial are dedicated to preserving and presenting the history of this prestigious school.

24. Alma Mater of the Wiley H. Bates High School

Wiley H. Bates High School was the only public school in Anne Arundel County that African Americans could attend for a secondary education. Bates replaced the original Annapolis Colored High School located in the Stanton School on West Washington Street in Annapolis. This legendary place of learning profoundly influenced students from the time it opened its doors in 1932 until desegregation took place in 1966. In 2007, a $27 million dollar complex called the Wiley H. Bates Heritage Park opened to the public, and a Legacy Center and Memorial are dedicated to preserving and sharing history. Alma Cropper, Class of 1953 and Event Chair at the Legacy Center, shares her love of Bates with an impromptu, and flawless, rendition of the school's alma mater.

25. Annapolis School Desegregation: African American students boldly stand up for their rights

Desegregation took place at the old Annapolis High School, now the site of Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts, in the fall of 1966. African American students who previously attended Wiley H. Bates High School, faced many challenges and conflicts at this new school comprised of a large caucasian student body.

Carl Snowden is a distinguished civil rights advocate and community leader, who served in the Maryland Attorney General's Office. He discusses the upheaval of desegregation at Annapolis High School and shares his own personal experiences during this difficult transition.

26. The familiar voice of D.J. Hoppy Adams and his lifetime of service

Beloved DJ Charles W. "Hoppy" Adams Jr. was a leading voice on the Annapolis-based radio station WANN for over 40 years. Adams also hosted popular Sunday concerts at Carr's Beach, an important leisure and entertainment venue for African Americans during and after segregation. These much anticipated events attracted thousands of people from miles around to see top recording stars of the day. Adams built an expansive single-story brick house in 1964 on family property next to his parents' house, where he lived until his death in 2005.

Gordenia "Denie" Henson is Executive Director of the Charles W. "Hoppy" Adams Jr. Foundation, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to cultivating educational, social, and faith-based enrichment programs for youth and adults. She discusses Adams and the positive influence he had on Parole and the larger African American community.

27. Exclusion and accommodation in Annapolis during segregation

Ward 3 Community Liaison Lawrence L. Harris Jr. is an accomplished and respected leader who grew up in the Parole community. He discusses several establishments in Annapolis that served or employed African Americans during segregation, including Read's Drugstore (now The Lucky Knot), the Maryland State House, and the Royal Restaurant on West Street. Harris also recalls people of color actively demonstrating for civil rights in the downtown area.

28. Parole Community Pride: A strong, resilient enclave emerges after the Civil War and thrives

The origins of the Parole community reach back to the Civil War, when African Americans arrived in the Annapolis area to work at camps that held Union troops captured by the Confederate army. After the war, these individuals and families formed a new community and began working their own farms. Today, Parole is a close-knit African American enclave and many of its residents are descendants of early settlers.

Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles, who grew up in Parole and represents Ward 3 as a member of the Annapolis City Council, discusses the positive influence of early leaders and the many accomplishments of this historic community.

29. The Women's Health Center in Parole: Built by and for the community

In 1936, the Parent-Teacher Association in Parole began providing health services for the African American community at Cecil Memorial Church located at 15 Parole Street. These services then moved to Mt. Olive Church Hall, located at 2 Hicks Avenue. In 1949, residents dedicated a new Parole Heath Center building at 1950 Drew Street, which was renovated and rededicated in 2002. This truly remarkable community enterprise is now called the Community Health Center at Parole, Inc.

President Alice K. Wright provides an overview of the history of the Women's Health Center and how this facility continues to serve the needs of people in Parole.

30. Peerless Rens Club: A historic social institution and community anchor

More than 50 years after its founding, the Peerless Rens Social Club, Inc. remains an important Eastport cultural institution. While the club building was constructed in 1956, the organization traces its origins to a c. 1919 basketball team formed by a group of young African American men from Eastport, some of whom worked at the Peerless Clothing Company in Annapolis. After World War II, the friends returned home to Eastport and in response to the limited entertainment opportunities then available to persons of color, formed a private social club to which they gave the name of their former team.

Eastport residents Ernest Smith and Stephanie McHenry look back on the history of Peerless Rens and discuss how it continues to serve the social needs of the community.

31. Local Workers in Eastport sustained McNasby's Oyster Company, and the Community too

The McNasby Seafood and Oyster Company opened on Back Creek at the end of Second Street in 1919. Many people of color in the Eastport community made their living here, shucking, sorting, cleaning, and packing oysters. The company's success depended upon these skilled workers who worked long days during the oyster harvest season from September through April. In addition to processing seafood, people of color also plied the Chesapeake Bay as watermen and built and repaired boats at the African American-owned Thompson Boatyard, also on Back Creek. When McNasby's closed in 1985, it was the last surviving seafood packing house in Annapolis. This historic site is now the home of the Annapolis Maritime Museum , which provides hands-on maritime heritage exhibits, environmental education programs, and engaging community events.

