Gaithersburg
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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.
Brooke Grove | Cooper's Lane | Emory Grove | Etchison (connected with Fairview & Ragtown) | Fairview (connected with Etchison and Ragtown) | Fellowship | Froggy Bottom | King Fish | Logtown | Metropolitan Grove | Mt. Pleasant (linked with Norbeck)
Brooke Grove
Laytonsville, Md
Photos courtesy of Goshen United Methodist Church.
Cooper's Lane
Archival photo courtesy of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC)
Emory Grove
Gaithersburg, Md
"We (Emory Grove) were really the hub of activity for a long time and the community is famous for a camp meeting that happened from the mid-1800s until about 1960....The people of Emory Grove had the power to bring speakers, ministers, singers and worshippers from all along the East Coast, and there were thousands of people who celebrated for many, many years."
—Carolyn Taylor, Emory Grove descendent
"It was called part of the "Chitlin' Circuit." Before integration, African Americans entertained in African American communities. So Ray Charles... Little Richard, came, considered the father of rock 'n roll, Ike and Tina Turner, Fats Domino—names you might not know. But these were Hall of Famers."
—Mike Johnson, Emory Grove descendant
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Etchison (connected with Fairview & Ragtown)
, Md
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Fairview (connected with Etchison and Ragtown)
, Md
Fellowship
, Md
Froggy Bottom
We can't find any information on this community. Please contact us if you have any stories to share!
King Fish
Location, Md
We can't find any information on Thompson's Corner. Please contact us if you have any stories to share!
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.