Berryville
Seneca Community Church, Darnestown, MD. Photo by Neile Whitney
Potomac Grove Colored Methodist Episcopal Church (CME) was built by the Seneca and Berryville historic Black communities in 1893 on Violette’s Lock Road. The c Community school was also here. Because of regular flooding issues, the church was moved in 1940 up to Berryville Road, less than a mile away. This newer building was erected in 1999.
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Berryville Road stretches for four miles from Seneca Road up to Darnestown Road. The Berryville community would have been near the church.
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​If you know any more information about this community, please let us know.
Brownstown
Black Rock Grist & Saw Mill, Germantown, MD
​“I've got a lot of information of my family. Not only just the Browns, but you mentioned the Campbell's. I'm a Brown*, I'm a Campbell…. Jackson, Johnson, Warren….I'm part of the Prather family, Stewart's, all of it…. What blew me away was my desire—and it was a strong desire—to find out who I was.”
—Jamie Tolliver, descendent of Brown & Campbell (*William Brown was his great-great-grandfather.)
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The Brownstown community was founded in 1868 by William Brown, who bought ten acres here. William Brown had been enslaved by James Gassaway on Riffle Ford Road, but was freed before the Civil War. William Brown can be found in the 1870 Census in the 3rd district at 42 years old (so born 1828) and his wife, Clarissa Brown, 28 years old. At this point they’re listed as not owning property. (Did the census owner not ask? Not write it down?) They live with Henry and Charity Lee, John (9 years old), James A. Y. (7), Harriet (5), and William T. (2). Their household lives next to the families of Jonathan & Maria Robertson, William & Mary Bowman, Thomas & Laura Jenkins. (United States Census 1870)​
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Montevideo Road
Seneca Creek, Montevideo Rd., Poolesville, MD
It's not clear whether there was a small community here, but there may have been residents who were formerly enslaved by the owners of the farms nearby, owned by the Peters and Allnutt families.
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If anyone has any information about this community, please let us know.
Pine Top
“The reason it was called Pine Top was because all you could see was pine—the tops of pine trees from Riffle Ford Road…. That's where I was born and raised right there I'm level Ford Road….So I've spent most of my life—in fact all of my life other than the four years I was away in the military—right here in Brownstown and in Germantown.”
—Jerry Green, 92 years old, Brownstown/Pine Top resident
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The Pine Top community on Riffle Ford Rd. was linked to the Brownstown community in Germantown. The families would have attended Asbury Methodist Church on Black Rock Road, and attended the school there with children from the Brownstown community.
Moses Levy Hoes (b. 1846) and his wife Harriet Hoes (b. 1853) and their families, Columbus Harper, born in 1846, and Henry Thomas, born in 1861 were part of Pine Top, living next to J. Gassaway in the 1880 U.S. Census. The Hoes also lived down the street from Jacob and Ann Noland, and Isaac and Bettie Noland and their families. (United States Census 1880, 34)
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Sadly, the Brownstown school building no longer stands. The original church and school were both built before 1878, according to the Maryland Historical Trust. (Maryland Historical Trust 2007)
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The original homes in Pine Top no longer stand, but there are still descendants living in the community in newer homes, and some still attend the Asbury U.M.C.
Seneca
Seneca Colored M.E Church Cemetery, Seneca, MD
The community’s first church, Potomac Grove Colored Church, was built on Violettes Lock Road in 1893 by a community formed by workers at the local stone quarry, near the C&O Canal. Although the church was eventually moved to Berryville Road, the cemetery is still beautifully maintained.
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Early residents included Sandy R. Beckwith, Henrietta Jackson, Stella Thomas, and Ollie Alfonso Jackson....
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​​References
Buglass, Ralph D., and Sharon R. Duffin. 2023. “The Segregated Black Schools of Montgomery County, MD.” Montgomery History.
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Seneca Community Church. 2020. “About Us.
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United States Census. 1870. Schedule 1, Inhabitants of the 3rd District of Montgomery County, MD, Entry for William and Clarissa Brown.
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United States Census. 1880. Schedule 1, Inhabitants of the 3rd District of Montgomery County, MD, Entry for Moses and Harriet Hoes.
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United States Census. 1900. Schedule No. 1: Inhabitants, Darnestown District, Entry for Golden and Harriett Driver's family & neighbors. Maryland: n.p.
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United States Census. 1930. 1930 Population Schedule, Entry for Harry and Ruby Clipper family & neighbors. Maryland: n.p.​​​​
Uncredited photos by Neile Whitney.