"Lakeland was settled in 1890. By 1903 it was an established African American community with a public school, First Baptist Church of Lakeland and Embry African Methodist Episcopal Church. Two Rosenwald schools followed, including Lakeland High School in 1928. Through cooperation with other African American communities along U.S. Route 1, Lakeland thrived despite segregation. Lakeland grew until the 1970s when an urban renewal project displaced two-thirds of the residents."

The Department of African American Studies is thrilled for the Lakeland community to receive an honorary Lakeland Roadside Historic Marker as an emblem to the history, culture, and humanity present in the Lakeland area. On April 22, 2023, Lakeland held a Banner Day and unveiled the Maryland Roadside Historic Marker for the community. The 1856 Project, in collaboration with the Lakeland Community Heritage Project (LCHP), worked to strengthen the acknowledge and recognition of the history of Lakeland. 

Supported by Department of African American Studies faculty members, The 1856 Project strengthens the university’s commitment to providing a narrative of the University of Maryland's history that embraces its past, stands firm in the challenges and achievements of its present, and lays the groundwork for a liberated future. 

To see the sign and read the words, view it along Baltimore Avenue at Lakeland Road.