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Montgomery County moving forward with plans to save historic Black cemetery in Potomac

Documents show Montgomery County has known the historic Black cemetery was there since at least 2018 .

POTOMAC, Md. — As she had so many times before, Cherisse Milliner made the slow, uneven walk over trash and debris at the Union Wesley Methodist Church Cemetery. Only this time, Montgomery County Councilman Andrew Friedson is with her.

“It really hurts,” Milliner told Friedson as a tear rolled down her cheek. “It really hurts to see this.”

Milliner’s great-great grandparents and great-great aunts and uncles are all buried in the 150-year-old cemetery tucked away on the side of Piney Meetinghouse Road in Potomac. It is the final resting place of former enslaved people and freed Black people.

“This is a disgrace,” Milliner told Friedson. “The county never should have sold this property. They never should have sold this property.”

As WUSA9 first reported back in February, Montgomery County auctioned the land because of delinquent taxes in 1975, but the county did not know the cemetery was there when it sold the property to a developer named Saul Joseph for $162.

His son Jeff Joseph would eventually learn the piece of land was once hallowed ground. The family continued to pay taxes on the land, so no one disturbed the site.

“I want to be part of a solution that helps her heritage and her heritage get the land back that they deserve,” said Joseph, who also attended the meeting at the cemetery site with Friedson.

When Milliner showed up at his door in December 2022 to tell him neighbors had started using the cemetery as a dumping ground, Joseph immediately offered to help.

"So, your goal?” Councilmember Friedson asked Joseph.

“My goal is to work with Cherisse and make sure this property gets the respect it deserves,” Joseph answered.

Documents show Montgomery County has known the historic Black cemetery was there since at least 2018 when this Montgomery County Preservation survey listed the condition of the burial site as poor, overgrown and neglected.

With no signs marking at least 10 uncarved field stones and one broken hand-carved marker. Milliner believes there are many more graves here than that.

A land survey paid for by Joseph revealed property boundaries are even bigger than first thought. Possibly extending all the way under Piney Meetinghouse Road.

“It begs the question,” Joseph said. “In terms of this much of the road, how many bodies are buried under there?”

Milliner said dozens of emails and calls to Montgomery County leaders went unanswered or simply referred to another office until WUSA9 got involved. She has now met with multiple county officials about restoring her ancestor’s final resting place.

“You need to know that without you, none of this would have ever happened,” Milliner told WUSA9 Chief Investigative Reporter Eric Flack outside of the Montgomery County Government Office Buildings in March.

Milliner was there to meet with Dale Tibbets, Senior Advisor for Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich.

“We have a history that we have to reckon with,” Tibbets told WUSA9. “And we have to respect that. And I think that's the most important word ‘respect’ the African American community that was foundational to the development of Montgomery County.”

He added, “We have to do the right thing."

Restoring the Union Wesley Methodist Church Cemetery will not happen overnight, county officials say. Joseph is willing to donate the land, but Montgomery County still needs to figure out who will maintain it moving forward. 

“The only thing I can do is to get this place cleaned up and give them the respect that it needs because they don’t deserve this,” Miller said of her ancestors. “They don’t deserve to be here like this.”

There’s also the question of just how many formerly enslaved people and feed Black people are actually buried at the cemetery. Councilmember Friedson said there are plans to use ground-penetrating radar to figure that out.

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