Twenty-one Pumphrey residents who have lived in the tight-knit African-American community for decades were recognized Saturday by the Northern Anne Arundel County Preservation Society for helping make it thrive.

The honorees, all 85 or older, ran their own businesses and owned their own homes, said Yolande Dickerson, a society board member. Four additionally were recognized for contributing their memories to the book, "Trails, Tracks and Tarmac: The History and Culture of African Americans in Northern Anne Arundel County, 1850 to the Present."

The honorees included: Leona James, Mildred and Wesley Booze, Lottie...