Salisbury's Black History: Georgetown and Beyond - Clio

This tour was curated by: Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture

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Entries on This Tour

1. The Entertainment District

Across the drawbridge at the intersection of Lake and Main Streets, Salisbury’s Black entertainment and business district once flourished. This booming area hosted hotels, barbershops, salons, grocery stores, nightclubs, pool rooms, taxi cabs, dance halls, restaurants, soda fountains, taverns, and a movie theatre. Though Lake Street supported the intermingling of Black and white businesses in the California neighborhood, it was known as the hub of Black Salisbury. Over time, police harassment, false accusations of communist activity, destruction from riots and fires, and commercial migration away from Downtown shuttered most businesses in the area. Now, only the Franklin Hotel is left standing to remind us of this formerly thriving Black community.

2. Wicomico County Courthouse

The relationship between Salisbury’s Black communities and the Wicomico County Courthouse is complicated. The courthouse was described as beautiful and the best in the state, yet Salisbury’s Black citizens did not experience the same law and order as its white citizens. While Frederick Douglass’ visit to the courthouse in 1880 was a bright spot for Salisbury’s Black and progressive communities, this was an exception. With two lynchings on the lawn, a separate back entrance for Black visitors, and the site of civil rights protests, the courthouse is fraught with memories of injustice and violence. Today, the city’s efforts to acknowledge past wrongdoings are evident by the Lynching Memorial historical marker, a collaboration with the Salisbury Lynching Memorial Task Force, and the Equal Justice Initiative. Unveiled in May 2021, this marker honors the lives of the three Black men murdered by white lynch mobs in Salisbury and is the first step towards healing and reconciliation between the city and Black citizens.

3. Downtown Salisbury

In the 1950s, Downtown Salisbury was a bustling center of progress. While a trip downtown to the movie theatres, restaurants, and various other businesses during the area’s height might seem picturesque, there was one outstanding tarnish: racial segregation. Whether separate bathrooms or entrances for Black and white patrons or an entirely different hospital ward, businesses did not afford Black patrons the same treatment. To rectify this, Salisbury’s Mayor formed the Wicomico County Biracial Commission to continue integration while thwarting demonstrations and protests by freedom riders and other organizations.

4. Houston Cemetery

Houston Cemetery is a historically Black cemetery established in 1901 by Solomon Houston, Richard Dashiell, George W. Leonard, John W. Johnson, and Leonard Parsons. Formerly enslaved, the Houston family rose to prominence in Salisbury’s Black community during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Upon the passing of the Houston Cemetery’s sole surviving founder, John W. Johnson, Dr. Charles H. Chipman cared for the grounds before his death in 1987. In 1991, the American Legion Post 145 took over restoration and care of the cemetery.[1]

5. Church Street Mural

Welcoming visitors to the Church Street Historic District, formerly the Georgetown and Cuba neighborhoods, is the Church Street Mural. At the corner of Church Street and Business Route 13, the vibrant mural completed in 2019 is accompanied by a small park, meant to serve “a resilient community which has historically been under-served.”[1] Designed and painted by Paul “Sketch” Boyd III with input from the local community and inspiration from Linda Duyer’s book "‘Round the Pond: Georgetown of Salisbury, Maryland," the Church Street Mural represents the rich Black history of Salisbury’s Georgetown neighborhood. The mural features Sgt. William Butler, Dr. Charles H. Chipman, Elaine Brown, James F. Stewart, and Dr. G. Herbert Sembly. Pictured in the foreground is a colorful passing train, depicting hope for future generations.

6. John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church

Though recognized as the Charles H. Chipman Cultural Center for decades, this yellow building with stained glass windows and a double-tower façade has undergone various iterations. The Chipman Center began as the John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church. Founded by five prominent freedmen of Salisbury’s Black community, the original building was completed in 1838. Prior to the church’s construction, services were said to have been held “on the hill” for both enslaved and free African Americans in the city. At one point, the building also served as a school for Black children in the community. The John Wesley M.E. Church, now the Chipman Center, is the only public remnant of the once thriving Black neighborhood known as Georgetown.

7. Georgetown Residential Area

Formally known as Salisbury’s Lot #10, what is now the location of the Park and Flea, was once the center of the vibrant Black neighborhood known as Georgetown (including the nearby Cuba neighborhood). During Georgetown’s infancy, it was known as the community “‘round the pond” due to the neighborhood being wrapped around a small area of Humphreys Lake. The failure of the lake’s dam in 1909 enabled Georgetown’s expansion into a thriving neighborhood with a sense of tight-knit community and prosperous Black-owned businesses. However, construction of U.S. Routes 13 and 50 led to the demolition of houses, businesses, and eventually the entire community.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Salisbury's Black History: Georgetown and Beyond

Created by Edward H. Nabb Research Center for Delmarva History and Culture on December 10th 2021, 6:46:17 pm.

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Description

Driving through Salisbury today, it is easy to miss the neighborhoods where Black Salisburians lived, worked, and made memories with their friends and family. The Georgetown, Cuba, California, and Jersey neighborhoods either no longer exist or have been forever changed by construction and segregation, with next to none of their buildings, homes, or businesses still standing. However, the creation of the Church Street Mural and accompanying park, the preservation of John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church as the Charles H. Chipman Cultural Center, the dedication of the Lynching Memorial historical marker, and the introduction of other ongoing initiatives show the city of Salisbury’s attempts to honor the legacy of its rich Black culture and community. Those participating in the walking tour are encouraged to park in the Downtown Salisbury Parking Garage. Please be careful and cautious when crossing streets and intersections.

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