History of Gibson Grove
In 1880, the formerly enslaved couple Robert and Sarah Gibson bought property on what is now Seven Locks Road in Cabin John, Maryland. By 1895 nine other black families had joined them in buying land here. Together these families built a self-reliant settlement, early on called Gibson Grove, later just No. 10.
In 1882, the community organized the first black school in the district. In 1885, it established Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 of the Order of Moses. This benevolent society helped members in times of need and in death. Its Moses Hall and Cemetery were adjacent to each other. By the 1880s the community was on the church circuit; in 1898 Sarah Gibson gave land to formally establish the Gibson Grove AME Zion Church. The school for the local black children never had a dedicated building; it was alternatively housed in the church and the Moses Hall lodge.
The Moses Hall foundation in Cabin John is the last known surviving remnant of an Order of Moses hall in Montgomery County.
“All those burials there were a community, in life and in death,” said Paige Whitley, an independent researcher who has studied Gibson Grove’s history. “The thought of separating someone from that community, even in death, bothers me.”
— Paige Whitley for The Washington Post (10.17.20)
About Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Moses Cemetery and Hall
Community founder Sarah Gibson and Emma Jones, longtime housekeeper for American Red Cross founder Clara Barton in Glen Echo, MD and local midwife, are among the nearly 400 individuals buried in the cemetery. Documented burials date from 1894 to 1977.
The Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Moses Cemetery and Hall is deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) by MDOT SHA and Maryland Historical Trust as the site of a 19th century African American benevolent society and cemetery (MIHP M:35-212).
The Gibsons
Founders of the Community of Gibson Grove in Cabin John, Maryland
Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Moses Cemetery and Hall Site, Cabin John, Montgomery County, MD
Discover the Important Role of Benevolent Societies in African American History
Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 of the Ancient United Order of Sons & Daughters, Brothers & Sisters of Moses Minutes Book, 1904-1914
Rarely do records of African American benevolent societies like Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 of the Ancient United Order of Sons & Daughters, Brothers & Sisters of Moses survive. Friends of Moses Hall is proud that an early record book of Morningstar meetings dating from February 24, 1904 to February 11, 1914 has been scanned by our county historical society Montgomery History and can be viewed online at the link below. The minutes written cover a variety of community concerns and include, but are not limited to, mentions of active members, dues paid, disputes resolved, and discussions about those in the community requiring assistance. Several pages at the end of the volume include attendance records for the meetings. This record book is a priceless glimpse into history and Friends of Moses Hall is proud to share it.
A Glimpse Into the Minutes Book:
1905 Description of Morningstar Moses Funeral for Brother Benjamin Harris
On February 17, 1905, the Morningstar Minutes Book noted that Brother Benjamin Harris had "departed his life" at 4:20 o'clock. He was about 68 years old. Members of Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 met at its Moses Hall on that day and planned Brother Harris's funeral. Lodge records indicated the account of Brother Harris contained $20 for burial, $17.50 for widow dues and $1.00 for sick dues; members decided to spend $35 for the coffin and use the remainder for the funeral preacher.
After Brother Tilghman Dove traveled to Rockville to purchase a coffin (likely from W. Reuben Pumphrey, a preferred provider), on February 19th Morningstar members gathered at the Moses Hall. From there they marched down the road in their fine Order of Moses regalia to local farmer Noble C. Dowling's home where Brother Harris had worked and lived. Elijah Harris, appointed as marshal by Assistant Worthy Superior T. E. Dove, led the procession. At the home in which their deceased brother lay the Morningstar corps met the Rev. William Armstead Jones. Jones offered a prayer there and they all sang a hymn. Then the procession slowly marched back to the Moses Hall with the coffin of their brother. Inside the Hall Rev. Jones preached a funeral service. One Brother made remarks over the deceased brother and sang the hymn "I Have Anchored My Soul." Brothers Lewis Burley and George Scott also said a few words over the remains. Under the direction of Brother Henry Brown the deceased was then buried in the adjacent cemetery. After the burial, Morningstar members returned to the Moses Hall where the T. S. made roll call and all members answered to their names.
Friends of Moses Hall is proud to share the only known image of the Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Moses Hall. This grainy image was discovered in Maryland State Roads Commission’s right-of-way land takings records for the original construction of I-495 (Capital Beltway), circa 1960. A portion of the Morningstar Moses Cemetery and Hall site was taken for the construction of I-495; however, the Hall was left standing. It remains a mystery how and when the building was ultimately destroyed.
Historic Resources Study
African American Communities Along the
Chesapeake & Ohio Canal
Washington, D.C., and Lower Montgomery County, Maryland
Commissioned by National Park Service, National Capital Area
Issued October 27, 2022
In May 2020, the National Park Service commissioned a Historic Resources Study of African American communities along the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal in Georgetown and the Palisades area of Washington, DC, and Maryland. The purpose of the study was to address the social, economic, and cultural connections among historical African American communities and individuals in Washington, DC, and Maryland adjacent to the first 20 miles of the C&O Canal during its period of construction and commercial operation, 1828 to 1924.
