The National Great Blacks In Wax Museum, Baltimore

The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore is a unique and powerful museum that showcases prominent African American and other black historical figures through the medium of wax figures. The museum was founded in 1983 by Dr. Elmer Martin and his wife Dr. Joanne Martin, as a grassroots effort to preserve and share the rich history of Black Americans.

Initially, the museum began as a traveling exhibit with just a few wax figures that were taken to various schools, community centers, and malls. However, with the dedication and hard work of the founding members and the support of the community, the museum eventually received national recognition and was able to secure funding to open a permanent exhibition.

The museum's exhibits are housed in a renovated firehouse, a Victorian Mansion, and two former apartment dwellings that provide nearly 30,000 square feet of exhibit and office space. With over 100 wax figures and scenes, the exhibits cover a wide range of topics including a full model slave ship exhibit which portrays the 400-year history of the Atlantic Slave Trade, an exhibit on the role of youth in making history, and a Maryland room highlighting the contributions to African American history by notable Marylanders.

In 2004, The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum was recognized by the U.S. Congress as the "Nation's first wax museum presenting the history of great Black Americans" and subsequently became The National Blacks in Wax Museum.