CAPITAL REGION RILEY FARM/JOSIAH HENSON PARK • North Bethesda Aspen Hill Matthew Henson State Park Veirs Mill Rd to Connecticut Ave, 20906 Park named after the Nanjemoy, Maryland native and first man to reach the North Pole. It offers a paved hiker/biker trail through the Rock Creek valley, which links to the Rock Creek Trail and Sligo Creek Trail. montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/matthew-henson-state-stream-valley-park Queen’s Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church Site and Cemetery 7410 Old Muirkirk Rd, 20705 301-210-9038 The site of the original church, a small log chapel, was purchased by six black men in 1868. The land had been previously used as a cemetery by African Americans in the Muirkirk area. The original chapel has been replaced twice and is known as an anchor of the Rossville community. umc.org/find-a-church/ church/79862 Blacksox Park 2201 Mitchellville Rd, 20716 301-809-3011 The park was once home of the Mitchellville Tigers and the Washington Blacksox, two local African-American sandlot baseball teams. The lot was a popular game site for several other African-American sandlot teams. The 70-acre park, primarily designed for baseball and softball, has interpretive exhibits. cityofbowie.org/ facilities/facility/details/ Blacksox-Park-3 Beltsville Abraham Hall 7612 Old Muirkirk Rd, 20705 301-454-1780 Built in 1889, it is the county’s most outstanding example of a late 19th-century African American benevolent society lodge. It has also served the Rossville’s African-American community as a temporary schoolhouse and Methodist Church. The site hosts exhibitions. pgparks.com/3004/ Abraham-Hall Bowie Belair Mansion 12207 Tulip Grove Dr, 20715 301-809-3089 For more than 100 years, the Ogle and Tasker families living at Belair Mansion struggled to keep their enslaved people from running away. A featured exhibit “African-American Slaves at Belair,” tells the stories of resistance and flight. Groups of 10 or more by appointment. Donation requested. cityofbowie.org/288/ Belair-Manson Boyds Boyds Negro School House 19510 White Ground Rd, 20841 301-461-4646 A restored one-room schoolhouse (1896-1936) complete with furnishings and literature on the school and community. The school was the only public school for African Americans in the area. boydshistory.org/bns Maryland’s Underground Railroad & African-American Heritage Travel Guide 13
African American Heritage Guide 2025 African American Heritage Guide: Page 13
