The African American Heritage Society of Charles County, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a mission to foster awareness and an understanding of the African American way of life; to share the cultural and historical contributions of African Americans to the growth and development of Southern Maryland and to the nation.  The society’s Heritage House, located in La Plata, is an educational/cultural facility that serves as a community resource and a tourist site within Charles County, the Southern Maryland region, and beyond.

The society receives many calls of inquiry from:  individuals living outside of the state about their family lineage that has been traced to Charles County and educational researchers who are looking for information that has ties to the county.  These inquiries are usually directed to other county organizations or individuals with expertise to help in their request for data or knowledge that we can’t provide.

Heritage House contains a small library of books that depicts the struggles and accomplishments of Black people which were written by Black scholars, literary figures, political and social leaders, etc. Numerous displays and exhibits highlight courageous persons of history such as the Tuskegee Airmen, Madame C.J. Walker, Ms. Opal Lee and Juneteenth, W.E.B. DuBois, his NAACP and Ghana Connection, Charles County Black Businesses from the 1940’s to the 1970’s and more .  There is the William A. Diggs collection of artifacts and others that illustrate the days of slavery, and the hardships of a people.  During the year the society presents diverse, guest speakers on relevant topics of the past and present.  The Southern Maryland Studies Center at CSM is a storehouse of Charles County history that is used by us to aid history seekers.