SNOW HILL, Md. - Martin Luther King Jr. Day looked different across Worcester County on Monday, but the message stayed the same: honor the legacy through action and reflection.
In Snow Hill, volunteers gathered near Coolspring United Methodist Church for a day of service hosted by the African American Heritage Society of Snow Hill, focusing their work on a historic cemetery site. Crews cleared brush and worked to maintain the property, a place organizers say holds more than 250 graves, many of them unmarked.
“This is a historic gravesite, and the yellow flags, we got more than 250 graves are here,” said Rufus Lee Johnson, a church trustee and lay minister. “So we try and preserve them, because our kids have grown up too. They need to know.”
Johnson said part of the effort is about making sure the site stays accessible for future visits, including for families searching for relatives. He added that volunteers are trying to keep the growth under control so the area does not become overrun again.
Some of the volunteers were young people who spent the school holiday outdoors helping with the cleanup. Two kids, Amari and Keidyn Wharton, said they wanted to be part of the work on MLK Day.
“It’s MLK Day, and it’s fun out here and everybody’s out here just helping clean up,” they said.
In Pocomoke City, the holiday included a different kind of learning. The Sturgis One Room School Museum opened its doors for free tours and exhibits, inviting families to walk through a preserved classroom space and explore what education looked like for African American students in the early 1900s.
Kimberly Jones, the museum’s board president, said the Sturgis museum is the only known African American one room school in Worcester County that still retains its original integrity. She said the museum displayed artifacts used in that era, including books and slate boards, along with photos of former students and teachers.
Jones said the museum decided to open specifically for MLK Day to share both the site’s story and Dr. King’s impact.
“MLK Day to us is a huge day in our history,” Jones said. “His goal was to bring us all together and be one.”
Jones said the museum is not typically open during the winter and continues to seek volunteers to expand its availability.
While the events in Snow Hill and Pocomoke City took different forms, organizers said both centered on the same idea: keep history visible, and put community service at the center of the holiday.