Washington Burch
From enslaved to landowner, bailiff, and community activist.
(circa 1829 – 1901)
Washington Burch was probably born enslaved circa 1829 in a log cabin in Charles County Maryland. After the Civil War, he became a prominent member of Port Tobacco’s African American community. He owned his home as well as several other properties. He and his wife Henrietta purchased their house in Port Tobacco in 1874, nine years after the Emancipation Proclamation. They resided there until his death. They had three children.
Burch could read and write. In 1868, Burch and other African American men purchased land outside Port Tobacco to be used as a school for African American children. He was one of the Trustees for School No. 1 in Charles County District No. 1 during the 1880s and was elected Chairman in 1883. In 1875, Washington Burch was on the committee that maintained voter registration lists. He was responsible for the Charles County District 1 “colored voter” registration list that included both African American and Indigenous people.
Wahington Burch, who was 35 at the time, became a registered voter in 1870. Burch was also active in politics. In 1885, he was a delegate to the Maryland State Republican Convention. In 1898, he was elected president of the Port Tobacco Republican Club.
He was a man of many occupations. The 1870 United States Census indicates that Burch’s occupation was a farmer. By the 1874 census, he was listed as a bailiff to the County Commissioners and Keeper of the Courthouse in Port Tobacco. Over the next twenty years, Burch would work as a bailiff or jailer for Charles County. This meant that he worked for the county government, which was significant.
Burch was also active in the social life of the African American community. In the 1890s he was one of the organizers of several Tournaments and Balls. These were social events where knights competed for prize money and a queen and maids were named.
Washington Burch died March 13, 1901, in Port Tobacco.
Did You Know?
The Burch House is owned by the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco and is maintained by Charles County Recreation Parks and Tourism as a historic site. His home is now open for public touring and is a look into what life was like in Port Tobacco post-Civil War. The house was originally built in the 18th century and is one of the last remaining colonial buildings in Charles County.
Additional Resources
The Port Tobacco Jailer – The Story of Washington Burch (youtube.com)
Video -Deep Roots and Many Branches, African American History Charles County, Maryland, The Port Tobacco Jailer. The Port Tobacco Jailer – The Story of Washington Burch: Charles County: Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming: Internet Archive
1880 United States Census, Maryland, Charles County, Port Tobacco, page 54.
Charles County Land Records, Liber GAH, no. 4, p. 215.
Charles County Land Records, Liber BGS, no. 4, p. 31.
Charles County Land Records, Liber BGS, no. 4, p. 31.
Maryland Board of Health (Death Record, Counties), 1898-1910, MSA SE42-775.
1870 United States Census, Maryland, Charles County, 3rd District, page 40.
Charles County Land Records, Liber GAH, no. 2, p. 49.
Port Tobacco Times and Charles County Advertiser, 11 May 1883, vol 39, p. 4.
Maryland Independent, 29 June 1883, vol 4, p. 4.
Port Tobacco Times and Charles County Advertiser, 01 October 1875, vol 32, p. 4.
Port Tobacco Times and Charles County Advertiser, 25 September 1885, vol 42, p. 4.
Maryland Independent, 28 October 1898, vol 8, p. 4.
Port Tobacco Times and Charles County Advertiser, 17 July 1874, vol 31, p. 4.
Port Tobacco Times and Charles County Advertiser, 28 August 1885, vol 42, p. 4.
Maryland Independent, 19 August 1892, vol 13, p. 3.
Maryland Independent, 04 August 1899, vol 9, p. 3.
Interview with Carol Cowherd and Elsie Picyk of the Charles County Archaeological Society of Maryland, Inc. November 23, 2023
