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2mo ago

Crownsville 'Say My Name' Memorial Unveiled to Honor 1,700 Once-Unmarked Burials

The $5 million state-funded installation restores identities uncovered by community researchers at the former segregated psychiatric hospital.

Janice Hayes Williams, the driving force behind the Say My Name Memorial, runs her hand over it. A dedication and unveiling of the Say My Name Memorial is held at the Crownsville Hospital Patient Cemetery to honor more than 1,700 individuals who lived and died at Crownsville State Hospital—many of whom were buried in unmarked graves. (Paul W. Gillespie/Staff)
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Overview

  • Anne Arundel County leaders introduced the memorial at Crownsville Hospital Memorial Park to recognize more than 1,700 people who were buried in unmarked graves.
  • Maryland provided $5 million for the project, according to county officials.
  • Research by the Friends of Crownsville Hospital Patient Cemetery identified the names of those buried at the site between 1912 and 1965.
  • Crownsville opened in 1911 as a psychiatric hospital for Black patients and later desegregated in 1963, with records and reporting describing chronic understaffing, neglect, and allegations of medical experiments.
  • The county’s broader redevelopment continues, with a February 2025 plan for nonprofit-run services and an August launch of a nonprofit support center on the property.