Alderwoman Sheila M. Finlayson and Ernest Smith fondly remember the close-knit community of Eastport, which is now part of Ward 4, an area Finlayson represents as a member of the Annapolis City Council.

32. Eastport Elementary School: A three-room schoolhouse and a playground

From 1918 until 1963, this building served as Eastport's school for African American children. Nearly a decade after the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 decision in Brown vs. the Board of Education, the County integrated the all-white 5th Street school and shuttered the black facility. In 1967 the Seafarers Yacht Club, Inc. purchased the vacant building. The group, formed in 1959 by people of color with a shared interest in boating, established their own club in response to marinas that routinely refused to allow them to dock at their piers and yacht clubs that denied membership to captains of African descent. The building was thoroughly renovated by the Seafarers Yacht Club, Inc. with the addition of a swimming pool and a deck overlooking Back Creek.

Alderwoman Sheila Finlayson shares memories of the school she attended as a child.

33. Beach Entertainment: What was Carr's Beach really like?

In 1931, entrepreneur Elizabeth Carr Smith began converting her waterfront property into summer leisure accommodations. After her passing in 1948, Smith's son, Frederick, and Baltimore businessman William L. "Little Willie" Adams formed Carr's Beach Amusement Company, opened a nightclub called Club Bengazi, and provided a venue for African American entertainers to perform during and after segregation. The biggest names in music performed at Carr's Beach, including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Billy Eckstine, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, James Brown, Etta James, Jackie Wilson, Dina Washington, Otis Redding, Lionel Hampton, Ike and Tina Turner, Lloyd Price, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, The Temptations, The Supremes, James Berry, Fats Domino, The Drifters, The Coasters, Chuck Berry, The Shirelles, Little Richard, and Billie Holiday.

Carroll Hynson Jr., a respected local businessman and radio personality, controlled the sound system at these concerts for many years. He shares memories of this celebrated venue.

34. Performing at Carr's Beach: Street corner serenades and performing on the big stage

Robert Janey, a talented artist and musician, spent his early years singing on neighborhood street corners in Baltimore during the 1950s. He later became a member of the Convoys, a well-known and popular acappella group that sang at many nightclubs along the regional "Chitlin Circuit." According to Janey, the opportunity to perform before thousands at Carr's Beach in Annapolis represented the "big time" and provided a thrilling experience he will always remember.

35. Carr's Beach: The story of D.J. Hoppy Adams's white suit

Charles "Hoppy" Adams Jr. was a legendary disc jockey with Annapolis radio station WANN. He also hosted popular weekend concerts at Carr's Beach, which by the early 1950s drew crowds of 10,000 people.

Carroll Hynson Jr., a successful businessman and radio personality who controlled the sound system for these performances for many years, remembers the day Adams wore a white suit on stage and how the audience responded to his choice of attire.

36. Beach Food: What kind did people bring with them?

C Citation, Image, & Video Credits.

For many decades, African American families looked forward to visiting Sparrow's Beach to swim in the Chesapeake Bay, play in the sand, and, of course, enjoy exceptional summer food. In 1935, its founder, Florence Carr Sparrow, constructed a playground and baseball diamond, and set up beach umbrellas and chairs. By the late 1930s, this venue hosted musical performers, employed 55 seasonal workers, and attracted thousands of beachgoers, including those on church-sponsored trips from urban areas. The beach was situated adjacent to Carr's Beach, a larger entertainment venue developed by Sparrow's older sister Elizabeth Carr Smith. Both beaches closed in the early 1970s, as civil rights laws enacted in the 1960s provided people of color access to many other leisure destinations.

In this Fox 5-Washington TV segment, Vince Leggett, founder of the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation, discusses the cultural traditions of different types of food brought to the beach.

37. Along the "Chitlin Circuit": Juke joints, music, and dancing

The Clover Inn was a popular "juke joint" located on Edgewood Road leading to nearby Carr's Beach. In operation c. 1930s-1970s, this familiar landmark served beachgoers food and drink, and was a gathering spot for musical entertainment and dancing. It was also part of the "Chitlin Circuit," which provided important opportunities for African American performers during segregation. Other establishments along this stretch included Minnie's Inn, Dew Drop Inn and Winfield's barbecue shack. These popular sites have all been replaced by commercial and residential development. All that remains of the Clover Inn are small concrete ruins barely visible alongside the road.

