February is a month of reflection and recognition of the important contributions that African-Americans have made to the shaping of our country. In the city of Frederick, this reality hits close to home.
To this regard, our state has produced numerous notable figures who fought for justice and equality. Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall to name a few. But if we zoom in a little closer, we find those same stories of struggle and perseverance right here in the city of Frederick.
Today, All Saints Street resembles your typical downtown neighborhood. Lined with modest brick row homes, this street may seem normal at the surface, but in an earlier time it served as the economic and social center of Fredericks black community.
In its younger years, All Saints was a vibrant community that was bustling with commerce and action. It served as a main street that provided services to Fredericks black population during an era of strict segregation. Churches, restaurants, boutiques, social clubs like the Freemasons and Elks (both of which still exist today), and even doctors offices and medical care facilities provided amenities often not available to Africans-Americans in much of Frederick at the time.
Its vibrant and commercial nature rivaled that of Market Street, and the neighborhood produced influential and ambitious figures, Most notably a man named Dr. Ulysses Grant Bourne, Fredericks first black doctor. Born in a small rural community in Southern Maryland, Bourne worked his way up through medical school, eventually moving to Frederick.
Being unable to practice at Frederick Hospital due to the state’s strict segregation laws, Bourne took it upon himself to open up a medical practice of his own. Located on West All Saints Street, his medical practice was so reputable that many whites began seeking medical treatment there. Bourne would go on to co-found the Frederick county branch of the NAACP, serving as president for 20 years. His impact on not just medicine, but also civil rights advancement in our community left a legacy of success and progress that still rings true to this dayThis, among many others, contributed to the success and growth of the All Saints community.
As Jim Crow laws began to be repealed and segregation was being struck down across the nation, the need for an insular community such as All Saints began to subside, as its population became integrated with the rest of the city, leaving the neighborhood to take on a more symbolic role in Frederick history.
Nowadays, All Saints Street is all but a quiet residential street, Though today its story remains a strong testament to the resilience and success of those who lived there, and those who fought for a more equal and just future.
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