Moses Hall At Risk: Added To List Of Endangered Historical Places

BETHESDA, MD — Morningstar Tabernacle No. 88 Moses Cemetery and Hall in Cabin John was named this week as one of 11 endangered historical places in the country, as it lies within the "limits of disturbance" for the new Capital Beltway expansion.

It was founded around 1885 as part of a settlement created by Robert and Sarah Gibson, who were formerly enslaved. Nine other Black families joined the settlement and they created a school and a church.

The Friends of Moses Hall, a group that is working to preserve the cemetery, estimates there are 70 people buried in the cemetery there. Some of the members of the group are descendants of people buried in the cemetery.

“Friends of Moses Hall is honored that this special place has been designated one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places,” said archaeologist Alexandra Jones on the Friends of Moses Hall website. “It is our hope that this recognition will help call national attention to past racial injustice and further support our efforts to protect and preserve this important African American resource.”

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has created the list for 34 years with the goal of highlighting important places that are at risk of destruction, from climate change to development. The trust reports that since the list began, less than 5 percent of the 300 endangered places listed have actually been lost.

"These 11 places celebrate the interconnection of American culture and acknowledge it as a multicultural fabric that, when pieced together, reveals our true identity as a people,” said Paul Edmondson, president of the Washington-based organization, which releases a list of endangered places annually.

When the Capital Beltway was built in the 1960s, it split the settlement in two: the cemetery is on one side of the beltway and the church on the other, according to Maryland Matters reporting.

The current Capital Beltway expansion project could add more lanes to the Capital Beltway in an attempt to ease traffic, but it's been met with opposition from locals in Montgomery County. The project was downsized in May, when the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced that the priority would be building a new American Legion Bridge and creating two high occupancy toll lanes in each direction on Phase 1 South: American Legion Bridge I-270 to I-370.

An environmental impact report will be released in late summer from the Federal Highway Administration and MDOT's highway administration.