Banneker-Douglass Museum
Encyclopedia
The Banneker-Douglass Museum, formerly known as Mt. Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church, is a historic church at Annapolis
, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
. It was constructed in 1875 and remodeled in 1896. It is a -story, gable-front brick church executed in the Gothic Revival
style. It served as the meeting hall for the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, originally formed in the 1790s, for nearly 100 years. It was leased to the Maryland Commission on African-American History and Culture, becoming the state’s official museum for African-American history and culture. In 1984, a -story addition was added when the building opened as the Banneker-Douglass Museum
.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1973.
, the museum is housed in the old Mount Moriah A.M.E. Church. The museum is named for Benjamin Banneker
and Frederick Douglass
.
The contributions of famous African American Maryland residents are highlighted, including Kunta Kinte
, Benjamin Banneker, James Pennington
, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman
, Matthew Henson
and Thurgood Marshall
. Other exhibits include black life in Maryland, and African and African American art. Lectures, workshops, performances and educational programs are offered each year.
The facility serves as the state's official repository of African American material culture. The non-lending library contains books, manuscripts, oral histories, video tapes, and archival materials that are available by appointment.
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County, Maryland
Anne Arundel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is named for Anne Arundell , a member of the ancient family of Arundells in Cornwall, England and the wife of Cæcilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore. Its county seat is Annapolis, which is also the capital of the state...
. It was constructed in 1875 and remodeled in 1896. It is a -story, gable-front brick church executed in the Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style. It served as the meeting hall for the First African Methodist Episcopal Church, originally formed in the 1790s, for nearly 100 years. It was leased to the Maryland Commission on African-American History and Culture, becoming the state’s official museum for African-American history and culture. In 1984, a -story addition was added when the building opened as the Banneker-Douglass Museum
Banneker-Douglass Museum
The Banneker-Douglass Museum, formerly known as Mt. Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church, is a historic church at Annapolis, Anne Arundel County, Maryland. It was constructed in 1875 and remodeled in 1896. It is a -story, gable-front brick church executed in the Gothic Revival style...
.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1973.
Banneker-Douglass Museum
The Banneker-Douglass Museum is a museum dedicated to preserving Maryland's African American heritage. Located at 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis, MarylandAnnapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, the museum is housed in the old Mount Moriah A.M.E. Church. The museum is named for Benjamin Banneker
Benjamin Banneker
Benjamin Banneker was a free African American astronomer, mathematician, surveyor, almanac author and farmer.-Family history and early life:It is difficult to verify much of Benjamin Banneker's family history...
and Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
.
The contributions of famous African American Maryland residents are highlighted, including Kunta Kinte
Kunta Kinte
Kunta Kinte is the central character of the novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family by American author Alex Haley, and of the television miniseries Roots, based on the book. Haley described his book as faction - a mixture of fact and fiction...
, Benjamin Banneker, James Pennington
James Pennington
James Pennington, also known as Suburban Knight, is an artist and DJ and Producer with Underground Resistance , an independent record label based in Detroit, USA...
, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Harriet Ross; (1820 – 1913) was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian, and Union spy during the American Civil War. After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, she made thirteen missions to rescue more than 70 slaves...
, Matthew Henson
Matthew Henson
Matthew Alexander Henson was an African American explorer and associate of Robert Peary during various expeditions, the most famous being a 1909 expedition which it was discovered that he was the the first person to reach the Geographic North Pole.-Life:Henson was born on a farm in Nanjemoy,...
and Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
. Other exhibits include black life in Maryland, and African and African American art. Lectures, workshops, performances and educational programs are offered each year.
The facility serves as the state's official repository of African American material culture. The non-lending library contains books, manuscripts, oral histories, video tapes, and archival materials that are available by appointment.
External links
- Mount Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church, Anne Arundel County, including photo from 2000, at Maryland Historical Trust
- Banneker-Douglass Museum website