ALLEN, Md. - In the small village of Allen, Md., along South Upper Ferry Road is a 22 acre plot of land.
The small dilapidated house (which is not the original house) might not seem worthy of attention - until you discover its history.
The property was the home of Thomas E. Polk, Sr., a post-Civil War era Buffalo Soldier.
A project led by Polk's granddaughters and Maryland historians wants to bring the story of these soldiers to Delmarva.
"When I was growing up I didn't know anything about Buffalo Soldiers," said Violet Polk Williams of Allen. "I have learned a lot about them and their origin and things. So it is good and maybe we're still learning, our children are still learning about the Buffalo Soldiers."
Buffalo Soldiers were Black cavalry and infantry units formed by an act of Congress in 1866.
They participated in many military campaigns, including in Cuba and Asia, and were often employed at National Parks.
They were also important in fulfilling one of the U.S. Government's most ambitions goals: Manifest Destiny.
"So those Buffalo Soldiers escorted White settlers west, to protect them against invasions by Native Americans who were trying to protect their land," said Deborah Scott, granddaughter of Thomas Polk. "They carried mail, they hung telegraph lines, all sorts of things."
Scott wants to turn her grandfather's land into the Buffalo Soldier Living Historic Site and Hattie's Trail. She is the Project Manager, and the trail is named for her grandmother and Polk's wife, Harriet.
There are several memorials to these soldiers in the American west.
"But east of the Mississippi, not so much if at all."
This project aims to end that.
Scott said the project is estimated to cost $450,000, and has a goal of opening the project to the public in 2025. It has received broad support from across Wicomico County.
To learn more about how you can help the project, email Deborah Scott at fehcscott@gmail.com.