River Road Moses/White's Tabernacle Cemetery

Sources

Cite sources used and resources available:
Kathan, Whitley, and Rispin, “Tracing a Bethesda, Maryland, African American Community and its Contested Cemetery,” Washington History, Fall 2017; Rotenstein [soon to be published report].
Dr. David Rotenstein, “The River Road Moses Cemetery: A Historic Preservation Evaluation,” September 2018.
History: The River Road Moses Cemetery existed near River Road between 1911 and 1958, and was created and owned by the White’s Tabernacle #39 of the Ancient United Order of the Sons and Daughters, Brothers and Sisters of Moses, an African-American fraternal society. Before 1911, the site likely served as a local cemetery for the local African-American community on River Road. Multiple death certificates, funeral notices, and oral histories document its active use as a cemetery between 1912 and 1935. Remains from White’s Tabernacle’s previous cemetery in Tenleytown, DC may have been moved to this cemetery. All visible signs of a cemetery were removed during redevelopment during the late 1950s and 1960s. No available records have been found documenting reinterment of remains from the Moses Cemetery, and oral history indicates that human remains are still on the cemetery site. The outline of the cemetery is delineated by parcels P175 and P177 in current land use maps.
Amended: 5.8.2023 – please consult with the Montgomery County Planning Department, Historic Preservation Office

River Road Moses/White’s Tabernacle Cemetery