The History of Ash Memorial Cemetery
In 1897 Sisters Mutual Aid Society purchased land for the creation of Ash Memorial Cemetery (AMC). AMC houses the graves of freed and formally enslaved and their descendants from the historic Freedmens Villages. Ash Memorial, with a repository of more than 841 registered grave sites; its mounds, gravestones, and sunken graves tell the historical past of slavery, emancipation, civil rights, WWI, II. The headstones display lineages from the 18th century to the present day, serving as a powerful testament to the lives of our ancestors. Ash Memorial Cemetery became a vital part of the community’s history.
Today, Ash Memorial Cemetery stands as the last active cemetery in historical Sandy Spring. It serves as the final resting place for families who wish to be buried among their ancestors, preserving the legacy and heritage of the community. The cemetery continues to be a place of reflection and remembrance, honoring the lives and contributions of those who have passed.
Sandy Spring Newcomers Bring Challenges
Life in Sandy Spring today is “village-like” or a “semi-urban type of life” - much like it was described in the 1901 Department of Labor study, “Negroes of Sandy Spring, Maryland: a social study.” Many new families have purchased homes and are welcome in the community. However, not all of these newcomers value the historical relevance surrounding their new home.
One of these families has purchased two homes neighboring AMC and now seeks to destroy it for their personal benefit. Upon moving in around 2007, they began complaining about the historical burial grounds and took steps to request the exhuming of three known marked graves on their property. The Office of Cemetery Oversight informed the family they purchased the property as-is and that there was nothing they could do about the graves. The family then sent letters to BCoSS demanding that the land be sold to them or swapped out for another piece of land where graves were not present. When this effort failed, they decided to cut off the far back egress of the cemetery to their section of the driveway. They also started harassing cemetery workers and visitors, deceitfully advising that the workers were trespassing. The family placed a bollard post in the cemetery to prevent life-long community members from visiting family gravesites. To address this bold and blatant disregard for the community and sacred space, BCoSS posted ‘No Trespassing’ signs at the known property line. The family retaliated, taking the following actions:
Removed the signs and boldy began to remove markers to designate future burial plots.
Planted an unauthorized row of trees on the rear side of the ACM property to create an illegal and inaccurate property line.
Started cutting the grass beyond their property markers.
Harassed land surveyors hired by BCoSS
The above actions led BCoSS to issue a cease and desist order, however the family ignored this legal action. In 2024 BCoSS was able to complete the land survey and installed a fence to present future damage to AMC. The family continues to claim AMC land and has now moved to sue to take ownership and continue the destruction of our hallowed grounds. This family recently filed an adverse possession claim with the county, attempting to claim ownership over an area of the cemetery where two sheds exist. The family in question does not own the sheds. The sheds belongs to the previous owner who was life long member of community and whos family rest in Mutual and Ash cemeteries.
In 1822, the Sharp Street United Methodist Church was established in Sandy Spring, MD making it the oldest Black church in Montgomery County. This church became a hub for various community-supporting organizations, including the Sisters Mutual Aid Society, which was formed to aid bereaved families. As the Black population of Sandy Spring grew, the church's original burial grounds could no longer meet the demand, prompting the purchase of Cedar Mount Cemetery (now Mutual Memorial Cemetery) in 1873. As Mutual Memorial Cemetery began to fill, the need for additional burial space became apparent.