A Wealth of History in Oella at Banneker
Sitting on 142 acres of wooded land, Benjamin Banneker Historical Park brings a wealth of 18th century history and nature to nearby Oella. But I am not sure many people know about this wonderful museum and the fascinating man it honors; at least I didn’t, before I stumbled across the park one day as I was driving through Oella.
Benjamin Banneker was the grandson of Molly Welsh, a formally indentured woman from England and Bannaka a tribal prince from Senegal. His family settled in Maryland buying the 100 hundred acres of farmland on which they grew tobacco, wheat and corn. In addition, the family maintained an orchard and bee hives. The Ellicotts purchased the Banneker’s produce for sale in their General Store in Ellicott City.
To say that Benjamin Banneker was brilliant would be an understatement. No type of formal education was available to Benjamin though he designed his first working clock at 22. After his parents death he sold part of the farm so that he could concentrate on science and learning. With help from George Ellicott, Benjamin began to study to study astronomy at the age of 57. And few years later Banneker would join Andrew Ellicott’s team surveying the young nation’s new capital, Washington, DC.
After helping to survey the capital, he published a set of almanacs. Almanacs were the weather.com of their day, featuring a prediction of yearly rainfall, telling farmers when to plant their crops, the phases of the moon, and everything they needed to know to run their farms. Many have heard of Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard’s almanac but few have heard of Benjamin Bannaker’s. He was also an early abolitionist. He discussed, by letter, the intrinsic worth and intelligence of African Americans with Thomas Jefferson.
To learn more about Benjamin Bannaker and the role he played as an American Citizen contributing development of the newly formed United State of America, stop in at the museum at 300 Oella Avenue or visit their blog at www.benjaminbanneker.wordpress.com
The museum holds educational programs throughout the year. Here are some of the upcoming summer events.
June 8 and 9 from 10am to 4pm
Colonial Market Fair is a living History event featuring colonial crafts, tradesmen, music, food. Activities for Children. Free to the public, No reservations required
June 21 6:30pm to 8pm
Marking the Summer Solstice: A Celebration of Light is a program to learn about Bannaker’s 1792 Almanac and the importance of the longest day of the year in relations to the modern calendar. Program conducted by Stephen Bilanow, a navigations specialist and amateur astronomer. Refreshments after the program. The program is free but RESERVATIONS are required. Call the Park Office @ 410-887-1081
Make the Benjamin Bannaker Historical Park part of your summer and you are sure to be enriched by this treasure trove of local history.
