The Colonial lifestyle of trailblazing Marylander Benjamin Banneker will be displayed as the first permanent collection at the Banneker Historical Park and Museum in Baltimore.
“I wanted Benjamin himself to speak as much as he could in the exhibition. You can read his thoughts, calculations and his musings,” said Steven X. Lee, park and museum director, referring to the project that took eight years to complete. “I was hoping to capture a glimpse of his life and of his mind.”
An author, scientist, mathematician, farmer, astronomer, publisher and urban planner, Banneker is famous for helping to design Washington and publishing his own almanacs.
The museum brings together artifacts and re-creations to illustrate the life of the Banneker family, whose 17th-century farmstead is on the site of the museum and 142-acre park.
Many of the historical artifacts, dug from the winding trails that form the nature center, include ceramics, tobacco pipes and a telescope lens that Banneker may have used to gaze over the local landscape.
A rare clock with wooden gears is a centerpiece of the collection. It is similar to the ones Banneker taught himself to carve.
“Banneker had a love for learning that I admire,” said Jessica Ferretto, anthropologist for the museum.
A wax model of Banneker sits, poised with a quill pen, over a re-creation of the desk where Banneker wrote to Thomas Jefferson to implore him to free the slaves. The real desk is kept in protected storage by the museum.
“The collection is going to be a milestone. It shows there are enough people who for so many years have believed in preserving the history of the Banneker family,” said Gwen Marable, a descendent of Banneker?s sister, Jemima. Marable will be leading children?s activities with Colonial toys at thegrand opening.
If you go
» What: Grand opening of the Banneker Historical Park and Museum?s permanent collection
» When: Noon to 5 p.m. Saturday.
» Where: Banneker Historical Park and Museum on Oella Avenue near historic Ellicott City The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
