Tolson's Chapel and School

05/21/2026

From our collection:
A photograph of Simon Murdock. He is wearing a GAR uniform with GAR membership badge on coat, holding hat with XVIII Army Corps badge. Donated to the Society in 2000 by Julia Ann Roop Cairns.

Our site states...
Print, photographic. B/W silver gelatin print, 4.125"h x 2.375"w, of Simon Murdock. Taken outdoors; he is wearing a GAR uniform with GAR membership badge on coat, holding hat with XVIII Army Corps badge. Photo is mounted on black paper and appears to have been removed from a scrapbook.
Simon Murdock served in the Civil War with Co. F, Fourth Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops. Enlisted 4 August 1864; honorably discharged for disability 5 May 1865; received head wound which is visible in photo. Founding member of Thadeus Stevens Post #40, GAR, New Windsor, Md.

05/17/2026

On May 19th at 10 AM, the African American Heritage Preservation Program will be hosting a virtual webinar for the FY27 grant round, where attendees will learn about the application process, eligibility requirements, selection criteria, deadlines, and more! Attendance is free, but you must register to participate. Visit the workshop event page for full details: https://bit.ly/4sek9Di.

The AAHPP provides grants to assist in preserving buildings, sites, or communities that are of historical and cultural importance to the African American experience in Maryland. It is administered as a partnership between MHT and the Maryland Commission on African American History & Culture.

Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum

05/01/2026

Join us for our May open house! May 2, 10AM-2PM

04/04/2026

It's a picture perfect day to visit Historic Tolson's Chapel and Freedman’s Bureau School!
10AM-2PM

04/03/2026

Open House Season Begins!
April 4, 2026
10-2

02/07/2026

Some of the first park rangers in America weren’t rangers at all. They were Buffalo Soldiers—Black Americans who served in the U.S. Army after the Civil War. These soldiers protected wildlife from poachers, built trails, and helped shape the foundations of our national parks.

Interior continues to preserve and honor the history of these first rangers at places like Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers National Monument, Fort Selden National Historic Site, Yosemite National Park and more.

We invite you to explore the numerous sites in the National Park System that have the distinction of possessing a history with these famed soldiers.

02/05/2026

Celebrating Black History!

Today is February 4. We begin Black History Month with the man our Center is named for.

Robert W. Johnson grew up in a country that did not expect Black men to become military pilots.

He still chose service.

He became one of the Tuskegee Airmen.
The first generation of African American military aviators in the United States.

Before he ever flew, he had to pass barriers that had nothing to do with skill.
Segregated training.
Lower expectations.
Limited access.
Constant scrutiny.

He trained anyway.
He earned his place anyway.

The Tuskegee Airmen proved, through performance and discipline, that segregation had no place in our armed forces.

That legacy matters here.

The Robert W. Johnson Community Center carries his name because his story reflects what this building has always stood for.

Opportunity.
Discipline.
Belief in young people before the world does.

We are not named after a symbol.
We are named after a standard.

This month, we honor the people who set that standard on Jonathan Street and beyond.

We start with our own.

01/19/2026

HAPPY MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY!

01/02/2026

The first Watch Night (also known as Freedom's Eve) happened on December 31, 1862 - when enslaved and free African Americans gathered to wait until the Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January 1. While we don't know where Harriet Tubman was that night, her legacy is woven into the fabric of Watch Night: She was a conductor of freedom, and Watch Night was the collective moment of anticipation for freedom's arrival for millions.
⭐️ Read more from the National Museum of African American History and Culture: nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/historical-legacy-watch-night

01/01/2026

Happy New Year! We look forward to sharing this American History all year long. Thank you for your support.