Chestertown in Kent County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Uptown Club
Charles Henry Graves, proprietor
| | March 31, 1919 November 29, 1990 | |
Photographed by George Best, June 18, 2022
1. The Uptown Club Marker
In 1945 former U. S. Army Sergeant Charlie Graves built a multi-enterprise operation on this site that featured a night club boasting top-notch dιcor, a restaurant, bar, billiards hall, and a package store. Ten years later in 1955, Charlie married Hilda V. Lively (1926-2010). From that time on they partnered in the business and raised a family.
The Uptown Club was a notable venue on the Chitlin Circuit, a showcase for Black musicians who endured segregation in the Jim Crow era. From the 1940s 60s the name Charlie Graves, and the Uptown Club spread throughout the mid-Atlantic coast hosting artists on their way to iconic fame: Bo Diddley, Chubby Checker, Fats Domino, James Brown, Jr. Walker & the Allstars, Little Richard, Louis Satchmo Armstrong, Otis Redding, Patti LaBelle & the Blue Belles, Ray Charles, Smokey Robinson, and The Platters.
In the 1970s the club booked local cover bands, including The New Breed, Highlanders, Rotations, and The Professors of Soul.
In this neighborhood called "Santiago" the Uptown Club was a community hub for union meetings, voters headed to the polls, and it supplied jobs. Graves, admired for his daily wear of a suit and wide brim hat, he earned respect for his community advocacy and business acumen. In 1988, after 42 years of service, Charlie collaborated with
this page online
Erected 2022.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Civil Rights • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce • Landmarks. A significant historical year for this entry is 1945.
Location. 39° 12.788′ N, 76° 4.262′ W. Marker is in Chestertown, Maryland, in Kent County. It is at the intersection of Calvert Street and College Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Calvert Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 367 Calvert St, Chestertown MD 21620, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, on the Delmarva Peninsula, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Henry Highland Garnet Elementary School (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Site of the Kent Manufacturing Company (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Kent County Free School (approx. 0.3 miles away); Washington College (approx. 0.3 miles away); First Methodist Episcopal Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); George Washington (approx. 0.3 miles away); Lynching in America / The Lynching of James Taylor (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chestertown.
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Photographed by Blaise Dickinson, March 4, 2026
2. The Uptown Club Marker
Regarding The Uptown Club. The installation of this marker is the result of a Curation Fellowship received by Karen Somerville from Chesapeake Heartland: an African American Humanities Project collaboration between the National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington College, and local Kent County, MD organizations. Visit the Chesapeake Heartland website to view the documentary of Charles Henry Graves and the Uptown Club presented in 6 sequels.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 27, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 21, 2022, by Karen Somerville, Local Historian of Chestertown, MD, Kent County. This page has been viewed 1,139 times since then and 82 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 21, 2022, by Karen Somerville, Local Historian of Chestertown, MD, Kent County. 2. submitted on May 27, 2026, by Blaise Dickinson of Chestertown, Maryland. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
