Where did the 6,700 free and enslaved Black citizens of the county go post-Emancipation? Some left in search of new opportunities, but many remained and others come here from Virginia and other former slave states—more than 7,400 Black persons were recorded in the 1870 census.

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Most Montgomery County historic Black communities were built by formerly enslaved Black persons. Some had been enslaved by the 770 enslavers living in the county by 1860. At least six were formed between 1801—for example, Ebenezer, formed as Quakers freed their enslaved in Sandy Spring—and Holly Grove, formed in part by people who had worked, free or enslaved, at nearby Woodlawn Manor.

 

More than eight communities were founded post-Civil War during Reconstruction, such as Brownstown in Germantown. At least 10 were formed between 1882 and 1936 as job opportunities opened up in the county. 

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(Rough draft....)

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Notes:​

Need different photo for this section, that gives an impression of rural MoCo.

3,348 enslaved in 1867 Slave Statistics