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Creator
Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist Church (Baltimore, Md.)
Call number
Sc Micro R-6637
Physical description
9 reels of microfilm
Preferred Citation
Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist Church (Baltimore, Md.) records, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

The records of the Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist Church in Baltimore, Maryland consist of three series: Financial Records, Minute Books and Reports, and Cemetery Records. The Financial Records series, 1913-1944, contains trustee reports with entries pertaining to the cemetery. Collection plate records and records of rallies for church projects are also included. The Minute Books and Reports series, 1911-1962, contains the minutes of the official boards and various church groups as well as affiliated organizations in which the church has had membership. The latter includes the Baltimore Preachers Meetings and the Women's Society of Christian Service, North Baltimore District. The Cemetery Records series, 1873-1993, is comprised of ledgers in which are entered cemetery lot owners, burial and death records. In many ledgers information on place of origin, date of birth, cause of death and physician's name has been indicated. Information on the lots include location and number of burials per site. A schematic drawing of the cemetery is also included.

Biographical/historical information

The Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist Church originates from the establishment of the first black congregation in Baltimore, Maryland in 1787. The first church, built in 1802, was located on Sharp Street between Lombard and Pratt Streets. The present edifice was erected and occupied in 1898. On July 21, 1982, Sharp Street Memorial Church and the community house were entered in the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of the Interior.

Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1872 by Rev. James Pack and the Memorial United Methodist Church (Sharp Street Church) in protest to segregation in the white Methodist church at the time. It is the oldest black cemetery in Baltimore City. The 117 year old cemetery was originally known as the "City of the Dead for Colored People". Former slaves who had escaped to freedom through the Underground Railroad were among those buried here by Baltimore's African-American families. For years it was the only burial ground for Baltimore blacks.

In addition to runaway slaves, the cemetery contains the remains of one of the first black bishops in the African Methodist Church, William Asbie Hawkins; the first black ship chandler; the first black lightweight boxing champion of the world (1901-1908), Joseph Ganns; and civil rights activists, lawyers, doctors, teachers and the relatives of thousands of African-American families.

Scope and arrangement

The records of Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist Church, Mount Auburn Cemetery were microfilmed by the The Preservation of the Black Religious Heritage Project(PBRHP) of the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture during the months of December 1992 and June 1994. Originals were retained by the church. The records were arranged for microfilming according to the existing church filing system. Pages of bound ledgers were microfilmed sequentially as they appeared. One series includes church records from 1911 through the 1960s which were not microfilmed by the Maryland State Archives.

The Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist Church (Baltimore, Md.) records are arranged in three series:

  • Financial Records

    The FINANCIAL RECORDS, 1913-1944,series contains trustee reports with entries pertaining to the cemetery. Collection plate records and records of rallies for church projects are also included.

  • Minutes

    The MINUTE BOOKS AND REPORTS, 1911-1962,series contains the minutes of the official boards and various church groups as well as affiliated organizations in which the church has had membership. The latter includes the Baltimore Preachers Meetings and the Women's Society of Christian Service, North Baltimore District.

  • Cemetery Records

    The CEMETERY RECORDS, 1873-1993,series is comprised of ledgers wherein are entered the rosters of cemetery lot owners, burials and death records. In many ledgers information on origin, birth, cause of death and physician has been indicated. Information on the lots includes location and number of burials per site as well as depth of interment. A schematic drawing of the cemetery is also included.

Administrative information

Processing information

Processed by Victor Smythe; Machine-readable finding aid created by Apex Data Services; revised by Terry Catapano.

Related Material

Sharp Street United Methodist Church Records in Other Repositories

Maryland State Archives: Sharp Street Memorial

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor

Conditions Governing Use

Permission from church is required to purchase copy of microfilm. Letter authorizing reproduction should be sent to the Curator of Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Book Division, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Blvd., New York, NY 10037

Location of originals

Originals in Sharp Street United Methodist Church; 1206 Etting Street, Baltimore, Md. 21217