Community Honors Brownsville in Dedication Ceremony

On Saturday, October 11, 2014, a Brownsville Dedication was held at Frostburg State University. Brownsville was an African American community that was established in the city of Frostburg in 1866. The community was named after one of its first’s residents, Tamer Brown. Brownsville flourished and in only a short amount of time it quickly became Frostburg’s largest African American neighborhood. In 1900 though, work on what would eventually become Frostburg State University began. While having a university so close to their neighborhood provided nice benefits like jobs, the university’s growth would become a problem for the residents of Brownsville.

As more and more buildings were built, more and more land was needed. The state began to buy the land that was Brownsville. The state of Maryland compelled the residents of Brownsville to sell their homes and land for a paltry $10 during the 1920’s and 1930’s. To put that in prospective, Tamer Brown paid $250 for the land that she eventually built her house on. Brownsville is scarcely remembered by the people of Frostburg, Md, but the Brownsville Dedication that was held earlier this month is trying to remind people of the African American community.

The Brownsville Dedication was put together by Dr. Amy Armiento. The event was held on Frostburg’s upper quad. In fact the upper quad was originally Brownsville land. The event started with a performance from United Voices under Gods Dominion. They sang a powerful version of Every Praise. Afterwards Robin Wynder welcomed those who came to the event. Even though it was a wet and cold day, every seat available was taken. Family members of those who originally lived in Brownsville, Frostburg State University students, and those who were just interested in Brownsville were among those in the audience.

Afterwards both the proclamations of the city of Frostburg and Maryland were read. One of the most interesting parts of the ceremony came when Mrs. Lynn Bowman, a Professor of English at Allegany College of Maryland, gave the audience a bit of the history of Brownsville. She explained how the community came to be and how it eventually went away. It was for some a travel through time as their families have told them the stories before. However, to those who have never heard the stories before, it was a touching history lesson, that provided the audience with a great deal of context.

After the history of Brownsville, United Voices under God’s Dominion sang “Ride on King Jesus”. The choir’s inclusion in the ceremony brought the spirit of the African American community to the event. Ian Kirksey, read the family names of every family member that lived in Brownsville. There were a total of 40 families that lived in Brownsville. The Coles was one of the first families to live in Brownsville. A special moment of the ceremony took place when Mr. Cole, an original resident of Brownsville, showed up to the event. Mr. Cole is 95 years old and the fact that he showed up to the event not only gave it credit, but it also showed just how important the event was.

Towards the end of the ceremony, family members of Brownsville were giving the opportunity to reflect on the community. These reflections were very moving with one person explaining the origin of the name Brownsville. Many people believe the name Brownsville came from the skin complexion of the residents there, but that’s not true. Closing remarks were given by Valerie Lashley who reminded everyone there to never forget their past. The ceremony closed with Mrs. Bowman leading both the audience and choir in song.

After the event, students lead tours of what was once Brownsville. Also after the event, a tour of the of the Underground Railroad stop in Cumberland was given to those who were interested. The Brownsville Dedication was an enlightening ceremony that shed light on something that many people didn’t know existed. It was a great learning experience that should be shared with everyone.

Featured picture credited to FSU.