Historic black churches part of Washington tour By Ciona Rouse
UMConnection Staff During Black History Month area churches are celebrating the heritage of African-American churches and the contributions they have made. Asbury UMC, one of the oldest churches for blacks in Washington, D.C., was recently honored by the DC Heritage Tourism Coalition and added to its walking tour of the city. The coalition selected 21 sites in Washington to be a part of the Civil War to Civil Rights Downtown Trail. A marker, which displays photographs and church history information, was placed in front of Asbury UMC. The marker also tells the story of the Edmonson family who was key in the 1848 escape attempt by 77 slaves in the Washington, Georgetown and Alexandria area aboard the Pearl, a schooner on the Potomac River. Six of the children of Paul and Amelia Edmonson, a free black man and enslaved black woman, were caught in this unsuccessful slave escape, often called the Pearl incident. Members of the Edmonson family and others in the escape worshiped at Asbury UMC. Descendants of the Edmonsons sixth child, Eveline, still attend the church today. The church, which was founded in 1836 by blacks from Foundry UMC, is now in its third sanctuary on the corner of 11th and K streets. This structure was built in 1916 during the Rev. Matthew W. Clair Sr.s 17 years as minister at Asbury UMC. Claire later became the first Methodist African-American bishop to serve in the United States. However, the church is more than a historic building, said church historian Lonise Fisher Robinson. In 1978, for example, in partnership with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the congregation opened Asbury Dwellings. The church still oversees the housing facility. Its not just that weve been on the corner for 165, going on 166, years, but that we are actually involved in various ministries in our church, Robinson said. Ebenezer UMC, the oldest church for black Methodists on Capitol Hill, has also contributed to the community throughout their history. Built in 1838 as a small frame church, Ebenezer UMC housed the first public school for black children in Washington. The school began with two teachers and 40 students. When it outgrew the church, it moved and became Abraham Lincoln School, a school where some of the churchs current members, including church historian Helen Dyson, attended as children. The church was designated an historical landmark in 1975. It was also the home church of the first woman ordained a deacon in the Northeast Jurisdiction, the Rev. Emma Burrell. Even older than these two historic churches, is Sharp Street Memorial UMC, established in 1787, as the first African-American congregation in Baltimore. It was the home of the first classes of what has become Morgan State University, the Colored Methodist Society started by church member Jacob Forte, and a community house that was the first in the city to provide accommodations for young African-American women. The church has a long reputation in civil rights struggles. Abolitionist Frederick Douglass was a member at one time, according to church historian Dorothy Dougherty. Early meetings of the Civil Rights movement were held at the church and the church is home to many civil rights activists. Sharp Street Memorial has been recognized by the Department of Interiors National Registry of Historic Places for its church building and community house. Last year, its Mt. Auburn Cemetery was added to the registry. Dougherty feels that all of the churchs contributions should be remembered not only for historic purposes but also to help build the future of the church. If you dont remember the past, then you certainly dont have a clear vision of the future, Dougherty said. Asbury, Ebenezer and Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist churches all have extensive archives collections that are open to the public by appointment. | 
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