Community Events
Visit Friends of Moses Hall
at the
12th Annual
DC Day of Archaeology Festival
Saturday, June 28, 2025
10AM to 3PM
FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
Some of Our Dedicated Community Volunteers at Our Spring Clean-Up Day Event
Thank You for an Outstanding Clean-Up Day!
Wow—what a day! Despite the heat, humidity, and some particularly aggressive insects, our community volunteers truly outdid themselves at our June 21 cemetery clean-up event. We are so grateful for everyone’s energy, dedication, and good humor.
While our late spring clean-ups are often less demanding than those in the fall, they come with their own challenges: brambles, bugs, and high temperatures. But none of that slowed our committed volunteers down, and the cemetery site looks fantastic thanks to everyone’s hard work.
We were especially excited to welcome two first-time descendant volunteers from the Harris and Dove families—their presence and participation meant so much. Please continue to help us spread the word to others who may want to get involved. Every time we are introduced to a descendant, we learn something new about this history.
This clean-up was a perfect way to close out a terrific week of Juneteenth celebrations, honoring legacy through action and care.
Debbie Spielberg, Special Assistant to Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich, with Friends of Moses Hall Board Members Alexandra Jones, PhD, RPA, and Christopher Waynes. — Photo by Charlotte Troup Leighton
Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival 2025
🌟 Thank You for a Powerful Juneteenth Celebration! 🌟
Friends of Moses Hall was honored to participate in this year’s Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival—a vibrant celebration of freedom, community, and Black history.
💐 Special thanks to the many volunteers who worked tirelessly to plan and execute such a meaningful and successful week of events.
🎉 While we share everyone’s disappointment that the scheduled screening of Help Us to Help Each Other, Lord: The Story of Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 was postponed due to a power outage at Scotland A.M.E. Zion Church, we are truly grateful to all who visited our tables—both at the church and at Cabin John Village—to learn more about our work and connect with this history.
📸 Thank you for being part of this joyful and inspiring week!
📅 We’ll announce the rescheduled screening date soon—stay tuned!
Friends of Moses Hall Awarded Juneteenth Scotland Foundation Grant for Documentary
Pictured Left to Right:
Joseph Hooks of 480 Cares Inc., LaTisha Gasaway-Paul of Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival, Reverend Dr. Evalina Huggins of Scotland A.M.E. Zion Church, Bonnie Costly of Delivery Opportunities thru Vocational Education Services Corp (D.O.V.E.S. Corp), Charlotte Troup Leighton of Friends of Moses Hall, Inc., and Tejuana Terry of Agape Gibson Grove. Grant Recipient Not Pictured: Sandy Spring Slave Museum and African Art Gallery
The Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival—hailed as the largest Juneteenth celebration in the DC-Maryland-Virginia region—returns June 14–19 with six days of vibrant cultural programming honoring Black history, freedom, and community. In addition to celebrating heritage, the festival creates lasting impact by supporting organizations working to preserve African American history and uplift local communities.
At a May 21 press conference held at the newly restored Scotland A.M.E. Zion Church, the Juneteenth Scotland Foundation proudly announced the 2025 Festival lineup and this year’s five grant recipients.
Friends of Moses Hall is honored to be among this year’s grantees. The award will help fund the nonprofit’s new documentary short film, Help Us to Help Each Other, Lord: The Story of Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 of Cabin John, Maryland. Written and directed by L. Paige Whitley and produced by Friends of Moses Hall, the film explores the powerful legacy of Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88, and the important role African American benevolent societies played during the era of racial segregation in Maryland.
The documentary premieres on June 3 at Round House Theatre in Bethesda, offering a moving tribute to community resilience, history, and heritage. This special event not only celebrates the film’s release but also provides insight into its broader educational impact, including plans for screenings on local public television and in schools.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the other 2025 Juneteenth Scotland Foundation grantees: 480 Cares Inc., Delivery Opportunities thru Vocational Education Services Corp (D.O.V.E.S. Corp), Sandy Spring Slave Museum and African Art Gallery, and Agape Gibson Grove. Each of these organizations plays a vital role in advancing community empowerment and preserving Black heritage throughout our region.
What a Beautiful Day for a Cemetery Clean-Up!
Thank You to Our Dedicated Volunteers!
Saturday, November 16
Volunteer participation is critical to the success of this clean-up day and the ongoing efforts to preserve and protect this important historical site.
Friends of Moses Hall’s Descendant Reunion 2024
August 24, 2024
The Friends of Moses Hall recently hosted a heartwarming reunion for the descendants of Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 of the Ancient United Order of Sons & Daughters, Brothers & Sisters of Moses in Cabin John, Maryland. The gathering welcomed descendants of all ages for a delicious potluck, where they shared cherished family stories, historical artifacts, and memories. Lively discussions centered on the ongoing efforts to preserve and restore the historic Morningstar Moses Cemetery and Hall, a vital part of the Gibson Grove community’s heritage. Among those in attendance were multiple generations of descendants from the White, Stewart, and Coates families, all united by a deep connection to their ancestors and the rich history of Morningstar No. 88.
If you believe you may be a descendant of Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 and/or the historic Gibson Grove/No. 10 community of Cabin John, please contact us at morningstarmosescj@gmail.com.
Pictured: Four Generations of Morningstar No. 88 descendants of James and Annie Coates.
Descendant Reunion 2024 Highlights
Photo Credit: Tina Prather
Friends of Moses Hall proudly participated in the annual
Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival
June 19, 2024
We were thrilled to be there to support and celebrate the historic Black communities of Montgomery County, Maryland.
Spring Cleaning!
On June 8, we enjoyed beautiful weather and enthusiastic support from dedicated volunteers during our cemetery clean-up event.
Maintaining the Morningstar site by clearing debris and controlling vegetation overgrowth is essential for protecting the cemetery’s features and the remains of Moses Hall. This ongoing effort also facilitates survey and other field work at the site.
Our Fall Clean-Up Day was a Success!
Thank you to all the volunteers who came out for our Fall community clean-up day!
More than 20 volunteers came out for our Fall 2022 clean-up day.
Pictured here are members of four generations of Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 descendants, Friends of Moses Hall members, and community volunteers.
Photo courtesy of Paula Posas
THANK YOU TO THE DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS WHO PARTICIPATED IN OUR COMMUNITY CLEAN-UP DAY ON NOVEMBER 5!
Maintenance is always a cemetery concern. More than a century ago the Morningstar Minutes Book notes cleanups of the Morningstar Moses Cemetery and Hall site.
For example, back in 1904 Brother Silas Richards repaired the Hall road and cut down bushes on the property; Brother Charles Harris cleaned up the hall grounds in 1910.
Community participation was critical to the success of this clean-up day and the ongoing efforts to preserve and protect this important historical site.
While this fragile site is currently closed to the public for ongoing field investigations and restoration work, private site tours can be arranged in advance by email to: morningstarmosescj@gmail.com