Longtime Annapolis resident and local businessman Carroll Hynson Jr. shares memories of the Clover Inn and other popular juke joints he and friends frequented years ago.

38. Highland Beach and Venice Beach: Rising above segregation and creating an oasis

Charles R. Douglass, the son of the great abolitionist, orator, publisher, and diplomat Frederick Douglass, established this African American summer colony in 1893 after he and his wife Laura were turned away from the whites-only Bay Ridge Resort. Highland Beach soon became a popular vacation community where families could enjoy swimming, boating, fishing, and crabbing, as well as evening concerts, dancing, card playing, and board games. "The Beach" and neighboring Venice Beach and Bay Highlands brought together middle-class families, and those involved in top professional fields and active in the Civil Rights Movement. This vibrant community is now celebrated as a symbol of resistance and the first chartered African American township in the State of Maryland. It is also believed to be the first African American summer resort in the United States.

Jack Nelson, co-author of the acclaimed book, Highland Beach on the Chesapeake Bay, shares fond memories of summers spent with family and friends at Highland and Venice Beaches.

39. Beverley Beach Integration: The rise and fall of a Jim Crow "whites only" beach

Racism during the period of Jim Crow laws was open and overt. This abhorrent sign at the entrance of Beverley Beach Club proclaimed "Membership Limited to Gentiles Only." In 1959, a public advertisement for apartment rentals at Beverley Beach specifically limited occupancy to members of the white race only. In 1967, U.S. Attorney Stephen Sachs sued Edgar Kalb, the owner of the Beverley Beach Club, for refusing to integrate in violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Kalb unsuccessfully fought this legal challenge, stating that: "We are not anti-Negro, but we reserve the right to limit our patronage to those we wish to associate with. We resent the attempts of nonwhites to inject themselves in our privacy (Baltimore Sun, April 23, 1979)."

Robert "Bill" Smith discusses this infamous segregated beach and how it became a battlefield for equal rights.

40. The Ralph J. Bunche Elementary School: Educating youth for tomorrow

Named after the celebrated scientist, academic, and diplomat who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize, Ralph J. Bunche Elementary School was built c. 1930 and originally known as the Mill Swamp School. Trustees with Chews, Hopes, Mt. Zion, and St. Marks churches deeded land for the school to the Board of Education in 1928. This historic two-room school educated African American students for two decades before being modernized with additional classrooms added in 1951.

Nelsa Brown, who grew up in Mill Swamp, discusses the history of the school, how it continues to serve the residents of Mill Swamp as a community center, and ongoing efforts to ensure its preservation.

41. The Hot Sox Sandlot Baseball Team: A competitive way of life

Founded in 1915, the Galesville Hot Sox were a semi-professional African American baseball team that competed against other sand-lot teams throughout Anne Arundel and Prince George's counties, as well as teams in the Negro Professional League. Several players, including Chester Turner and John Makell Jr., went on to try out and play for Major League teams. The team's home field in Galesville is now owned by Anne Arundel County (AA-2320).

Larry Foote recalls playing for the Hot Sox in Galesville, as well as competing against other sandlot teams.

42. Lady Ellen's Beauty Corner, offering the latest styles and sophistication

Lady Ellen's Beauty Corner has the distinction of being the first African American licensed beauty salon, and, subsequently, barber shop, in southern Anne Arundel County. Located on Muddy Creek Road in Galesville, Lady Ellen's served residents of the community starting in the early 1950s through the 1980s. The salon was housed in a simple concrete building constructed in 1937 that had previously served as a police substation, magistrate court, and a local jail. This historic structure is now occupied by an antique store.

Betty Turner and Ellen Jane Watkins, who operated the salon during segregation, discuss its importance to the community.

MSA Catalog Entry, Part A

MSA Catalog Entry, Part B

43. Topside Restaurant: The side window and the strength of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

African American residents in Anne Arundel County endured the same inequality, injustice, and hardships that people of color in the South experienced during segregation. They were either refused service at restaurants, nightclubs, inns and other retail stores or required to use separate entrances.

Galesville resident, Daniel Easton, discusses the local Topside Restaurant, which forced African Americans to order and pick up food at a side window. He also remembers the hope and inspiration Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. provided African Americans during this extremely challenging time.

44. Melvin Booze and the Galesville Recreation Program

Melvin Booze directed an extremely popular summer camp for African American children at the Galesville Community Center, formerly a Rosenwald School, on West Benning Road. The program he ran provided children in the area with the same high quality recreational leisure opportunities that white children in privileged communities enjoyed. Booze created outdoor activities, competitive sports, arts and crafts, and also arranged regular field trips beyond the Galesville area.

Fredric Booze, the son of Melvin Booze, talks about his father's innovative recreation program and his commitment to helping youth in the community.

