With major renovations almost completed at the Charles Sumner Post #25 in Chestertown, the all-volunteer board under the direction of its first president, Nina Johnson, is looking to the future and there are a lot of projects afoot.
Part of the goal is to amplify their presence not only as a sanctuary and educational hub for African-American history, but to elevate themes to celebrate the diversity of our community, especially during an era when racial polarities have often reached reached a fever pitch.
And Charles Sumner Post #25, Grand Republic of the Army (GAR) has a newly minted identity—Sumner Hall—to help brand its new phase of development.
“After a lot of deliberation and charettes, we think its easier for people to identify with a shorter, core name,” Johnson said.
Here, Nina Johnson talks about how she came to be interested in the project, her insight into its mission and plans for the next year, including educational programs, outreach, entertainment, reaching out for volunteers and business partnerships.
More information and contacts may be found here. See G.A.R. Post #25 on menu.
Barbara in den Bosch says
Great interview, Nina. The new name is a great idea. Well done!
Margaret Fallaw says
Choosing Sumner Hall as a new name was a good idea, especially since Charles Sumner Post No. 25, Grand Army of the Republic actually is the name of the organization, not its hall. Also, I should note that not only Civil War U.S. Army veterans were eligible to join the GAR, but also U.S. Navy veterans. A significant number of African American, Kent Co.-connected CW vets served in the Navy, but I don’t know whether any actually were members of this GAR post. It would take cross-checking my database of African American soldiers and sailors with a Kent Co. connection against surviving membership lists of the Sumner post to know, at least to some extent. In any case, all who served were NOT in the USCT (popularly known as the United States Colored Troops, actually more correctly as the USCI[nfantry], USCC[avalry], etc.). Alas, the inscription on the monument in Memorial Park omitted mention of the sailors in the Navy, which was not yet segregated as the Army already was. (My authority re sailors’ eligibility for GAR membership is Dr. Barbara Gannon (now teaching at the U. of Central Florida), whose dissertation and subsequent book are about African Americans in the GAR; I recently asked her about this via email.)