Damascus
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Poolesville's economy depended on farming and slavery from its founding in the late 1700s, through the Civil War. Its white population was almost entirely Confederate, and in part because of this and because of its strategic location near White's Ferry, it became a Union encampment of about 12,000 soldiers during the war. In 1862, the Second Confiscation and Militia Act allowed Black men to serve in the Army, which attracted self-emancipated and free Black men from Maryland and Virginia.
In April 1865, when the war ended, some of the Black soldiers from Maryland and Virginia who had served there stayed and helped form some of Poolesville's Black communities. Other communities were begun by Black families who had been enslaved nearby.
Big Woods | Blocktown | Bucklodge | Martinsburg | Mt. Ephraim | Owensville | Sellman | Thompson's Corner | Turnertown | White Ground
Big Woods
Dickerson, Md
One of the earliest historic Black communities in Montgomery County, Big Woods was founded in 1813 by James Spencer, and the Awkards, Onleys, Browns, Owens, Diggins, Hutchinsons, Lees and Mercer families.
Blocktown
Boyds, Md
Blocktown was a small community founded in 1884 by Thomas and Jennie Jackson. Residents attend the St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Boyds, along with Turnertown and White Ground Road.
If you have more information or a story about this community, please contact us!
Bucklodge
Boyds, Md
Yes, the Bucklodge community was (is?) somewhere on Bucklodge Road. But where on this four-mile-long road, surrounded by fields, woods, and occasional home, were the historic homes? Only history—and community descendants—know.
Please contact us if you have any information about this historic community.
Martinsburg
Dickerson, Md
Nathan Naylor, the founder of Martinsburg, appears in the 1850 census as a free Black man living in Darnestown working as a laborer, (one of few free Blacks in the area,) has no assets and cannot read or write.
Mr. Naylor was born in Cold Spring, MD, up the river in Washington County, MD. His parents were born in Virginia. Could he have found work on the canal and traveled 60 miles down the Potomac to work as a laborer?
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Owensville
Dickerson, Md
In 1936 three Owen brothers built homes next to each other here. The homes still remain. This small community is connected to Sellman and Big Woods; their children would have attended the same schools and the families attended the same church, Mt. Zion United Methodist.
Sellman
Barnesville, Md
Ms. Shirley Owens Plummer’s parents lost five children in a kitchen fire when her mom, Mozella, was pregnant with Ms. Shirley. The family went on to foster 21 children, adopting 10 of them.
Ms. Shirley's father, Dennis, Jr. was a trackman for the B&O Railroad and used to walk to the train station.
Her mom worked as a domestic. Everyone would come to their house after church and Ms. Shirley can still remember the pies and cakes, vegetables from their garden (they didn’t have to go to the store much), and the pork, chicken and eggs from their hogs and chickens.
Thompson’s Corner
We can't find any information on Thompson's Corner. Please contact us if you have any stories to share!
Turnertown
Location, Md
Turnertown is located on a beautiful rural road in upper Montgomery County. Children from Turnertown, as well as the nearby White Ground and Blocktown communities, attended the Boyds Negro School from 1895-1936. A historic church, St. Mark's United Methodist, still stands.
References
Clarke, Nina H., and Lillian B. Brown. 1978. History of the Black Public Schools of Montgomery County, Maryland, 1872-1961. D.C., Washington: Vintage Press.
Keyes, Allison. 2016. “For Nearly 150 Years, This One House Told a Novel Story About the African-American Experience.” Smithsonian Magazine, (Sep).
Maryland National Park & Planning Commission. 2025. “Clarksburg Heights Historic District: Clarksburg, Montgomery County, MD. Master Plan Historic District Designation Form.” Maryland: MNPPC.
Smithsonian Institution. 1978-1979. “Historical Records related to the Jones-Hall-Sims House.” Smithsonian Institution.