Mount Zion FUBS Cemetery
A Story of Black Displacement and Georgetown Gentrification
The Mt. Zion/ FUBS cemeteries are regarded as the two oldest Black cemeteries in DC. Historically, the plot on the east belonged to the Montgomery Street Methodist Church, and the west plot belonged to the Female Union Band Society. It currently stands as a single memorial park, often regarded as simply "Mount Zion Cemetery", with the intention of preserving the heritage and history of Black Georgetown residents during slavery and segregation. The true number of burials in the two cemeteries are unknown but it is estimated to be around 8,000 total.
Historical Context
The East Plot
The east plot, purchased in 1808, was a segregated yet integrated cemetery. Its origins lie in burying Montgomery Street Methodist Churches white parishioners and their slaves, but the church itself had former slaves and free Black members as well, and from the Montgomery Street Church, the Mount Zion United Methodist Church (originally the Colored Members of the Georgetown Station) was formed, or what is believed to be the oldest Black congregation in D.C.. It is incredible that not only was this cemetery integrated, but slaves were properly laid to rest in a time when they were typically interred with no markings or remembrance at all.
The West Plot
The west plot was sold in 1842 to Joseph Mason on behalf of the Female Union Band Society, a collective of both free Black women and native women. These women were truly progressive in the way they cared for one another; members paid a fee to ensure that they could receive monetary assistance when they were ill, had a plot to be buried in and had funeral expenses once they passed away. It is also astounding that minority women were entrusted with the cemetery before women as a whole could even legally own land.
The Burial Vault
Toward the back of the cemetery facing Rock Creek is a red brick vault that was built sometime in the early 1800s. It was mostly used to store bodies before funerals or burials, but through oral histories it is quoted that the vault was also a shelter used along the Underground Railroad, where slaves could temporarily hide until it was safe to continue passage North.
The Contemporary State
After the US Government purchased a part of the cemetery to construct the Rock Creek Parkway, and as many Black residents began to get pushed out of Georgetown, the cemetery did not have the monetary support to be maintained. The owners, FUBS and Mount Zion Church, no longer were a functioning group, and could not afford maintaining two cemeteries, respectively. The last burial was in 1950, and in 1953 the DC health department prohibited any more burials.
The Decline
Oak Hill Cemetery
Directly next to Mount Zion Cemetery is Oak Hill cemetery. It was founded in 1848, and today is the final resting place of many wealthy politicians, diplomats and entrepreneurs, almost all of which are white. Opposed to the segregated and integrated cemetery next to it, Oak Hill was reserved for white burials only. After its creation, numerous white burials in the Old Methodist Church cemetery were re-interred there, and therefore the profit from those white families that went towards cemetery maintenance disappeared.
Gentrification
As Georgetown became an attractive place to live many of the families with connections to the burial were forced from the area. The land of the cemetery was no longer seen as something to be protected or taken care of, but rather a commodity. Developers in the 1960s wanted to build apartments or townhomes on the land to support the approaching population.
As the area became less and less Black, the cemetery fell further into despair. With no funds to support the cemetery, and the interest of developers purchasing the land, a city judge, at the request of the cemeteries’ owners, signed off on a mass disinterment.
A Fight for Preservation
Original Plans from the 1975 restoration project
Both descendants of FUBS and the Afro-American Bicentennial Corporation fought the legality of the disinterment decision. In 1975 the DC Historic Preservation Review Board recognized the cemeteries as DC historic landmarks, and a few months after Judge Oliver Gasch nullified the selling and disinterment of the cemeteries.
It is never really over
Those who currently oversee restoration and care of Mount Zion Cemetery, contemporarily known as the Black Georgetown Foundation, are persistently trying to pick up the pieces and restore the cemetery, but lots of the damage is complex and intricate. The cemeteries were saved, but the damage created by underfunding and lack of maintenance remained. Throughout its existence Mount Zion has been hindered by property damage, theft, seizure of land, and attempts of development. It was put on a most endangered places list in 2012 by D.C. Preservation League because of the severity of the erasure. It has been an ongoing fight to restore graves in their rightful place, as well as tackling the persisting plague of racism that have tried to harm the cemeteries since establishment.
Shifting a Culture
While Mount Zion Cemetery was granted historic memorial status, much of the history and significance is still unknown to contemporary Georgetown residents. Oftentimes people will unleash dogs or ride bicycles through the grounds, unaware of the fragile state the cemetery is in. We share this history to make people aware, but also to reconnect residents with the erased Black history; perhaps this link will remind residents of the sacred grounds of the cemetery, and help them better understand and support protection of Georgetown’s Black history.
Nannie
Located in the park is a gravestone of a young girl named Nannie. Even with extensive research it is difficult to find any information about her, her family or what happened to her. It is a common practice among African Americans to leave objects for the deceased at their grave as a memorial. Nannie is arguably the most beloved tombstone in the cemetery, and for decades people have left her toys, kids jewelry and flowers. On June 19, 2023, Juneteenth was celebrated for the first time as a national holiday. Mount Zion Cemetery also held a gathering where many came and celebrated. The morning after, Nannies grave was discovered desecrated, the toys burnt to ash and the tombstone blackened. I mention this here to further communicate that the hatred and chaos Mount Zion Cemetery experiences is far from a thing of the past; The threat of erasure is just as imminent as it was before.
Remembrance is Resistance
A main reason that education about Mount Zion is important is because it retells the historical narrative taught in schools that Black people existed only as slaves during the antebellum era. In reality, especially in D.C’s context, Black people were also free beings who were integral parts of the success and culture of the city; After so much destruction and erasure of Black history, remembrance and awareness is the biggest piece we have left to right these wrongs. Remember this history as a way to acknowledge the way Georgetown’s Black community thrived, and preserve and cherish this history as much as other Georgetown history.
Mount Zion is so important to this remembrance because it is one of the few physical spaces that shows the significance of Black Georgetown residents. Because it is material and tangible, it preserves these truths and helps us reflect on those who were forgotten. For many, the cemetery represents defiance of Black residents in the face of racism, gentrification and a denial of livelihood. As it sits in between many elite, white spaces, and has fought multiple times to live on as a historic space, Mount Zion Cemetery speaks a powerful and resilient message.
Years ago, on the road that separates Mount Zion and Oak Hill, a cardboard sign nailed to a tree was found and read:
"These cities stand together, Like Buda and Pest. Here, it's not water, Its the color test"
Learn More & Get Involved
Mount Zion & Female Union Band Society Cemetery Walking Tour