By Greg Ellison

(Feb. 17, 2022) Launching during but not limited to African-American History Month, the Germantown School Community Heritage Center in Berlin will launch a four-part weekly lecture series on Saturday at 10 a.m.

Germantown School, which is located at 10223 Trappe Rd., will welcome Gabe Purnell and Vaughn White this week to share perspective on African-American entrepreneurship in Worcester County.

Germantown School Board member Karen Prengaman said the lecture, which will run until noon, would delve into the experiences of African-American business people during the segregation era.

“The focus is not what that was,” she said. “Our focus is who we are and what was our story.”

Germantown School Board member Barbara Purnell said her uncle, John Smack, operated a taxi service that was one of the first African-American businesses operating in Ocean City.

“I’m really thrilled about it,” she said.

The series continues on Feb. 26 at 10 a.m. with a discussion about Rosenwald Schools and African-American education in the early 20th Century.

Prengaman said prior to classroom integration during the civil rights era, about 5,000 Rosenwald Schools existed across the U.S. to educate African-American pupils.

“By the 1930s, about 25 percent of African Americans were educated in Rosenwald Schools,” she said.

Booker T. Washington is credited for envisioning the original concept for the ethnic-based institutions.

After initially pitching the idea to Sears Roebuck President Julius Rosenwald, Washington fleshed out the vision by raising funding for the first school in mere months.

“It’s an example of an early public-private partnership in education,” Prengaman said.

Photo Courtesy Germantown School
The Germantown School Community Heritage Center in Berlin begins a four-part weekly lecture series on Saturday at 10 a.m. with the first installment detailing African-American entrepreneurship in Worcester County.

The two-room school house located in Germantown was built in 1922.

“It’s one of the earliest examples of the Tuskegee design,” she said.

Due to a lack of electricity, the school was situated facing east to absorb sunshine inside the structure for light and warmth.

“At least a few former students will be on hand to answer questions at the end,” she said.

The series will continue on March 5 with a talk about traditional African-American healing methods.

Prengaman said Barbra Purnell recalled distant memories of her grandmother re-purposing spider webs to heal flesh wounds and putting onions on foreheads to excise fevers.

Prengaman said a number of traditional healing methods trace back to Africa.

“We’re looking to elicit memories from community members,” she said. “Once we get people started, we hope memories will occur.”

The final installment on March 19 concerns genealogy research.

Because the covid-19 pandemic shuttered a wealth of activities since 2020, Germantown School board members opted to reimagine uses for the historical landmark.

“Covid allowed us to consider who we were,” she said. “The original mission was a school for teaching and that is where we want to be.”

Purnell said the lecture series will have a special impact on her contemporaries.

Barbara Purnell

“It brings back a lot of memories of our younger days,” she said.

Seating is limited and reservations can be made by emailing germantownschool@gmail.com or calling 443-235-9803. For additional information visit the Germantown School on Facebook.

Purnell said interest in the lecture series has been growing steadily.

“We’ve been getting a few calls for reservations,” she said.