Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum | Baltimore, MD

The Banneker Historical Park & Museum, established on the very land purchased by Robert and Mary Banneker in 1734, serves as an educational institution to preserve the history of Benjamin Banneker, as well as the cultural and natural history of early American times. The Museum offers an array of special events in history, visual and performing arts, science and the environment. exhibition and firm screenings are regular on-going programs of the Museum.

The Museum’s Collection is extensive and diverse, from archaeological artifacts of the Bannekers’ era (including pieces of lens, lead pencils, and instruments most likely used by Benjamin Banneker himself), to artifacts formerly held by the Ellicott family — best friends of Banneker (including his work table, candle molds, candlesticks), to books and other publications donated to the Museum, especially on African-American history.

Most of the 142-acre Banneker Park is stream valley woodland, dedicated to the conservation of wildlife habitat and the preservation of the natural history of our land. This historic park features panoramic nature trails, archaeological sites, and living history areas which recreate the colonial farm and life of the Bannekers.

Find out more about Maryland’s black heritage sites and attractions in the Maryland African American Heritage Guide.

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Banneker Historical Park & Museum
300 Oella Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21228
Phone: 410-887-1081
Website: N/A
Map & Driving Directions

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Who Was Benjamin Banneker?

Benjamin Banneker was a self-educated scientist at a time when most African Americans were slaves. Born a free black man in the British Colony of Maryland in 1731, he received some formal education, but he mostly borrowed books and taught himself science and mathematics. At 22, he borrowed a pocket watch, and without any training, figured out how to carve a working wooden clock that chimed each hour. Because of this clock, he became well known and people would visit him just to see his creation.

Banneker ran his family farm for many years, but when he was in his late 50s, a neighbor’s son lent him a telescope. He became interested in astronomy, the study of the planets and stars, and again taught himself a new science. He made calculations of tides, sunrises and sunsets, and even predicted an eclipse. For several years he published an almanac of these calculations. Today, he is best known for publishing six almanacs, called “Benjamin Banneker’s Almanac,” between 1792 and 1797.

In the 1790s, Banneker also helped survey and lay out the land for Washington, D.C., which became the nation’s capital.

Banneker-Douglass Museum | Annapolis, MD

Housed in the former the former Mt. Moriah African Methodist Episcopal Church built by free blacks in 1874, the Banneker-Douglass Museum is dedicated to preserving Maryland’s African American heritage and serves as the state’s official repository of African American material culture. It was named for Benjamin Banneker, the Maryland-born mathematician who helped survey and lay out the District of Columbia, and Frederick Douglass, who escaped slavery to become a leader of the abolition movement.

The museum’s permanent collection of rare artifacts and interactive media provides visitors an overview of African American history in Maryland from 1633, through the days of Benjamin Banneker and Frederick Douglass, to Dr. Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement 1950’s and 60’s.

Find out more about Maryland’s black heritage sites and attractions in the Maryland African American Heritage Guide.

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Banneker-Doulgass Museum
Address: 84 Franklin Street, Annapolis, MD 21401
Phone: (410) 216-6180
Website: www.bdmuseum.com
Map & Driving Directions

James E. Lewis Museum of Art | Baltimore, MD

Carved by Nigerian artist Lamidi Fakeye from the hard wood of the Iroko tree, these doors grace the
entrance of Morgan State University’s fine art museum.

Established in 1951 and renamed in 1990 after its founder, the James E. Lewis Museum of Art (JELMA) brings to life the vision of this artist and former Morgan State professor. Located in the Carl J. Murphy Fine Arts Center, the museum is a multicultural platform of works by emerging and established artists, many of whom have gone on to national and international recognition. With a collection of over 4,000 pieces of art, the museum presents art from antiquity to contemporary times, including 19th- and 20th-century American, European and traditional African art. The museum also displays the art of Morgan State faculty members and students.

Find out more about Maryland’s black heritage sites and attractions in the Maryland African American Heritage Guide.

Click on thumbnail images to enlarge:

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James E. Lewis Museum of Art
Murphy Fine Arts Center
Morgan State University
1700 E Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, Maryland 21251
Phone: 443-885-3030
Website: www.murphyfineartscenter.org
Map & Driving Directions

Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards | Baltimore, MD

Photo Credit: . © by James G. Howes, 2008.

Adjacent to the main gate of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, 22,000-square-foot Sports Legends Museum is housed in the former Camden Station, originally constructed in 1857 by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) as its main passenger station in Baltimore. After being vacant since the 1980s, the depot’s exterior was restored in the 1990s as part of the development of the Camden Yards Sports Complex. Later interior renovations and remodeling were made to accommodate the building’s adaptive reuse as a sports museum. . Exhibits primarily feature local area teams including the city’s two historical Negro Baseball League franchises, the Baltimore Elite Giants and Black Sox (”The Negro Leagues: A Baseball Legacy”).

The 16 other exhibits are Babe Ruth: American Icon; Cal Ripken, Jr.: Focus On A Hall of Fame Career; Nine Innings Of Orioles Baseball; Orioles Hall of Fame; Almost Religion: Baltimore’s Colts; Johnny Unitas: Best There Ever Was; Baltimore Ravens: A New Tradition; Lincoln, the Civil War & Camden Station; Minor League Baseball in Maryland; Amateur Baseball in Maryland; The Baltimore Blast: Indoor Soccer in Baltimore; The Locker Room: Kids Discovery Zone; Maryland’s Stadiums, Ballparks & Arenas; College Game Day: Sis Boom Bah!; The Uniqueness of Maryland: Phelps, Lacrosse and The Preakness; The Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame.

Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards
Address: 301 W Camden Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: (410) 727-1539
Website:  www.baberuthmuseum.com
Map & Driving Directions

Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center | Baltimore, MD

More like a performing arts center than a museum, the Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center primarily focuses on the local arts and cultural scene, featuring live jazz performances, recitals and music instruction. Exhibits feature photos and other memorabilia of Eubie Blake and other famous Baltimorean’s Billie Holiday and Cab Calloway.

Find out more about Maryland’s black heritage sites and attractions in the Maryland African American Heritage Guide.

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Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Cultural Center
Address: 847 North Howard Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
Phone: 410-225-3130
Website: www.eubieblake.org
Maps & Driving Directions

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