Maryland Remembers Black Boys Buried Behind Former Cheltenham Detention Facility

Maryland officials gathered in Cheltenham this week to formally recognize generations of Black boys who suffered and died inside a segregated juvenile detention institution that operated for more than 90 years in Prince George’s County.

Ceremony took place May 6 at the former House of Reformation for Colored Boys, according to the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, where Gov. Wes Moore joined state leaders to unveil a historical marker acknowledging children who died while confined at the facility between 1870 and 1961.

More than 230 children died during that period, according to state records tied to the institution later known as the House of Reform and Instruction for Colored Children. Many were buried in a field behind what is now the Cheltenham Youth Detention Center.

State leaders described marker as part of a broader effort to confront painful chapters connected to Maryland’s juvenile justice history and publicly acknowledge children whose suffering remained absent from public discussion for decades.

Moore attended ceremony alongside Maryland State Senator Will Smith, State Delegate Kevin Harris, Prince George’s County Executive Aisha Braveboy, and Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary Kathryn Biddle. Officials from the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services also participated in the event.

Institution operated during segregation era policies that shaped juvenile incarceration systems across much of the country. Black children confined there often faced unequal treatment, overcrowding, harsh discipline, and limited legal protections during a period when racial segregation defined many state institutions.

Current Cheltenham Youth Detention Center continues operating as a juvenile detention facility under a different structure focused on rehabilitation and youth services. State officials said acknowledging past abuses remains necessary while continuing efforts tied to juvenile justice reform.

Historical marker now stands near grounds carrying decades of trauma connected to confinement, neglect, and deaths involving children whose names and experiences rarely appeared outside institutional records.

Former Department of Juvenile Services policy administrator Crystal Forieta attended ceremony along with Betsy Fox Tolentino, secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, and other agency officials connected to youth justice oversight.

For many attending ceremony, acknowledgment represented more than a historical dedication. Event reflected growing national efforts to publicly examine abuses tied to racially segregated detention facilities and reform schools operating throughout the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Public recognition of sites like Cheltenham has increasingly become part of wider conversations surrounding racial history, institutional accountability, and treatment of children within state custody systems.

For descendants, community members, and families connected to Cheltenham’s history, unveiling arrived generations after many children entered facility grounds and never returned home.