Embedded Files
This book contains the 1904-14 minutes of the Morningside Tabernacle No. 88 of The Ancient and United Order of Sons and Daughters, Brothers and Sisters of Moses. The Order was an African-American benevolent society founded after the Civil War to “mutually benefit the members, care for the sick, bury the dead, and otherwise aid members of the society who may be in need or distress (according to the 1910 document of incorporation for the nearby Tenleytown chapter).
The African-American community of Cabin John and Potomac needed a gathering place, so in December 1887 George and Surilla Scot conveyed a portion of their lot in Cabin John beside the Gibson Grove African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Here the Tabernacle built what was informally known as “Moses Hall”, a two-story frame structure, for lodge meetings and social events. Burial in the adjoining Moses Cemetery was funded by Tabernacle membership dues.
These minutes included lists of active members and those in the community needing assistance. When membership became stagnant, the building was rented to the County for a black school from 1926-31. It was destroyed by fire in the late 1960s.
In 1885, the Scots had purchased 4 acres on Seven Locks Road, one of ten plots laid out by John D. W. Moore for sale to the African-Americans who worked his farm and quarry. Lilly Moore Stone, founder of the Historical Society, was the daughter of John D.W. and Sarah Moore. The nearby Gibson Grove Church had been built on a Moore parcel sold in 1880 to Sarah Gibson, for whom the church was named, who was laid to rest in Moses Cemetery in 1929.
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