Ceres Bethel AME Church - Burkittsville MD - Methodist Churches on Waymarking.com

From MEDUSA-Maryland's Cultural Resource Information System
(Date Listed 12/20/2020-The nomination form has not yet been scanned)

Mountain Church; Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties (MIHP) #F-2-55

The Ceres Bethel AME church, its adjoining cemetery and school site, are historically significant on the local level for their role in the lives of Frederick County, Maryland, African Americans, initially both enslaved and free, who lived in the Burkittsville Area. The Petersville District of Frederick County (District 12), which included Burkittsville and the large Lee family landholdings and the Horsey Distillery, was among the larger slave-holding districts of Frederick County in the 19th century. Beginning about 1838, Rev. Thomas Henry organized a congregation in the Burkittsville area under Pastor Resin Oltron, meeting first in a school and later in a “white church.” By 1858 the congregation had grown large enough to purchase land for their own church on the east side of South Mountain below Crampton’s Gap. Four years later, on September 15, 1862, their house of worship was enveloped by the Civil War battle that unfolded over South Mountain. In 1870, the new entirely free congregation constructed a new church building under the guidance of Pastor L. Benson. A county school for African American students was established by 1873 in another building on the property, likely the old church building. The school building is no longer extant, however, the site remains on the church property. The Ceres Bethel AME Church congregation was active until 1984 when the church was closed and the remaining members transferred to other area churches. The cemetery, which is an integral part of the church property, is still functional with the most recent burial occurring in 2014. The church and cemetery property continues under the ownership of the AME Church, Inc. and thus National Register Criteria Consideration “a” is applied to this nomination. The period of significance begins in 1858 with the purchase of the church property and continues through the active life of the congregation until 1984 when the church was closed.

Active church?: No Year Built: 1858 Service times: Church is vacant Website: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log   12/29/2022 Searcher28 visited it 11/14/2021 Don.Morfe visited it

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