45. The historic enclave of Mt. Zion, formerly known as "The ARK"

Nestled within surrounding farmland along Rt. 2 is an enclave referred to by various names over the years, including Lebanon, the Ark, Mt. Zion, and today, Lothian. This historic community once consisted of 23 family dwellings, a church, schoolhouse, many small farms, and two general stores. The Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, founded in 1874, continues to serve the spiritual and social needs of the surrounding area. The enclave is also the site of two cemeteries, two 20th-century Rosenwald Schools, and the popular "Upshop" which served as a grocery store during the day and a juke joint at night.

Oral historian and genealogist Lyndra Marshall (née Pratt) and Tammi Hall (née Carroll), who both have ancestral ties to Mt. Zion, discuss the importance of this community.

46. Mt. Zion Cemetery: A final resting place for many generations in South County

Mount Zion United Methodist Church Cemetery is the resting place for the departed and an important gathering place for the living in southern Anne Arundel County. This historic cemetery includes an internment dating as early as 1886, as well as 53 marked and an unrecorded number of partially marked and unmarked graves. Several of those interred here are veterans of foreign wars and family names include Moreland, Holt, Johnson, Pinkney, Easton, Wallace, Howard, Jones, Gross, Parker Hall, Holt and Thomas, among others.

Oral historian and genealogist Lyndra Marshall (née Pratt) discusses the centrality of this historic community cemetery.

47. Drury Ball Park: A historic field for sandlot baseball players and the entire community

Laid out in the early 1950s, the Drury baseball field grew into an impressive complex that provided bleacher and bench seating, dugouts, a concession stand, picnic pavilion, and entertainment stage. The ballpark serves as the sports home of the Drury Giants, a semi-professional baseball team affiliated with the Chesapeake Independent League. The property remains in the ownership of the Smith Family, who acquired the land in 1929; the current baseball field replaced another built nearby in the early 1930s, which no longer exists.

Donald Smith, Anthony Smith, James Riggs and Maurice "Skeeter" Lake share stories about this historic baseball team and field.

MSA Catalog Entry, Part A

MSA Catalog Entry, Part B

MSA Catalog Entry, Part C

48. River Bend Inn Club: A South County juke joint

The plain one-story cinder block building called the River Bend Club Inn in Lothian proved that looks can be deceiving. Established by Mary B. and Clarence H. Franklin in 1959, this venerable juke joint had it all--good barbecue, cold beer, jukebox and live music, and a floor for dancing the Do Whoop, Bop, Twist, Stroll, Cool Jerk, Funky Chicken and Mash Potatoes, Pony, and Watusi. It was also an important venue on the "Chitlin Circuit," which provided opportunities for African American performers during segregation. After closing in 1974, this structure on Mt. Zion Marlboro Road housed a church and is now an antique furniture retail establishment.

Robert "Bill" Smith, Renee Purvey (Franklin), Helen Sharps, and Glenn Franklin discuss the history of this legendary juke joint.

49. Columbia Beach Community, the Gem of the Bay: An enduring summer beach resort with endless family fun

Referred to as the "Gem of the Bay", Columbia Beach is a private, gated community established in 1940 by professional African Americans from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. This popular summer retreat hosted annual regatta boat races, the Miss Columbia Beach Pageant, musical entertainment, and water related family activities. The architecture and heritage of this celebrated beach community is well preserved, including original homes and streets named after prominent African Americans including Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Booker T. Washington, and Jackie Robinson.

Brian Trivers, whose family owned a house at the beach, shares fond memories of this close-knit community and discusses how these memorable experiences contrasted with a segregated Shady Side community.

50. Teaching at the new, short-lived Friendship Elementary School

In 1958, a new modern brick elementary school for African Americans opened in Friendship. This county facility represented a significant improvement from an overcrowded Rosenwald school that necessitated the rental of a church hall for extra classroom space and an earlier dilapidated one-room school with few windows. The land, building and equipment of the new four-room school cost $178,200, and the new facility accommodated 5 teachers and up to 120 students. The school closed in 1966 after consolidation and desegregation. The building and grounds are now occupied by the Anne Arundel County Department of Public Works.

Educator Patricia Gross recalls teaching at Friendship Elementary School, over a half century ago.

51. Constructing Community Playgrounds: the legacy of John Makell

Listen to local historian Janice Hayes-Williams discuss the significance of the Charter Government established in the County in 1965. Under this new form of rule, County Executive Joe Alton appointed John Makell, an African American, to be the first head of the County's Recreation and Parks. Makell then hired William A. Hayes and Melvin Booze of South County to install badly needed playgrounds in African American communities across Anne Arundel County. Their concerted efforts have benefited generations of children for more than half a century.