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Reclaiming Our Past to Preserve Our Future | |
"APRILTEENTH" -- DC Emancipation Day!
Join us Saturday, April 13th at 11am
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On April 16, 1862, slavery was abolished in the District of Columbia, freeing over 3,100 enslaved individuals eight months before the Emancipation Proclamation did the same for enslaved people in the South. Interestingly, the District is also the only part of the United States that compensated and gave reparations to slave owners. The Mount Zion and Female Union Band Society cemeteries, established in 1808 and 1842 respectively, are the oldest Black cemeteries in Washington, DC. They serve as the final resting place of enslaved, freed, and free Blacks.
To honor those who endured the unthinkable, a libation ceremony and reading of names will be held at these cemeteries on Saturday, April 13, 2023, at 11 a.m. This will be followed by a conversation with Lisa Fager and Patrick Tisdale, caretakers who will share their knowledge of the ancestors of Mt Zion and FUBS.
It is important to remember this significant event in American history, which paved the way for the Emancipation Proclamation and, eventually, Juneteenth. This is a FREE event and everyone is welcome to attend. Kindly RSVP using the provided link so we can prepare for your arrival. Please feel free to bring a chair or blanket. DC Strings will accompany the reading of the names. RSVP
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The Smithsonian's "Brain Collection"
In 2023 and 2024, The Washington Post highlighted a troubling aspect of our nation’s history. Their series revealed that the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History holds over 30,000 human remains, including brains, collected largely by anthropologist Ales Hrdlicka in the early 1900s. Most of these remains, taken without consent, have not been returned.
Recent findings show that over a quarter of the more than 280 brains acquired were from local people, with 48 being Black individuals. We’ve discovered that at least two victims were from our community, buried in the Mt. Zion-Female Union Band Society Cemeteries. Their brains were taken without their families’ knowledge.
We’re now working to repatriate these individuals. This underscores our mission to preserve our community’s history, right historical wrongs, and uphold the dignity of these sacred grounds. Stay tuned for updates on this crucial endeavor. Read More
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Onsite Volunteers:
Next Community Volunteer Day-April 20
Join us for our next Community Volunteer Day on April 20th, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Whether you’re passionate about nature, history, or just want to lend a hand, we welcome you! No experience is necessary, just a readiness to learn. Sign up today and make a difference! Sign Up
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Online Volunteers: Researchers and Online Sleuths WANTED
If you are interested in helping us review historical information, documents, photographs, and burial site maps to identify life story details of those interred in our cemetery, which can be added to biographies in our Cemetery Information System, please send a note saying, "I'm interested in knowing more about how I can help" to Patrick Tisdale at [email protected]. Patrick is scheduling Zoom overviews and discussion sessions for the latter weeks of April.
Thanks to our volunteer researchers, the Cemetery Information System now contains over 4,200 biographies. Each biography may contain as many as 186 life story details, narratives, historical documents, and photos. In addition, surveys of the burial grounds have resulted in photographs and inscription translations of over 500 gravestones, all of which have been uploaded to the CIS. Thanks again to the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities for your support in building the CIS. www.blackgeorgetown.info
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Attention Visitors: No Dogs Allowed
We would like to inform you that starting today, there is a new rule in effect on this private property. Dogs are not allowed on the premises. This is not a dog park, and we have had issues with increased dog waste and off-leash dogs causing disturbances during tours. As this is a sacred ground that was once a stop on the Underground Railroad, we ask that you please show respect and honor those who are buried here. Let's maintain peace and tranquility just like our neighboring Oak Hill Cemetery.
Thank you for your cooperation.
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DC History Conference -- April 4-6, 2024
The DC History Conference is an interdisciplinary, community conference considering the District’s past, present, and future. The conference is FREE. Must Register
Join us on April 6th at 3:30 PM for a session titled "Buried Histories of Slavery and the Civil War". Lisa Fager from the Black Georgetown Foundation will moderate three presentations on the antebellum and Civil War eras. The session will cover topics such as a buried house, a forgotten freedom fighter, and stories of Civil War sex workers. Our panelists include Ianna Recco, Collections Manager at Tudor Place Historic House; Scott Shane, a journalist and author; and Katie Kirkpatrick, founder of Off the Mall Tours. Don't miss out on this informative and engaging session!
|  | Please check out the Tudor Place Ancestral Spaces Exhibit! It has been extended until October 2024. The exhibit aims to shed light on the stories of the enslaved people at Tudor Place by piecing together fragmented histories of both the enslaved and free Black people who cared for the historic house. This guided tour offers a unique opportunity to learn about the full story of the people who lived and worked in Black Georgetown READ More |  | |
Black Chevy Chase DC and Mount Zion Cemetery
Take a deep dive into local history of Historic Chevy Chase DC. Watch the previously recorded Black History Month program now available on Youtube. This hour-long program features historians Mark Auslander of Mount Holyoke College and Lisa Fager of Black Georgetown Foundation while they trace the burial sites of the earliest Black residents of Chevy Chase DC. They share their recent research tracing burial records of individuals who had roots in Chevy Chase DC's Black enclaves and plantations to one of the oldest African American cemeteries in the Nation’s Capital. Watch Now
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VOLUNTEERS FIND ELIZA WILSON'S SUNKEN GRAVE MARKER AND MORE | |
Meet Eliza Slater Wilson (1828-1926), rediscovered after a remarkable 98-year life. Thanks to volunteers Erin Zielinski, Matt Wheeler, and Patrick Tisdale, this ancestor is now recorded in our database.
Eliza, born into slavery in Montgomery County, MD, in 1828, was freed in 1859 by Jeremiah Orme. We've unearthed fascinating details about her life. Her freedom certificate, filed on August 10, 1859, confirms her status as a free woman. It reads:
"Eliza Slater, Gift of Freedom, Filed 10th August 1859. To be recorded and same day was recorded in manumission Record No. 5 folio 259. one of the Records for the County of Washington in the District of Columbia. John A. Smith, Clerk."
In 1861, she married Clement Wilson, a man born to free parents. Join us in honoring Eliza's legacy. Visit our CIS database at blackgeorgetown.info
| Preview Performance of DC Emancipation & The Vote selection | Black Georgetown Music Theatre Tells the Story of the Ancestors | Thank you to the Alliance for New-Music Theatre for their vision and production, the Citizens Association of Georgetown (CAG), and the Mount Zion United Methodist Church for hosting the preview of the next iteration of Voices of Zion. The 2022 music-theatre production was successful, telling the story of the constant disturbances at the cemeteries from the perspective of those seeking peace. This new opera aims to narrate the story of DC Emancipation and The Vote, which first took place in the District of Columbia before they became law for the rest of the country. We are eagerly looking forward to the full production. If you want to support this production, please visit the Alliance for New-Music Theatre. |  | |
ATTN: DDOT Stormwater Work Starting on Mill Road
The DC Department of Transportation has planned to commence repairs for the stormwater management issues affecting Mill Road and, hence, the cemeteries. These repairs will start the first week of April and take around six months to complete. For over a century, water has been flowing into the cemeteries, leading to severe flooding and erosion. We are thrilled to finally witness a resolution to this problem that has persisted for a century.
| Visitor Highlight: University of Maryland Football players visited the Mt Zion - FUBS ancestors. Go Terps! (BGF executive director's alma mater) | | | | |
