There are few museums dedicated to black history in the U.S., and one of those few is right on the Route 1 corridor.
North Brentwood was founded by black veterans of the Civil War and according to the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, it was the first incorporated black municipality in the Washington area. So, it’s only appropriate that it’s home to a museum dedicated to black history and culture.
For more than a decade, the Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center has been commemorating history with rotating exhibits, workshops and events on topics as diverse as civic activism and quilting, with several events during Black History Month this February.
The nonprofit museum grew out of the efforts of the North Brentwood Historical Society, which began collecting oral histories in 1991 about Brentwood being the oldest incorporated African-American municipality in the Washington area. The town’s history is rich, ranging from its founding in the Reconstruction Era to its Jazz Era music hall frequented by Duke Ellington to the end of formal segregation with neighboring Brentwood.
The historical society’s first effort, called “Footsteps from North Brentwood,” was displayed at the Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum in 1996 and 1997 and later at the State House in Annapolis. Afterwards, the group published a book, “Minding Our Own Business,” an oral history of the town’s entrepreneurs.
Located at 4519 Rhode Island Ave., the museum is open Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A list of upcoming events can be found on its Facebook page.
