F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in Minnesota, died in California and drew on his personal experience in New York and Paris to chronicle the Jazz Age.
But the celebrated American novelist, whose father’s family settled in Montgomery County, wrote to a friend in 1936 that he’d like to be buried with his wife in Baltimore, where he was living at the time: “I wouldn’t mind a bit if Zelda and I could snuggle up under a stone in some old graveyard here.”
Fitzgerald is buried in Maryland but not Baltimore. The author of “The Great Gatsby” lies in a grave under an old oak in Old St. Mary’s Catholic Church Cemetery in Rockville, on Veirs Mill Road, not far from the Red Line tracks.
With the assistance of Silver Spring United Methodist Church, members of the descendant community representing many who were buried in this predominantly Black cemetery in Silver Spring initiated efforts to better preserve and protect over 150 burials affected by a major safety improvement project that is being undertaken by the Maryland Department of Transportation and the State Highway Administration.
Credit: Mark Edwards
Members of Montgomery Preservation, Inc. (MPI) joined many others at a vigil and reconsecration ceremony that was held on this site on Georgia Avenue in November 2025.
Although records show that some burials were moved when this parcel was developed to erect a Safeway store in 1964, Rev. Ed Green and the descendant community now believe that not all burials were actually moved. When SHA purchased the adjacent carwash and gas station sites for staging and equipment areas needed for this safety project, SHA cultural resources team staff flagged the historic nature of the site. Two subsequent Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) studies show that over 150 burials may still be present adjacent to the southbound lane of Georgia Avenue and the Aldi grocery store’s right of way and parking areas.
Letter Requesting SHA Actions to Protect and Memorialize Those Buried in Cemetery
In November 2025, Rev. Green and the descendant community transmitted a letter to SHA requesting that it take various actions to “protect the dignity of those still buried there.” The letter formally requested assistance in working with the “SHA’s Department of Real Estate and other appropriate State and local officials to transfer ownership of the two State-owned parcels to Van Buren & Silver Spring United Methodist Churches to be held in trust for descendants and the community once planned hardscape remediation and resodding is completed by the State. We further request that alternative solutions for staging and storage of construction equipment be identified to protect the dignity of those who are still buried there.”
Rev. Green’s letter continued with a vision for the future. “We envision a green space and memorial markers which will testify to the lasting impacts of the community that once called the corner home, as well as provide a case of respite for neighbors and those enjoying the bike line and green spaces planned road construction will create…Together, we have the opportunity to witness to the possibility that life is stronger than death, but the pain of the past did not define our path to the future, and that reconciliation and reparation are possible when we work in partnership together.”
SHA is commended for placing clear and effective signage at the cemetery site alerting the public to the sensitive nature of the subsurface remains. Credit: Mark Edwards A SHA work team also has installed geotextile cloth over the area where burials are located. This action assists in soil stabilization and minimizing damage from erosion and heavy rain. Credit: Mark Edwards
Please Add Your Name to a Petition to SHA for Further Protections
The descendant community is requesting that any person advocating for the preservation, commemoration, and memorialization of this cemetery to add their name to an on-line petition. Currently, the petition has hundreds of signatures, including a number of MPI members. But more signatures are needed to illustrate the community’s broad and committed support for SHA to take additional future actions. The petition can be found at Mt. Zion M.E. Church Land Request Letter.
Your Financial Assistance Requested to Defray the Cost of GPR Studies
The descendant community is also requesting donations to help cover the cost of two GPR studies of the property. Approximately $30,000 is needed, and only a few thousand dollars have been received to date. Donations can be made in a number of ways. Silver Spring United Methodist Church is serving as the temporary fiduciary agent for the descendant community. Gifts can be made by cash or check to Silver Spring UMC with memo attribution to the “Mt. Zion Cemetery Fund” or by visiting Silver Spring United Methodist Church and selecting “Mt. Zion Cemetery Fund” from the drop-down menu you’ll find there.
Wayne Goldstein Preservation Action Fund Grant
In July 2026, MPI approved a grant from its Wayne Goldstein Preservation Action Fund to the Silver Spring United Methodist Church, on behalf of the Mt. Zion descendant community. This grant will pay for a portion of the cost of GPR studies that have played such a vital role in documenting these burials.
