On Sunday, March 1st please join us at our open house where we’ll be showcasing the St. John AME Zion Church in Wilsontown, located south of Odenton.

St. John, a rural church founded in the 1870s and still a vibrant congregation today, is not only a place of worship but also the heart of an African American community shaped by emancipation and freedom. Quakers transferred a former meeting house to African Americans to serve as their church building, enabling the two groups to mingle and share adjoining cemeteries. The present church was built in 1942 following wartime evacuation for the expansion of Fort Meade.

Visitors can also enjoy engaging exhibits about Odenton’s railroads, homes, churches, schools, and the people who have shaped the town – past and present. Admission is free, and tours of our museum are led by costumed docents. We hope to see you there!