The Doleman Black Heritage Museum (DBHM) is a non-profit organization located in Hagerstown, Maryland, focused on preserving and displaying the legacy of Charles & Marguerite Doleman’s vision of a state of the art cultural & historical museum depicting the lives of all African-Americans, situated in the heart of Hagerstown, Maryland.
The DBHM Board of Directors is committed to creating an outstanding regional resource center for historical information of African-American culture locally, nationally, and internationally. We’re striving to be a beacon in conserving African-American history and we are dedicated to seeing that this project will become a vibrant, dynamic, all-inclusive and exciting entity to the preservation and interpretation of the rich culture of African-American history.
Although the concept of “Local Black Heritage” preservation is not new, it is unique in that it focuses on a specific regional area and illuminates the life and times of a specific element of the American population that until recently has been largely ignored.
We are a nationally known, family owned and operated museum. There are other similar museums across the country whose intent is to promote knowledge and preservation of our country’s Black Heritage. The Doleman Black Heritage Museum is unique in several ways. One, it is a museum of local culture with artifacts collected and maintained over time that have created a story even in their collection. Two, the museum spans a more recent history that shows more clearly the impact our past has had on our present day culture. Three, the Doleman Black Heritage Museum is maintained in that same community in which it was created. Finally, the Doleman Black Heritage Museum resides in an area rich in history and historical landmarks. This proximity to our historical past is a great asset in that it will add synergistically to the draw of history buffs from across the country.
This endeavor will directly benefit the surrounding neighborhood of Jonathan Street, serve as a positive asset to the growing Hagerstown neighborhood improvement projects, enhance heritage museum tourism by providing a well-rounded representation of all history, and cultivate a community devoid of African-American history.
Museum Mission Statement
On The mission of the Doleman Black Heritage Museum is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret historical
and cultural artifacts of African Americans in Washington County Maryland, to protect and expand the legacy of the Doleman family, to provide insight and enlightened knowledge for the public, and to serve as a resource for historical information of African-American history and culture locally and statewide.
Statement of Purpose
The Doleman Black Heritage Museum proclaims that the museum will encourage historical, biographical, genealogical, and archeological research and inquiry, publish and disseminate information, collect and preserve
archival materials and artifacts that document the African-American experience, especially within and with reference
to Washington County and the City of Hagerstown.
The legal form of the Doleman Black Heritage Museum is Non-Profit 501(c) (3). We chose this form of incorporation because of our mission and vision to provide a service to the community and preserve our unique Local Black Heritage.