Crownsville Hospital – The Lost Towns Project

Crownsville Hospital: Sewing for Dress and Comfort

16March2022Drew Webster20th century, African American history, Anne Arundel County, Crownsville, Crownsville Hospital, oral history, story map, Women's history

Crownsville Hospital was founded in 1911 by the State of Maryland to house and care for African Americans with mental health problems. By mid-century, it became known for being understaffed and overcrowded.

Until 1948, all staff members at the hospital were white. By 1959, African Americans made up 45% of the hospital staff, and in 1963, the hospital was integrated.

Sewing at Crownsville Cemetery. *Courtesy of Dorothea McCullers*

Dorothea McCullers spent 38 years working for the hospital, beginning in 1964 as a seamstress and later as the supervisor of the clothing department. She still remembers all 21 pieces that stitched together to form uniforms for the hospital employees.

Hear what she has to say at Stop 16 on Anne Arundel County’s Civil Rights Era virtual tour.

SOURCES:

Oral history interview with Dorothea McCullers conducted on May 30, 2018, by Lyndra Marshall (née Pratt), oral historian, and filmed and edited by Anthony Smoot of Anthony A. Smoot Productions.

“Tragic Chapter of Crownsville State Hospital’s Legacy.” Capital Gazette. June 5, 2013.