Jane Gates Scholarship
*Scholarship Description *
Jane Gates overcame adversity (slavery) to become an independent homeowner who raised an extraordinary family that has continued contributing to Western Maryland society and beyond. This scholarship is intended to provide opportunities in the spirit of Jane Gates and her family.
Purpose
The scholarship is to help recipients advance their goals of becoming a teacher. The Jane Gates Heritage House will be a teaching and tutoring center focusing on students who fall behind in their studies. Children will also be learning to plant, grow, and cook their own fruits and vegetables from the raised beds in the backyard.
https://www.facebook.com/JaneGatesHeritageHouse/
Impact
The Jane Gates Heritage House located on Greene Street in Cumberland, Maryland is a non-profit museum and community center started by John and Sukh Gates to honor the spirit of John’s third great grandmother, Jane Gates (c. 1819 – 1888). Jane lived most of her life enslaved, most likely in or near Cumberland. She obtained freedom when slavery was abolished in Maryland in November 1864. Jane purchased the house and lot for $1400 in 1871 in the current location of 515, 511, and 509 Greene Street. Jane Gates is listed in the 1870 U.S. Census in the house at 515 Greene Street as a nurse and a laundress, age 51, living with two of her children and two grandchildren. The house at 515 is Jane’s original house. The houses at 511 and 509 were built decades later by one of Jane’s daughters and a granddaughter.
The mission of the Jane Gates House is to enhance the lives of all through faith, education, and history. Sukh Gates, President of the Jane Gates Heritage House, is passionate about teaching elementary-aged children crucial life skills and healthy living.