A set of programs aimed at combatting blight in Montgomery County caused at least 112 households to be displaced from the historically Black community of Emory Grove during the latter half of the 20th century, a task force of county officials and advocates has found.
Located just east of Gaithersburg near the Midcounty Highway, Emory Grove was founded in 1864 by formerly enslaved African Americans. For nearly 100 years, the community was largely self-sustaining, with its own doctor, shoemaker, market and other institutions.
“It was never wealthy, but always very functional,” said Pastor Tim Warner of Emory Grove United Methodist Church, one of the last remaining landmarks from the historically Black community, in a Dec. 26 interview with Bethesda Today. “Everybody knew everybody.”…