The African American Museum of Bucks County will officially open in its new permanent home this spring in Middletown Township, writes Emily Neil for WHYY. 

Located in a renovated 18th-century farmhouse, the museum will detail the experience of Black Americans in the county, dating back to the Lenape people. 

The AAMBC began as a traveling exhibit in 2013 by Bucks County residents Harvey Spencer Sr. and Millard Mitchell. After their passing, Linda Salley, president of the museum, and additional advocates have continued their legacy. 

“Millard Mitchell was a self-taught historian, and he had so much history stored up in his home,” Salley said. 

Along with displaying a list of the enslaved people recorded in the county’s census from the late 1700s to the early 1800s, the museum also tells the stories of individuals who fought against racism and slavery. 

“I want them to know that Bucks County was a safe haven for African Americans,” she said. “I want them to know that as horrible is American history, American history is terrible, and a lot of people are angry, but what I’m trying to promote is that in spite of that anger, there’s a whole lot of good that came out of it, a whole lot of good people saved a lot of our people so that they can survive.” 

Read more about the African American Museum of Bucks County and its new home in Middletown at WHYY. 

_______