Brown Library and local historian Leesa Jones are teaming up for a new series of classes on Washington’s African-American history.

The classes will be held at Washington’s library on Tuesday nights at 6 p.m. starting Sept. 3. The classes will focus on how African-Americans arrived in Washington, and from where, and delve into their history from the mid-17^th century to the Civil War.

Jones began researching local African-American history several years ago in an effort to unearth her own family’s roots to share with her grandchildren. But her interest grew as she found more and more, leading her to create the Facebook page “I’m from Washington and nobody told me this!” From there, Jones began hosting downtown walking tours, unveiling a little bit more local history with each tour. Her walking tours have been featured on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend and in the October/November 2012 edition of The Washington Magazine.

“We generated so much interest in these tours either through the PBS segment —and people somehow migrate to the history page on Facebook,” Jones said. “There’s a genuine interest in African-American history in Washington … It’s amazing that people across the state are talking about the history in Washington. I’m really excited to see that.”

It’s no surprise that she and the library joined forces for this special series: Jones has been a regular patron there.

“The library has been my source of information throughout my whole digging for history,” Jones explained “Brown Library is a very, very valuable resource for Washington.”

Jones said the main reason she became interested in bringing her tours to the classroom is that she had heard from so many people who wanted to participate but weren’t able to do the walking tour — mainly senior citizens.

“This way everyone can take part even if they can’t do the walking,” she said.

The classes will be held in the upstairs conference room at Brown Library. An elevator is available for those who find stairs difficult.

Jones said the tours and classes are her way of contributing to the community — sharing a wealth of information, buried for centuries.

Brown Library is located at 122 Van Norden Street, Washington. For more information call the library at 252-946-4300 or Leesa Jones at 252-833-0995.