The campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, the historically Black educational institution in Princess Anne, was named a United Methodist Historic Site. It is the 536th historical site identified by the United Methodist Church. The university was founded in 1886 as the Delaware Conference Academy.
Russell McCabe president of the Delaware Conference Commission on Archives and History, stated that the university “is something we are particularly proud of in our history. Even 150 years ago, educational opportunities, regardless of a person’s color, were limited. The Methodist Church realized it was good not only for a person’s spiritual well-being but for their general well-being to be educated. A lot of effort was then devoted to getting people educated.”
The resolution accompanying the designation read in part:
Whereas the Delaware Conference was established as “the first Conference for Colored Preachers, under the rule of the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church” in 1864; and whereas the members of the Conference, wishing to provide opportunities for higher education, established the Delaware Conference Academy in Princess Anne, Maryland in 1886; and whereas the Delaware Conference Academy was the forerunner of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. On recommendation of the Commission on Archives and History, the Conference designated the Delaware Conference Academy/University of Maryland Eastern Shore as a Conference Historic Site.
