Zion Church and Cemetery  [a property of Frederick County Landmarks Foundation]

Join AARCH Society’s Barbara Thompson for a viewing of the documentary Back to Our By-Gone Days: Remembering Lincoln School. The film features interviews of former students of Lincoln School, Frederick County's first and only secondary school for African Americans until the end of segregation. It will include a brief history of Lincoln School and highlights from former students who share their fond memories.

The documentary is supported by funding through Maryland Humanities and is co-sponsored by the Maryland Room at Frederick County Public Libraries.

Interested in learning how to research your African-American family history? Learn tips from Enoch Pratt Free Library's State Library Resource Center for how and where to begin your research. Explore several popular online genealogy sites and discuss a variety of books, databases, and other resources available through the library.

This program will be offered virtually, and can be viewed two ways:

1. Come to the Community Room at the Brunswick Library to view as a "watch party" on the large screen.

2. Join from home (or anywhere!) on your personal computer or mobile device by clicking on this link:
   https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_MzIyNGE2Y2EtZDU5MC00Mjk1LTg4NzMtYjU2NWRhNDczMjUy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%223c00c6ff-4b0a-4221-9188-1148a3eebd67%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22271138af-5fb9-488a-a234-5e24cc1f2f41%22%7d

"The Story of Two Churches: Moving from the Past, Building a Better Future,” is a 2022 AARCH Society documentary. It explores the shared history of two of Frederick’s oldest churches, an African American church, Asbury United Methodist, and a white church, All Saints’ Episcopal. After looking at the period of enslavement and emancipation, the film looks at more recent history and how the two congregations have worked together in the last decade. The documentary ends with interviews of people who have taken part in community conversations, conveying a message of hope for race relations today. Instructors Joan D. Thomas and Sarah H. Heald will give a brief introduction, show the 30-minute documentary, and then facilitate discussion and answer questions.

Instructors: 

· Joan D. Thomas is currently employed with USAMMDA at Ft. Detrick. Joan joined AARCH in 2015 to deepen her knowledge of Frederick County’s African American history and to support her mother who was a Living Treasure. She and her family are 5th generation Fredericktonians and have spent many years researching their family history. Joan is a member of Asbury United Methodist Church and was interviewed for this documentary. Joan is a member of the AARCH Research Committee.

· Sarah H. Heald is a retired National Park Service historian, curator, and exhibits planner. She has a MA in American History and has been a member of AARCH Society since 2013. She has worked on a variety of AARCH Society projects and has been a member of the Education Committee since 2018. She is also a member of All Saints’ Episcopal Church and was on the team that made this documentary in 2021-22.

 This program was previously part of the African American History lecture series, which was organized for FCC and presented by instructors from the African American Resources-Cultural and Heritage (AARCH) Society, to offer opportunities to expand the knowledge and understanding about present-day Frederick by learning about the history of African Americans in Frederick County. AARCH identifies, collects, preserves, and makes publicly accessible, through its programs and services, the objects, artifacts, and stories about the history, rich heritage and culture and the contributions of African Americans in Frederick County past and present and in doing so educates, enriches, and enlightens this and future generations. Through its programs, services, research, and activities, the Society also recognizes and celebrates the extraordinary resiliency of African Americans in the County.