Abraham Hall, constructed in 1889, is located on the northeast side of Old Muirkirk Road in the center of the historic African American community of Rossville, a section of Prince George's County, Maryland near Beltsville.
Abraham Hall | |
 Abraham Hall, December 2008 | |
   | |
| Location | 7612 Old Muirkirk Rd, Beltsville, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°3′40″N 76°52′24″W / 39.06111°N 76.87333°W |
| Area | 3.9 acres (1.6 ha) |
| Built | 1889 |
| Architect | John W. Jackson |
| MPS | African-American Historic Resources of Prince George's County, Maryland |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000146[1] |
| Added to NRHP | March 14, 2005 |
It was constructed by the Benevolent Sons and Daughters of Abraham, an African American society that was established for the social welfare of its members. Originally known as Rebecca Lodge #6 of the Benevolent Sons and Daughters of Abraham, the building was constructed by John W. Jackson in 1889 in the burgeoning community of Rossville. Abraham Hall, an excellent example of a multi-purpose building associated with African Americans, served as a meeting hall, a house of worship, a school, and a social hall for African Americans living in a segregated society.[2] The lodge hall functioned as the community black school, until a Rosenwald School was built in 1922.[3][4]
The structure is set back from the road on a 3.85-acre (1.56 ha) grassy lot with mature trees. It is a three-bay, two-story gable front frame lodge building with a brick foundation, wood lap siding with cornerboards, and a shake roof with a boxed cornice. A brick chimney rises from the northwest slope of the roof. Both the interior and exterior of the building were carefully restored between 1986 and 1991 using original materials or in-kind replacements.[2]
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b "National Register Information System – Abraham Hall (#05000146)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
- ^ a b "Abraham Hall". Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- ^ Susan Pearl (February 1983). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Abraham Hall" (PDF). Maryland Historical Trust. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- ^ M-NCPPC African-American Heritage Survey, October 1996: Properties Within or Closely Associated With Historic Communities (Prince George's County, Maryland), 1996 Archived 2009-12-04 at the Wayback Machine.
External links
edit- Official website
Media related to Abraham Hall at Wikimedia Commons- Abraham Hall, Prince George's County, Inventory No.: PG:62-7, including photo in 2004, at Maryland Historical Trust website
- Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) No. MD-1043, "Abraham Hall, 7612 Old Muirkirk Road, Beltsville, Prince George's County, MD", 5 photos, 5 data pages, 1 photo caption page
