Brownsville
Congregants of the John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church, formerly located at the site of Frostburg State University’s Lowndes Hall.
Echoes of a “Forgotten” Frostburg
Frostburg’s Black History, like much of the U.S., starts with slavery. Slavery was a common practice to support the stagecoach industry, and Frostburg was a popular stop on the National Road, hosting about 200 travelers a day. After emancipation, those formerly enslaved people developed and nurtured a community known as Brownsville. The first plot of land was purchased in 1866 by Tamar Brown and continued to develop into a self-sustaining community for freed black people and their descendants.
In the 1920s, the expanding campus of the The Normal School (now Frostburg State University) started displacing Brownsville families. The neighborhood’s geography shifted over several decades, and ultimately moved into Park Avenue and Mechanic Street in the early 1950s.
As the community was forced out of the area, so was its memory. Fortunately, some families from the original community are still here and we can remember the rich history of Brownsville when we look around Frostburg today.
So what was in Brownsville? Black children attended the Lincoln School that stood where the former campus police building stands today. The John Wesley Methodist Church was located near Lowndes Hall. The Dickerson AME Church is likely the last remnant of the Brownsville community that is untouched and still operating. Many of our Frostburg natives still worship there. Brownsville was also home to the beloved Harper’s Parklane, which is also known as Harper’s Chicken. The Harper family ran the popular restaurant for 13 years. The Harper family briefly revived the restaurant in the late 1990s calling it Harper’s. The Harper family is still here today and their restaurant has been the only Black-owned business on Main Street to date.
FSU staff, students, and community members have pushed to have ceremonies honoring Brownsville and to erect a memorial educating those walking across campus about the people who lived there before them. We hope that every Frostburg resident and student will be aware of the history and struggle of our Black community members and their ancestors who once lived and worked where we now stand. Frostburg has always valued history and heritage and now we need to learn how to repair, move forward, and build a united community.
(Text courtesy of Dana Bridges.)
Brownsville
Congregants of the John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church, formerly located at the site of Frostburg State University’s Lowndes Hall.
Echoes of a “Forgotten” Frostburg
Frostburg’s Black History, like much of the U.S., starts with slavery. Slavery was a common practice to support the stagecoach industry, and Frostburg was a popular stop on the National Road, hosting about 200 travelers a day. After emancipation, those formerly enslaved people developed and nurtured a community known as Brownsville. The first plot of land was purchased in 1866 by Tamar Brown and continued to develop into a self-sustaining community for freed black people and their descendants.
In the 1920s, the expanding campus of the The Normal School (now Frostburg State University) started displacing Brownsville families. The neighborhood’s geography shifted over several decades, and ultimately moved into Park Avenue and Mechanic Street in the early 1950s.
As the community was forced out of the area, so was its memory. Fortunately, some families from the original community are still here and we can remember the rich history of Brownsville when we look around Frostburg today.
So what was in Brownsville? Black children attended the Lincoln School that stood where the former campus police building stands today. The John Wesley Methodist Church was located near Lowndes Hall. The Dickerson AME Church is likely the last remnant of the Brownsville community that is untouched and still operating. Many of our Frostburg natives still worship there. Brownsville was also home to the beloved Harper’s Parklane, which is also known as Harper’s Chicken. The Harper family ran the popular restaurant for 13 years. The Harper family briefly revived the restaurant in the late 1990s calling it Harper’s. The Harper family is still here today and their restaurant has been the only Black-owned business on Main Street to date.
FSU staff, students, and community members have pushed to have ceremonies honoring Brownsville and to erect a memorial educating those walking across campus about the people who lived there before them. We hope that every Frostburg resident and student will be aware of the history and struggle of our Black community members and their ancestors who once lived and worked where we now stand. Frostburg has always valued history and heritage and now we need to learn how to repair, move forward, and build a united community.
(Text courtesy of Dana Bridges.)
