Baltimore County, MD – (Jan. 14, 2026) – Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) is celebrating the legacy of Turner Station, one of Maryland’s few remaining historically African American communities, with a new gallery exhibit featuring artifacts from the neighborhood and a timeline of its history and cultural significance. A reception honoring the community’s rich history will be held from 5 – 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, in the lobby of the Alvin and Mary Lloyd College Center, CCBC Dundalk, 7200 Sollers Point Road. The event features a keynote from U. S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, a former Turner Station resident, along with remarks from U.S. Rep. Johnny Olszewski. The presentation begins at 6 p.m.
The exhibit at CCBC Dundalk—just a short drive from the Turner Station neighborhood in Baltimore County—is a collaboration between the Galleries at CCBC and the Turner Station Conservation Teams. Curated by historian Michelle Wright, CCBC assistant professor of history and Africana studies, the exhibit showcases a timeline of notable moments in Turner Station history as well as detailed information on four Turner Station natives: Congressman Mfume; Henrietta Lacks, subject of the bestseller The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks; Calvin Hill, former NFL star and father of NBA player Grant Hill; and Dr. Joseph Henry Thomas, a prominent community physician and entrepreneur. Dr. Thomas and his father, Anthony, were noted African American businessmen and the first major developers for the community. Dr. Thomas owned and operated the popular commercial and recreational area known as Edgewater Beach (1929 -1941).
Artifacts on display, on loan from the Turner Station History Center, include pieces of the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed tragically in 2024. The majority of Turner Station’s residents worked at the Bethlehem Steel mill, the local plant where the bridge’s steel was fabricated in the 1970s. The exhibit also includes the law enforcement badge and retirement paperwork from Francis Jackson, one of the first African American police officers to patrol the community, as well as a spotlight on Henrietta Lacks. Attendees will receive a reproduction newspaper compiling articles and advertisements about Turner Station dating back to the 1880s.
Since 2011, the Turner Station History Center has collected artifacts, documents, and photographs to preserve the community's story. The Galleries at CCBC are part of the School of Arts and Communication, with locations at the college’s three main campuses in Catonsville, Dundalk and Essex. The Turner Station exhibit at the Dundalk Community Gallery will run through April 17. The gallery hours vary by day: Monday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The gallery is closed Thursday through Sunday. For the most updated hours and events, check the website.
According to the Turner Station History Center, the community draws its name from J.M. Turner, who owned farmland there in the late 1800s. When the Pittsburgh Steel Company built a plant on the land known as Sparrows Point in the 1880s, the Sparrows Point Rail Company erected a train station on the site, calling it Turner Station. The neighborhood began to flourish when African Americans moved to the area to work at the Sparrows Point steel mill as demand for steel exploded during World War I, according to the Dundalk Historical Society. Turner Station’s population peaked at almost 9,000 residents in the 1950s. By 1970, the population of Turner Station declined to approximately 5,000, with many adverse effects on the community. Organized in 2003, the Turner Station Conservation Teams Inc. has played a vital role in strengthening and revitalizing the Turner Station community.
“CCBC’s commitment to the communities we serve includes raising awareness of their rich histories,” said CCBC President Sandra Kurtinitis. “We’re grateful to the Turner Station History Center and the area’s current and former residents for trusting our college with their precious stories and beloved artifacts."
Since 1957, CCBC has opened the doors to accessible, affordable, high-quality education empowering generations of area residents to transform their lives and the lives of others. Each year, over 50,000 students enroll at the college’s main campuses, extension centers and online to make their starts, earn degrees, launch and build careers. CCBC offers the region’s most expansive selection of degree, certificate and workplace certification programs that prepare students for transfer, job entry and career advancement in such industries as business, education, health care, information technology, cybersecurity, construction, and transportation. Designated as the “Best Community College” among the Maryland Daily Record’s 2025 Reader Rankings, CCBC is also nationally recognized as a leader in innovative learning strategies and among the nation’s top associate degree producers.
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