The study was intended to broaden the understanding of the significant role that African American communities played in the development of canal towns along the C&O Canal as well as the contributions African Americans made to the canal’s operation and development.
African American communities covered in the study include: Berkley, Georgetown, St. Phillips Hill, Palisades, Graysville, Rock Spring, Brookmont, Glen Echo Heights, Gibson Grove, Cabin John, Brickyard, Carderock, Great Falls, Potomac, Battery Kemble, Herring Hill, Foxhall Village, Travilah, and Tobytown.
Montgomery History Presents
The Nurse and the Midwife: The Story of Clara Barton and Emma Jones of Gibson Grove
By L. Paige Whitley
Clara Barton touched many lives as the Civil War’s “Angel of the Battlefield” and later as president of the American Red Cross. Behind the scenes, others supported her efforts and kept her household running smoothly. Among the many Black people Barton employed over the years, none maintained a closer, longer-lasting relationship with Barton than Emma Jones of the Gibson Grove community in Cabin John. Researcher Paige Whitley traces this relationship from its beginnings and Jones’ own successful career as a midwife in lower Montgomery County.
The History of the Gibson Grove Community and the Gibson Grove A.M.E. Zion Church, Cabin John School and Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Moses Hall and Cemetery
Map Showing Community of Gibson Grove circa 1894. (G. M. Hopkins, The vicinity of Washington, D.C. Courtesy Library of Congress.)
Contributed by independent researcher L. Paige Whitley, this paper explores the history of the African American community of Gibson Grove in Cabin John, Montgomery County, Maryland. Ms. Whitley details the community pillars of church, school and benevolent society which sustained it.
Appendix A provides a review of early Gibson Grove source materials including the three documents from which much early information on Gibson Grove’s early landowners, school and founders was originally based. Appendix B lists death and/or burial information for more than eighty persons known to be buried in the Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Moses Cemetery. Work is ongoing to identify hundreds more individuals interred at this sacred place.
Friends of Moses Hall are grateful to Ms. Whitley for her dedication and commitment to exploring and documenting the history of the Gibson Grove community.
Montgomery County History Digital Repository (MCHDR) includes additional materials in the Gibson Grove collection that outline the history and significance of this historic Montgomery County community and its residents, past and present. View More Here.
Archaeology in African American Benevolent Societies
A fascinating panel discussion moderated by Alexandra Jones, PhD, RPA, Founder and CEO of Archaeology in the Community. Panelists include Kelly M. Britt, PhD, RPA, Assistant Professor of Urban Archaeology at Brooklyn College; L. Paige Whitley, an independent researcher who has worked extensively to uncover the history of African American benevolent societies in Montgomery County; and Diane E. Baxter, a Washington, DC native and lifelong amateur genealogist who has devoted much of her free time to compiling her family tree and teaching others the methods required for genealogical research. (09/12/20) — Click Here to View Recorded Program
Detail of Regalia Sword for Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 of the Ancient United Order of Sons & Daughters, Brothers & Sisters of Moses
-Courtesy Crawford-Harris Family
Gibson Grove A.M.E. Zion Church Gone But Not Forgotten: The Archaeology of an African American Church
Jones, A. (2010). Gibson Grove A.M.E. Zion Church Gone But Not Forgotten: The Archaeology of an African American Church. UC Berkeley. ProQuest ID: Jones_berkeley_0028E_10679.
“The history of the African American community in Cabin John, Maryland had never been fully explored until the community's oldest church burned down. From the ashes, came the story of a resilient community which began in the 1880's and still exists today. Gibson Grove A.M.E. Zion Church Archaeological Project began as a project to help a church rebuild its structure after a terrible fire. Utilizing a collaborative approach, the project became a community archaeology project. This resulted in integrating various segments of a community that had previously limited contact with each other.
The archaeology did not yield the initial research goal results, but the information which was revealed was far more informative. The information lead to new research queries which in turn changed the direction of the project. The information obtained also gave a voice to the previously silenced African American community in Cabin John, thus illuminating their contributions to the development of Cabin John.”
Original Morningstar No. 88 Lodge Seal
Longtime Cabin John, Maryland resident, Steven Cash, has been collecting the area’s historical memorabilia for decades. After discovering the official Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Order of Moses embossing seal a number of years ago, he looked forward to an opportunity to share it with the descendant community.
In this photo, Mr. Cash proudly hands over the official seal to Diane Baxter, descendant and president of the recently reestablished Board of Trustees of Morningstar Tabernacle Number 88, Incorporated.
Friends of Moses Hall is grateful to Steven Cash for his careful stewardship of this important historical artifact. The seal impression was used to create our logo.
Photo courtesy of Lisan Martin