UNIVERSITY NEWS
Brownsville Hall Receives Formal Dedication
This past April, FSU and members of the local community formally dedicated Brownsville Hall, FSU’s newest residence hall, in honor of the history and legacy of Frostburg’s African American community.
“As a university, it is important that we continue to acknowledge the history that came before us,” said President Nowaczyk. In August of 2020, the University dedicated the Brownsville/Park Avenue Monument on the Upper Quad where the Brownsville and Park Avenue communities once stood. “The naming of Brownsville Hall is another step toward remembering the communities displaced by the growth of the school that is now Frostburg State University,” he said.
As lower-quad residence halls are named after communities, Brownsville Hall celebrates the Frostburg community of Brownsville, founded following the Civil War by Tamer Brown, a formerly enslaved woman.

Descendants and former residents of the Brownsville/Park Avenue communities, from left, Arnett Jackson, Scarlet West-Spicer, Janet Jackson and Linda Harper Carrington, cut the ribbon marking the dedication of Brownsville Hall, FSU’s newest residence hall.
Those in attendance heard family stories and memories from Tifani Fisher, president of the Allegany County Branch of the NAACP, and Clory Jackson, founder of The Brownsville Project (www.thebrownsvilleproject.com). Both women are descendants of families from the Brownsville community.
“We are very proud of the growing partnership that we have with the University,” said Fisher. “We are excited to see the people that are deeply rooted here in this community. One of the things that the students say all the time is that they did not know that black people exist in Frostburg. I can tell you, five generations in, that we are here, and we are not going anywhere.”
“There were many other black families that used to be here on this land that were displaced for many different reasons,” Jackson said while reflecting on information she learned from Fisher’s uncle. “It’s not an effort to place blame, but it’s an effort to find out what happened so that we do not repeat our past and learn to do better.”
“I hope our students and community members will see this new building as a constant reminder of the contributions made to the Frostburg community by the residents of Brownsville,” Nowaczyk said. “Frostburg State University remains committed to remembering the past while evolving for the future. That work is never finished. We work daily to maintain an inclusive campus that celebrates differences, culture and diversity, both on campus and in the local community.”