Memorial gala to honor U.S. Colored Troops

Friday, July 31, 2009

Click here to enlarge this photo Staff photo by JESSE YEATMAN Volunteers Janice Walthour, left, Idolia Shubrooks and Nell Hampton work on invitations to the memorial ceremony for U.S. Colored Troops that will be held next month to raise money for a monument. E-Mail This Article | Print This Story

Organizers behind the creation of a new memorial are hoping to raise funds at a gala next month honoring African Americans from St. Mary's County who served in the Civil War.

Idolia Shubrooks of Park Hall has wanted for years to establish some kind of memorial for African-American soldiers from the county.

The Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions joined with Shubrooks and has expanded on her idea with the help of The Sons of Union Veterans of The Civil War. The James H. Harris camp, the local veterans' descendants chapter, is helping compile lists of soldiers from St. Mary's and is helping in the fundraising effort.

"People have been very helpful in this endeavor," Shubrooks said.

The event will be the first in the county to honor black troops who served in the Union army, Shubrooks said. Several honorees will be given recognition at the ceremony and dinner held at the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department hall.

"It's an incredible move and certainly something which all St. Mary's countians should be proud of," said Nell Hampton, a volunteer helping with the ceremony preparations.

Shubrooks, Walthour and Hampton have sent out several hundred invitations already and are hoping to attract a full audience at the event next month. Cost is $50 per person; funds will go toward the monument.

The UCAC is actively raising funds for the U.S. Colored Troops memorial, hoping to secure at least $30,000 by the end of the year. The monument will be designed and built by Gary Casteel and will cost $200,000. Casteel is known for work on statues in Gettysburg and other Civil War parks and memorials, including the new memorial to Confederate POWs at Point Lookout.

Last week the St. Mary's County commissioners approved placing the monument in the northern corner of Lancaster Park, which is adjacent to the old Lexington Manor property.

"We are really appreciative of the land being donated," Walthour said.

The plan is to have roses in the center with three markers, a six-foot statue of a black soldier, and cherry trees planted around the site. It is set to be completed in September 2010.

The monument will recognize men from St. Mary's County who served in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. The focal point will be William H. Barnes and James H. Harris, two black soldiers from St. Mary's who were awarded the Medal of Honor.

The organizers hope that community support will be strong because St. Mary's natives do have ancestors who served in the troop. They are compiling lists of the 500-plus African Americans from St. Mary's who served in the troop, a list that includes county names like Gough, Barnes, Milburn, Dorsey and Butler.

"This is one important part of history that we don't want to fade away," Shubrooks said.

Organizers are compiling lists of the soldiers and looking for descendents by combing through records at the St. Mary's County Historical Society and elsewhere.

jyeatman@somdnews.com

If you want to go

A memorial ceremony for African Americans who served in the Union army will be held Sunday, Aug. 23, at the Hollywood firehouse. Money raised will go toward the U.S. Colored Troops memorial monument planned for Lancaster Park. People are asked to RSVP by Aug. 10 by calling Janice Walthour at 301-862-2296 or Idolia Shubrooks at 301-863-2150.