Decisions about the proposed parking garage for the rear of the Westwood Towers Building will be affected by the results of the delineation. At this time, Equity One is asking for a six story addition to the building that would include three levels of above ground parking and three of residential units. The building would come within 25 feet of the creek in places, , would cover a large area of the former cemetery parcel, and would leave little room for public access to the proposed Willett Branch park. Advocacy is needed to ensure that the cemetery is recognized and honored in the new development and that buildings are appropriately sited to allow maximum stream buffer for the new Park.
Background:
The area of River Road between Little Falls Parkway and Ridgefield Road was the home to a vibrant African American Community. The community was established after the Civil War by freed slaves area and thrived for about 100 years until the residents were displaced by the current development. The community included a school, businesses, farms, a church and a large cemetery. The Macedonia Baptist Church is still there today, but the cemetery was bulldozed in the early 1960s to make room for the parking and driveways of the Westwood Tower building. Oral history and lack of documentation regarding removal of the graves suggests that there are still human remains on the property.
The Cemetery:
In 1911, White’s Tabernacle #39, a Tenleytown lodge of a national African American benevolent association, bought land for a cemetery along the Willett Branch as their cemetery in Tenleytown was being displaced by a new road. The graves were moved in 1921, after getting permission from Congress. The cemetery was used for local burials until 1940s and oral history tells of cemetery processions heading up Outlet Road to the grave yard. It was sold in 1958 to the nephew of a local developer. There is no record of what became of the graves or what became of White’s Tabernacle #39. While no buildings were built on the parcel, it is used as a driveway for the Westwood Towers and as surface parking for surrounding businesses.
What is a Cemetery Delineation?
The Westbard Sector Plan describes a cemetery delineation as follows:
The standard methodology for delineation of unmarked graves involves conducting a geophysical survey, most often with ground penetrating radar. Based on those results, mechanical stripping of the upper soil layers is often necessary to confirm the presence or absence of graves. If, as is the case on these parcels, the ground is paved, the asphalt would be removed in a test area and the upper soil would be removal and area examined, and the asphalt replaced after the work is completed. An example of mechanical stripping of the soil to discover a cemetery underneath can be found at Freedmen’s cemetery in Alexandria, Virginia, where unmarked graves were located below fill layers. (Sector Plan, Appendix, page 104)
The cemetery in Westbard is undoubtedly below many feet of fill. The previously hilly area was considerably regraded to allow for the Westwood Shopping Center, level surface parking, and Westbard Avenue. The asphalt will have to be removed as well as a layer of fill before ground penetrating radar will be effective. There also need to be mechanical stripping of the layers in several places. The work is expected to be done this Spring.
Additional information can be found on the cemetery in the Westbard Sector plan appendix or on the LFWA website at http://www.lfwa.org/sites/default/files/attachments/cemetery_packet_from_sector_plan_and_appendix_without_title_page.pdf
Contact the Macedonia Baptist Church at AfricanCementeryProject@MBC-Bethesda.org for more information on the Church's River Road African Cemetery Project.
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