How many Annapolis newbies know about the historic Stanton Community Center, formerly the Stanton Colored School, which opened in 1865, in a sparsely populated area of Annapolis (outside of the City Gates) occupied by immigrants, free blacks and poor whites, now, Ward 2?
Seven men of color — Dr. William Bishop, William Henry Butler, William Dorsey, Charles Johnson, Charles Shorter, Moses Lake and Nobel Watkins — petitioned the head of the Freedman’s Bureau of Abandoned Lands, former Secretary of War, General Edwin Stanton, for wood to build a school for colored children.
With the Civil War over, numerous parole and military encampments in and around Annapolis were being raised. These forward-thinking colored men seized the opportunity to gain access to what was needed in their community. Stanton’s intention in Annapolis was to provide Freedmen, housing and supplies as they begin new lives free from chattel slavery.
In Annapolis, unlike Arlington House in Virginia, there was no need for a Freedman’s Village in a town with so many free blacks. Instead, Annapolis received the wood from an encampment at St. John’s College and transferred the wood to West Washington Street to build a school for the “colored” children.
These leaders in the Annapolis community of color believed that if they built an epicenter for newly freed people, “they will come.” And they did.
The Christian Recorder, a newspaper of the period, reported that the Stanton Colored School opened on Oct. 1, 1865, with 65 scholars. The Stanton School quickly became the epicenter of the community. School for the children during the day. For adults, there were classes in the evening to assist those who wanted to learn to read and write.
Other activities included the meetings of the newly incorporated Masonic Lodge, Universal Lodge #14, Nov. 1, 1865. The city’s first “Colored” masonic lodge was organized by “Messmen,” sailors, returning from Newport, Rhode Island with the U.S. Naval Academy after the Civil War.
The 3rd Ward was created as the community grew. The first “colored” person was elected to the Annapolis Council, the first person of “color” elected in the State of Maryland — William Bulter, master carpenter and one of the founders of the Stanton Colored School.
It was 1899 when the colored school burned. Then Alderman Wiley H. Bates petitioned the Maryland General Assembly for a bond initiative to rebuild the school as a brick structure, which reopened in 1900 and is what we see today.
The Maryland State Archives in partnership with Annapolis Recreation and Parks and Our Legacy Tours wants to hear about your experiences while attending the Stanton Colored School, as well as life in the “Old 4th Ward” of the city of the Annapolis, through oral interviews.
Oral histories are the most effective way to save our stories about the communities that we love. Stanton Center/School is one of the jewels of the city, and this historic legacy must be preserved.
There will several opportunities to share your memories about Stanton Elementary and the “Old 4th Ward.” The first session will be scheduled by appointment beginning on Saturday, Feb. 7 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. at the Stanton Community Center, 92 W. Washington St., Annapolis, 21401. The second session is scheduled for March. The date is to be determined by interest.
This invitation extends beyond the African American community. The Maryland State Archives would like to hear from families of Jewish American business owners that operated in the 3rd and 4th Wards bounded by Northwest and West Street in the 1900s.
To schedule your interview, please send an email of interest to program@ourlocallegacy.com or call 443-854-1315. Further information will be provided to include parking.
