February 2024

Montgomery Planning’s Historic Preservation Office invites you to join us for some special Black History Month programming this month to recognize centuries of African American stories in Montgomery County.

Remarkable Montgomery: Untold Stories

Montgomery Planning, in partnership with Montgomery Parks, has launched “Remarkable Montgomery: Untold Stories,” an ongoing project to install historic markers around the county that highlight underrepresented topics in local history. See all the markers we have developed so far.

Look out for the following two new historic markers being installed very soon!

• Learn about the legacy of the Webster and Horad families whose work in civic engagement and advocacy paved the way for racial inequities to be struck down. Look for the marker in the Wheaton Veterans Park on Reedie Drive.
• Celebrate the Beltway March of 1966: Fair housing activists picketed for four straight days in a 66-mile march around the Capital Beltway protesting inequitable housing opportunities. Look for this marker in the mini park at the Forest Glen Metro station. This will be Montgomery Planning’s first bilingual marker, written in English and Spanish.

Celebrate with Montgomery Parks

History Hour | February 15 | 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Josiah Henson Museum and Park, 11410 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda

The topic of this lecture is “Differing Perspectives on Slavery in Maryland and the District of Columbia,” with historian James Johnston. Ages 12 and older. Registration for History Hour is required to attend. $5 per person.

Black History Month Family Days | February 24 and 25 | Noon to 4 p.m.

Josiah Henson Museum and Park, 11410 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda

Enjoy educational, hands-on activities to learn what a child’s life was like in the Dawn Settlement founded by Josiah Henson in Canada after escaping from Maryland via the Underground Railroad with his family. (Purchase tickets for Black History Month Family Days, $4 for children and seniors; $5 for adults).

Josiah Henson Museum and Park is open Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Park is open daily, sunrise to sunset). Special opening on Monday, February 19, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

History in the making

The Montgomery County Planning Board approved the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment Draft in December. It is now being considered by the County Council. The amendment includes a recommendation from the Historic Preservation Office to add the Heffner Park Community Center to the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Master Plan. Read the Heffner Park Community Center designation form to learn more about the site and its history.

In 2019, Historic Takoma began conducting oral history interviews with people who grew up in Takoma Park from roughly the 1940s through the early 1960s. The residents share their memories of those times and how parents and community leaders came together to build a vibrant and resilient community for their families in the face of racial and economic challenges.  Visit the Historic Takoma oral history project to learn more.

What we are reading

“The Color of Law” by Richard Rothstein is a powerful and engaging book about the way zoning, planning, financing, and other legal systems ingrained segregation into our built environment and continue to affect neighborhoods, home prices, and opportunities for American communities. Copies of "The Color of Law" are available through Montgomery County Public Libraries in paperback, audiobook, and e-book format.

In 2022 Montgomery Planning’s Historic Preservation Office and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) teams built a mapping tool that illustrates discriminatory housing practices, historical patterns of segregation, and Black homeownership in the areas within what is now the Capital Beltway area of Montgomery County. Read about the Mapping Segregation project and investigate the working draft map.



The Trust for Public Lands explores how America is redefining its historic sites to honor all histories.

The Equal Justice Initiative investigates how historic preservation failed sites of Black history and what needs to change in order to create a system which will support and celebrate Black history in our landscape.

Preserving memories, preserving places

African American families have lived in Montgomery County since the 1700s. Although many of the earliest residents were brought to the continent against their will, they persevered in the face of oppression and the African American communities built before and during Emancipation are the oldest and most established in the county. Below are a few examples of homes built and owned by African Americans that are protected by the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Master Plan. See our storymap of protected African American historical sites.

Sarah Posey House

Midwife Sarah Posey bought this house on a one-acre property in 1916 for $150, making her one of the first Black women to own land in Montgomery County.

Hawkins Lane Historic District

This enclave of free Black people was established in the late 1800s and its modest houses along a narrow rustic lane reflect the heritage of a close-knit, self-reliant community.

The Black and White Inn

This historic hotel was part of the Prathertown community that was founded in 1883 by four brothers who bought a 13-acre plot of land after their emancipation. It would be one of the only places where Black travelers could spend the night when traveling through this area during segregation.

Don’t forget to file for Historic Preservation Tax Credits

Montgomery Planning is accepting applications from county property owners who may be eligible for a 25% property tax credit for restoring the exteriors of their historic structures during calendar year 2023. To be eligible for the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Tax Credit, the property must be listed in the Montgomery County Master Plan for Historic Preservation. Determine if your property is listed.

View a short video about our Historic Tax Credit program.

Download the tax credit application.

Repairs, restoration, or preservation of exterior features of designated structures are considered for the Montgomery County Historic Preservation Tax Credit. New additions and interior work are ineligible.

Examples of eligible exterior projects include, but are not limited to:

• Painting
• Repairing roofs or replacing them in-kind
• Repairing windows, architectural trim or ornament
• Uncovering and repairing original siding
• Repointing brick or stone foundations or chimneys
• Restoring a documented feature, such as a dormer or porch that was previously altered or removed.
• Repairing and maintaining outbuildings, such as barns and garages.

In 2023, the Historic Preservation Commission approved tax credits for 144 projects, representing more than $6.2 million of investment in historic properties. 

For more information about filing a tax credit application, please contact:

301-563-3400 or MCP-Historic@mncppc-mc.org

Need a little light in your life?

Discover Long Branch is excited to announce the relighting of the sign and marquee at the historic Flower Theater. Watch footage of the marquee and sign being relit after a community-driven restoration effort.

Connect with Historic Preservation

Reach us by phone or email:

Telephone: (301) 563-3400

Email: MCP-Historic@montgomeryplanning.org

Learn more: montgomeryplanning.org/historic