Honoring the Black Families of Eastport: Past & Present

The Annapolis Maritime Museum & Park (AMM) is proud to join Briayna Cuffie and the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church in honoring the heritage of black families in the Eastport neighborhood of Annapolis.

The history of black families spans at least 151 years – before their town was named Eastport and long before Eastport’s annexation into the City of Annapolis. Some of the earliest ancestors arrived within the first five years of Horn Point plats being sectioned off and sold in 1868. Watermen, United States Naval Academy employees, laundresses, butchers, business-owners, and more created a community within a community. From opening their own church in 1890 to serving as their descendants’ first teachers at least 20 years before Anne Arundel County provided a facility, multiple generations of the black community of Eastport have made an impact on local history.

The gallery will highlight an assortment of over 20 photos from the Annapolis Maritime Museum and Maryland State Archives that span approximately 30 years – before and after Eastport was annexed into the City of Annapolis. The event will include two panels of descendants that will openly share what life was like for them and how things have changed over the decades. Excerpts from Mike Miron’s Our Eastport in The Capital Gazette will be featured and offer a glimpse into Eastport’s village within a village. As elders share their experiences, we can begin to fill the gaps and shine a light on the amazing history of our black community.