Historic east towson?s oral history project: preserving african american legacies through hampton plantation descendants [the northeast towson improvement association (netia) is a nonprofit…

Historic east towson?s oral history project: preserving african american legacies through hampton plantation descendants [the northeast towson improvement association (netia) is a nonprofit organization that aims to restore and preserve what?s left of historic east towson, baltimore county?s oldest african american community. The neighborhood's roots trace back to 1853, when the area was built and settled by recently freed african americans who were enslaved by maryland?s fifteenth governor on the hampton plantation. Once a thriving community, historic east towson has shrunk from having 300 black families in 1929 to only 94. The knowledge of the location's history is primarily contained to its residents. This project will have our team collect oral histories from both current residents and descendants of the original families. There are multiple ways we will interpret and share these oral histories, such as through publications, a colloquium, story maps, an exhibit, and towards enhancing our neighborhood walking tours and the road to freedom trail, a pedestrian and cycling route in current development.]