Historic Black cemetery accidentally sold by Montgomery County Government used as dumping ground
The final resting place of former slaves and freed Black people in Potomac will finally be restored amid complaints from descendants, WUSA9 investigation.
On a cold, wet November day in Potomac, Maryland Cherisse Milliner visits her ancestors.
“My people,” said Milliner as she stood on the site of the Union Wesley Methodist Church cemetery, how hidden in a wooded area off Piney Meetinghouse Road.
“I have grandchildren,” said Milliner. “I want them to know this history. I want them to know where they came from.”
Milliner said her great-great-great grandfather and his family are among those buried in the 150-year-old cemetery, filled with the graves of former slaves and freed Blacks.
“I have to fix this,” said Milliner. “I have to make this right.”
As Millner walked through the cemetery, she pointed out the rocks used as headstones in the 1800s.
“See this is a stone,” Milliner said.
A Black Cemetery Sold
According to decades-old published reports, Montgomery County auctioned the land in 1975 because of delinquent taxes. Developer Saul Joseph paid $162 for the .62-acre plot, but neither Saul Joseph nor the county knew the cemetery was there when the land was sold.
After Saul Joseph's death, ownership of the land passed to his son, Jeff Joseph.
“I used to have a career where I spent a lot of time working with the government,” Jeff Joseph said in an interview at his Potomac home. “Government screws up, not necessarily on purpose, but screws up. And so, I can't say why they screwed up, but they screwed up.”
“This is on them,” Joseph continued, referring to Montgomery County Government. “Because I would think that if they knew that they were selling a historic Black cemetery, they wouldn’t have done it.”
Jeff Joseph said as his family started learning more about the history of the property, they paid an engineer to survey the boundaries of the land. Jeff Joseph said that the survey revealed more unexpected news.
“It shows that Montgomery County screwed up even more, because not only did they sell us a bunch of green space, that's the cemetery, they sold us the road, Piney Meetinghouse Road, for a good length,” he explained.
In addition to Montgomery County selling a piece of its own road, Jeff Joseph said the family’s survey also shows the county sold a small section of private property on the other side of Piney Meetinghouse.
“It looks like they sold the front yard of people on the other side of the road. So, there's an issue for people on the other side of the road to get the clear title if they ever sell their house, because apparently, we own that.”
Preserving Sacred Ground
In 2023, the cemetery sits covered in brush, tree stumps and tires, apparently used as an illegal dump by neighbors or people in the area.
“It’s a dump. It’s been used as a dump,” Milliner said. “Very disrespectful. Hurtful to see.”
Documents show Montgomery County eventually learned the truth. A 2018 Montgomery Preservation survey confirms the land is a burial site, listing its condition as poor, noting it was overgrown and neglected with no sign marking the at least 10 uncarved field stones and one broken hand-carved marker.
Milliner believes there are many more graves than that.
She said dozens of emails and calls to Montgomery County leaders went unanswered or were simply referred to another office. When asked what sort of help she has received from Montgomery County, Milliner said “nothing.”
People Have Been Trying
Milliner has been trying to get the county to restore the Union Wesley Methodist Church cemetery since November 2022. As she stood in the rain at the edge of the cemetery telling her story to a reporter, a passerby brought the stunning news Milliner was not alone.
“Well, I stopped because I saw you guys, I was like man, maybe this is about the church and the cemetery that was here,” said Montgomery County resident Okechukwu Iweala.
“I’ve been doing my history research and I found it here,” Milliner told Okechukwu.
“We tried for 10 years to get the county to recognize this place,” Okechukwu said to Milliner. “I wrote emails to the Montgomery County Historical Society. I wrote to the County Executive.”
Like Milliner, Okechukwu said his attempts to get the cemetery restored were largely ignored.
Okechuwku exchanged information with Milliner, hoping to be updated if Montgomery County finally took action to restore the historic Black cemetery.
“People have been trying” he assured Milliner before heading back to his car and driving away.
When asked by a reporter what it mean knowing others had tried to save the cemetery before her, Milliner wiped away a tear and said “everything.”
A Cemetery Saved
After WUSA9 demanded answers, Montgomery County finally agreed to restore the Union Wesley Methodist Church cemetery after years of calls to action.
In a statement to WUSA9, a Montgomery County spokesperson wrote:
"Montgomery County is investigating the most appropriate means for securing, preserving, and maintaining the site of the historic Wesley Union Methodist Church Cemetery. This includes taking steps to identify the boundaries, church foundations, and graves, and identifying ways to preserve the cemetery consistent with the Montgomery County Planning Board Guidelines for Burial Sites."
Milliner was emotional when she heard the news.
“I was so happy to know that my ancestors are finally going to be respected,” Milliner said. “Most important was knowing my great-great-great grandfather who was a slave in the civil war from 1861-1865 would receive the respect that he too deserves.”
Jeff Joseph is determined to help find a solution to his family’s land.
“If they want to affiliate with a church, you know, we can figure out something maybe where the Church takes control of [the land] and takes care of it. But I want to make sure that I'm in the middle of it to help steer this thing in the right way,” he said.
“It's such an interesting time in this country with so much division, it would be a good sentiment to try and show that we're taking care of the Black people who've been forgotten and illtreated over decades, over centuries,” He added. “I think that Montgomery County needs to make sure that property gets cleaned up, that it gets the respect it deserves.”
Joseph said he has yet to be contacted by Montgomery County about its plans.
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