CHESTERTOWN — James Saunders, representing the Chestertown Lions Club, on March 9 presented a $1,500 donation to Sumner Hall. The occasion was Sumner Hall’s Black History recognition dinner.
Accepting the donation was Vanessa Ringgold, president of the Sumner Hall board of directors.
At the March 9 event, Saunders spoke about “the importance of Black history and recognized Sumner Hall for the work they do to keep African American history alive in Kent County,” according to a news release.
Sumner Hall, located at 206 S. Queen St. in downtown Chestertown, is a nonprofit historic site and museum preserving the legacy of African American Civil War veterans and celebrating the contributions of African Americans in Kent County and beyond.
As a vibrant cultural center, Sumner Hall hosts educational programs, community events, exhibitions and partnerships that honor history while supporting contemporary community needs.
Union veterans formed the Grand Army of the Republic as a national social and fraternal organization on April 6, 1866, about a year after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered his Confederate troops to Union Gen. Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Court House in Virginia, effectively ending the Civil War.
Charles Sumner Post #25 in Chestertown — named for the U.S. senator from Massachusetts who was a fierce advocate of emancipation and voting rights for African Americans — was one of 56 Maryland GAR posts, of which 22 were African American.
Post #25 was established in 1882 by about 20 or so Civil War veterans who had served in the U.S. Colored Troops.
Today, Post #25 is one of only two historically African American GAR posts still standing in the United States, and the only one still open to the public.
For more information, visit www.sumnerhall.org.
