Norwood near Sandy Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
African Americans and Quakers in Sandy Spring
Photographed by Mike Stroud, August 11, 2013
1. African Americans and Quakers in Sandy Spring Marker
Sandy Spring has had large Quaker and African American populations since its founding in the 1720s. Encouraged by their regional and national Religious Society, most Sandy Spring Quakers had freed their slaves by about 1820, creating a significant free black population in the area. African Americans in Sandy Spring owned and worked on farms, and ran schools, churches, and fraternal organizations such as the Sharp Street United Methodist Church and the Odd Fellows Lodge.
In the years before the Civil War, the Underground Railroad was active in Montgomery County, and escapees knew they would be aided by free blacks and Quakers of Sandy Spring as they headed north.
"One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself, "What if I had never seen this before? What if I knew I would never see it again?" Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder (posthumously 1965)
Erected by National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, Montgomery Parks.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Maryland, Montgomery Parks, and the Quakerism series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1820.
Location.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Rachel Carson Greenway (a few steps from this marker); Welcome to the Woodlawn Stone Barn Visitor Center (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Woodlawn (about 400 feet away); Quakers Practicing their Faith in Montgomery County (about 500 feet away); Children Growing Up in Montgomery County (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Holland Red Door Store (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Sandy Spring (approx. 0.9 miles away); The Sandy Spring Ash Tree (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sandy Spring.
Photographed by Mike Stroud, August 11, 2013
2. Friends Meeting House as seen today, in nearby Sandy Spring
African Americans and Quakers in Sandy Spring Marker courtesy of the Sandy Spring Museum, `
3. Today the Underground Railroad Experience Trail
recreates the environment of fields and forests in
which runaways would have sought safty on their way north.
Photographed by Mike Stroud, August 11, 2013
4. African Americans and Quakers in Sandy Spring Marker along the hiking trail
Photographed by Mike Stroud, August 11, 2013
5. African Americans and Quakers in Sandy Spring Marker
Park Police and Woodland Manor site along the exit drive (One Way →), at the information kiosk
African Americans and Quakers in Sandy Spring Marker, courtesy of the Sandy Spring Museum, `
6. Caleb Bentley
came from Pennsylvania to Sandy Spring, and co-founded the Sandy Spring Store. This portait was made around 1850, when Bentley was in his late 80s.
African Americans and Quakers in Sandy Spring Marker courtesy of the Sandy Spring Museum, `
7. Remus Hill
was a farm worker, carpenter, and a trustee of the Sharp Street Church. This photo was taken around 1870.
Photographed by African Americans and Quakers in Sandy Spring Marker, `
8. Friends Meeting House, Sandy Spring , Md.
After meeting for years in a tobacco barn, the Quakers of Sandy Spring built a Meeting House in 1817.
This woodcut of the structure, which still stands today, was done in 1833.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,830 times since then and 103 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. submitted on August 14, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
