The St. Mary’s County Museum Division, in partnership with the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions (UCAC), will be offering special Open Houses for visitors and the community at the Drayden African American Schoolhouse in Drayden, MD, during Juneteenth Weekend, June 15 and 16, 2019.
The Drayden African American Schoolhouse is one of the nation’s best-preserved one-room African-American schoolhouses, and its story represents a significant part of St. Mary’s County’s African-American history. The schoolhouse was closed for several years, but with the completion of extensive building renovations in the spring of 2018, the public was able to access the site during the first open houses in 2018.
“The Division is pleased to offer open houses at the Drayden African-American Schoolhouse during Juneteenth Weekend, and offering this important piece of our county’s African-American history to the public,” says Karen Stone, Manager of the St. Mary’s County Museum Division. “We further appreciate the continuing support of the volunteers who man it for us, most of whom are members of the UCAC.”
The schoolhouse will be open 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. June 15 and June 16. Volunteers will be available on-site during the open houses to share stories about the schoolhouse’s history with visitors.
St. Mary’s County Museum Division also offers special programs for school, bus and other tour groups who would like to schedule a visit to the Drayden site. Individual visitors who would like to see the schoolhouse during times outside open house hours can contact the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum & Historic Park at 301-994-1471 to arrange a visit.
For more information about the Drayden African-American Schoolhouse Open Houses, programs, admission prices and more, visit the Drayden African-American Schoolhouse Facebook page at Facebook.com/DraydenSchool or call 301-994-1471.