Courtesy of Silver Spring United Methodist Church
To Receive a Vigil and Reconsecration Ceremony Booklet
If you are interested in receiving a booklet marking the November 2025 vigil and commemoration of this important cemetery, please e-mail Mark Edwards, MPI Vice-President of Outreach, at mark_edwards@verizon.net.
Role in Section 106 Review
It is worth noting that MPI often participates as a consulting party and is always contacted by SHA to review and comment on transportation-related projects and their potential effects on historic properties in Montgomery County. At Mt. Zion, SHA requested comments on this proposed project (No. MO224M21, MD 97, Georgia Avenue), specifically regarding the results of the GPR report and proposed next steps.
SHA’s next step is to take comments received by all parties, including the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery County Planning Department, Historic Preservation Division, and consider them, leading to development of a specific “treatment plan” for the cemetery site. MPI will continue to play a role in the Section 106 review process, an important element of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
MPI thanks Cultural Heritage Partners for coordinating the effort to educate Congress about this threat to the most important set of federal regulations protecting historic properties.
According to Cultural Heritage Partners, “On Thursday, August 27th, an unprecedented coalition of 600+ public, private, and nonprofit-sector organizations representing 5 million Americans, sent an open letter to call on Congress to reject efforts underway through regulation, legislation, and executive action to dismantle one of America’s most successful bipartisan conservation and good-government laws.”
January 2026’s snow storm which left the area covered in “snowcrete” had an impact on the dairy history of Montgomery County (MoCo). Arthur Johnson, of Dickerson’s Artie Jay Farm, stopped milking his cows on January 28, 2026 because of a knee injury he received during that storm. Why is this impactful? Artie Jay Farm was the last MoCo dairy farm shipping Grade A milk to be sold in local grocery stores. There is now one dairy farm left in MoCo – Brown Cow Creamery in Mt Airy which sells cheese, ice cream and processes Grade A milk from their cows, but do not ship milk for drinking.
Members of the Fair Access Committee and the Town of Poolesville recently honored the local farms and farmers in a ceremony on Whalen Commons. The new plaque was dedicated late last month. It stands on the commons near the Town Hall.
It reminds visitors and residents of the importance of the Agricultural Reserve to the county. And it recognizes the farm community for its contributions to the Upcounty area.
From August 14 to August 22, you can experience all the pleasures of The Montgomery County Agricultural Fair’s “Barn in the USA” during “the 9 best days of summer” – find out more at their website.
Montgomery Preservation is joining in the fun and celebrating Montgomery County’s 250th Anniversary with two exhibits at the Fair’s Heritage Building.
The first one is entitled “The Post War Suburban Boom in Montgomery County – People, Houses, Shopping – Change!” The charming historic Silver Spring buildings are courtesy of the Silver Spring Historical Society.
The second exhibit is entitled “Enduring Communities: African Americans Finding Strength, Fellowship, Self Reliance, and Civic Engagement in Post Emancipation Montgomery County.”
$36.5 million project adds two buildings, reopens a historic theater space
After eight years of construction, fundraising and pandemic-related delays, Olney Theatre Center on Sunday celebrated the completion of its $36.5 million campus transformation with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and community open house.
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and Potomac Crossing, LLC announced a major step toward restarting ferry service at White’s Ferry in Dickerson, MD. County officials and Potomac Crossing, LLC, a business entity owned by Chuck and Stacy Kuhn, recently reached an agreement to transfer the White’s Ferry property and ferry business assets in Maryland to Montgomery County. Formal contracts to confirm this agreement were completed and executed earlier this week.
Applications Due Friday, Aug. 7 for Board That Will Help Guide County Arts and Humanities Programs and Funding
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich is seeking applicants to serve on the newly restructured Board of Directors for the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County (AHCMC). The Board will be the first appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the Montgomery County Council under the Council’s updated governance structure.
Some places are defined by specific buildings. For more than 20 years, my neighborhood of Friendship Heights was defined by its large, gleaming and glamorous shopping centers—once the “Grande Dames” of retail therapy for the upper-class suburban ladies of Chevy Chase. Yet, another seminal structure defined this era, standing quietly in the shadows like a steadfast modernist monument to the “old” Chevy Chase: the GEICO Building.
Montgomery Preservation is joining in the fun and celebrating Montgomery County’s 250th Anniversary with two exhibits at the Fair’s Heritage Building.
The first one is entitled “The Post War Suburban Boom in Montgomery County – People, Houses, Shopping – Change!” The charming historic Silver Spring buildings are courtesy of the