The Crownsville Hospital Historic Documentation and Storytelling Project

Crownsville Hospital

The Crownsville Hospital Historic Documentation and Storytelling Project seeks to preserve the history of Crownsville Hospital, once known as the Maryland State Hospital for the Negro Insane. 

Supported by a Congressionally-Directed grant through the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the project has three key objectives:

  1. Collecting oral histories that document Crownsville Hospital’s historic role as a segregated mental health facility, while also highlighting the resilience, care, and dedication of the Black community in caring for its patients and restoring their humanity

  2. Creating a Digital Repository featuring letters, artwork, and archival materials retrieved from the now-defunct hospital

  3. Hosting a series of Oral History Workshops to train residents and students from local high schools and universities in best practices for collecting additional oral histories

Share, Learn, and Remember

Help us tell the story of Crownsville Hospital. Backed by a new $500,000 Congressionally Directed grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the County would like to hear your stories and archive and preserve them for the future. If you are willing to share your remembrances of Crownsville State Hospital, please complete the following survey.

Join the Crownsville Hospital Historic Documentation and Storytelling Project for a series of upcoming oral history workshops. Lead by Historian Dr. Le Datta Denise Grimes, each workshop will teach participants the basic tenets of oral history collection and equip them to conduct their own oral history and contribute to the project. Sign up below to be notified of upcoming workshop dates and locations.

 

Do you Have Crownsville Hospital Materials You’d like to Donate? Let us know! The Crownsville Hospital Historic Documentation and Storytelling Project seeks to archive and preserve the hospital’s history, and we are building a digital archive that will be publicly accessible. The archive will consist of documents, photos, artwork, memorabilia, and artifacts that tell the Crownsville Hospital Story.

Donate Materials

For Project Information:

Email
crownsvilleoralhistories@aacounty.org

Upcoming Events

May
30
Archaeology Lab and Crownsville Hospital Digital Archive Repository Open House
2003 Commerce Park Drive, Suites C & D, Annapolis, MD 21401
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More Events