Brownsville was a community nested in Frostburg, Maryland. It began with two Black women, Tamar Brown and Elizabeth Jackson. Both were formerly enslaved people who purchased land and raised homes on neighboring lots. With the support of other formerly enslaved people in Allegany County, they organized and nurtured an African American community that lasted from the 1860’s through the 1950’s. Frostburg State University now exists where Brownsville once stood.
Brownsville Baseball Team
The story behind Brownsville’s existence and displacement is one we are still trying to uncover. As homes were taken, and families were displaced, people stopped talking about Brownsville. Several families from Brownsville that remained in Frostburg were pushed to the outer edges of where the first Brownsville homes stood - to Park Avenue and the surrounding streets. They began to refer to themselves as the Park Avenue Community. What is documented about Brownsville can be found in Lynn G. Bowman’s book: Being Black in Brownsville: Echoes of a “forgotten” Frostburg.
These are just some of the family names of Brownsville community members. Some of these families still reside in and near Frostburg today. Are you a Brownsville descendant? Please contact us. We’d love to include you in our project.
