The Black heritage of Kent County, Maryland, spans nearly 400 years: from the first Africans’ arrival in the 1650s to the present. The artifacts and documents in this digital exhibition have been carefully chosen to highlight individual stories from that long history. Together, they offer a panorama of the African American experience as embodied in one community on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay.

Here you will find stories of struggle and triumph, of nationally renowned leaders and lesser-known local heroes. It is our hope that this exhibit will continue to grow as new discoveries are made.

Click on any of these images to read about the item and the story it represents. Each one was selected and researched by a Washington College student whose commentary accompanies the item and sheds light on its significance. Some of the items include more than one image.

Four Centuries: An African American Panorama was created at Washington College’s Starr Center for the Study of the American Experience in 2021-22 by a team of student curators, researchers, and writers: Kelly Atud ’23, Jack Dodsworth ’22, Isaiah Reese ’21, Kamden Richardson ’24, and Marah Vain-Callahan ’23. Staff advisors were Adam Goodheart, Kacey Stewart, Jasmyn Castro, and Lindsay Sheldon.