"My main goal in life is to build a good library of Black history — knowledge is a form of Black power and this is my part in it."
— Charles L. Blockson
An African and Afro-American Collection
In honor of Black History Month 2023, admission to the Exhibition is free, Fridays through Sundays in the month of February, courtesy of the DeNicola Family Foundation.
PURCHASE TICKETS EXHIBIT HOURS:
M: PRIVATE*
T: PRIVATE*
W: PRIVATE*
T: PRIVATE*
F: 10AM - 5PM
S: 10AM - 5PM
S: 10AM - 5PM
*Private tours intended for groups/schools/corporate tours, please contact Development Director Jennifer Conti at marketing@thecentretheater.com
Admission is $10 for Adults (ages 13 and up), $5 for Children (ages 3 - 12), $5 for Students (a valid school ID is required), and $0 for Babies (ages 0 - 2).
Born in Norristown in 1933, Charles L. Blockson is world renowned for his expertise in Black genealogy and the Underground Railroad. His collection (featuring rare books, current periodicals, letters, photographs, artifacts and memorabilia) was amassed throughout his life-spanning career as a historian, bibliophile and author. The Charles L. Blockson Exhibition focuses on his life’s work in documenting the global Black experience through history. The exhibition at the Centre Theater is made possible by Mr. Blockson, Curator Emeritus, and The Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection, Temple University.
MAIN EXHIBIT SPACE
Two university collections related to the study of African-American history and culture: the Charles L. Blockson Collection of African-Americana and the African Diaspora at Pennsylvania State University and the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University have been curated under his name, and now Norristown’s The Centre Theater will be the next recipient of Blockson ‘s lifework within The Charles Blockson Exhibition.
The largest part of the gallery will feature numerous artifacts from Mr. Blockson, including some of the most rare African American artifacts in the nation to modern pieces of art, like photographs by John Mosley which documents African American life in and around Philadelphia from the 1930s to 1960s.
CLASSROOM THEATER
Born in 1933, right here in Norristown, Charles Leroy Blockson’s live changed at just 9 years old. In fourth grade, his history teacher, a white woman, asserted that “Negroes have no history. They were born to serve white people.” That statement launched Blockson’s lifelong journey which we are celebrating within The Charles Blockson Exhibition.
In 2016 a short yet powerful documentary “Holding History: The Collections of Charles L. Blockson” was published. This Mid Atlantic Emmy and “Favorite Documentary Short” winner will be shown to guests upon arrival, taking them on a journey through Charles’ to inspire the next generation of Norristonians so they too make their place in history.
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD
“Our textbooks in those days said that all the slaves were happy on the plantations, but I said to myself as I started to get into it, ‘if the enslaved people were happy, why did they run away?’”
James Blockson, Charles’ great-grandfather, had been a slave in Delaware and escaped into Pennsylvania on the Underground Railroad. Listening to his grandfather sing Railroad hymns, Charles deepened his curiosity about the struggles of freedom, and years later published The Underground Railroad: First-Person Narratives of Escapes to Freedom in the North.
The Underground Railroad room will feature somber artifacts and relics of the atrocities of the past.
Sponsored by:
GIFT SHOP
On top of great souviners to commemorate your trip to the Blockson exhibit, the Gift Shop will feature a kiosk to order prints of the works of famed local photographer John W. Mosely, whose iconic photos will be incorporated into the Blockson exhibition.
READING ROOM
From memoirs to poems, to history books and stories of old, the Reading Room provides a place for casual visitors and students to access subjects of African American history and culture.
The room will also be “emotionally interactive”. Each week, a new question will be posted on a chalkboard with visitors encouraged to write their response. “How are you inspired” or “what change do you want to be for the world” will create silent conversations within guests own minds along with a take home topic to be discussed aloud later.
CHANGING HISTORY
Charles’ collection is far too large to display all at once, so to pay homage to his lifework and to honor those who created the amazing pieces of history we explore today, the idea of the Changing History room was forged. This room will act a “rotating blockbuster exhibit area”, where artifacts ranging in time periods and theme will change throughout the exhibitions run. Collection examples range from pieces about Mr. Blockson’s youth in Norristown to memorabilia from Tupac Shakur.
The Centre Theater Gallery is located on the Theater's 3rd floor and is accessible by stairs or elevator.
(click the grayed-out images on the map to learn more about each space)
From his early childhood in Norristown, Charles Blockson accumulated an incredible collection of rare materials documenting the story of African Americans. The historian and scholar is the author of 13 books, a Philadelphia Award recipient, and a leading expert on the Underground Railroad.
The Charles L. Blockson exhibition is a celebration of his life's work and will feature, among others:
Manuscripts from music artist Tupac Shakur
Memorabilia from Mr. Blockson’s youth
Images of rare books available at the Blockson Collection including The Underground Railroad by William Still
Photos by John W. Mosley, a self-taught Philadelphian photographer who chronicled black life in and around Philadelphia from the late 1930s to the late 1960s
“Men of Color” Civil War recruitment poster; issued in 1863, this promotion that urged African American men to enlist in the Union army was written by Frederick Douglass
Excerpt from a WPSU Penn State original production, this short-form documentary tells the story of Charles L. Blockson’s lifelong journey to unearth and preserve the history, culture, and contributions of people of African descent.
"It is a special honor to have this exhibition in Norristown because it not only represents my life but the life of people of African descent, and the agony of enslavement and the ecstasy of freedom" — Charles Blockson
PARTNERS & SPONSORS
Centre Theater Centre Theater is controlled by The Greater Norristown Society for the Arts, and operated by Norristown Zoological Society.
