On Juneteenth, the Black Georgetown Foundation gathered visitors at the city’s oldest Black cemeteries to reflect on and preserve the neighborhood’s Black history. 

Just beyond Q Street, beside the brick walls of Dumbarton House, lie the Mount Zion and Female Union Band Society Cemeteries —the two oldest Black cemeteries in the District. On Juneteenth, the foundation held an event at the site, inviting attendees to walk the grounds and offering a window into the cemetery’s history and ongoing preservation efforts.

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, is a federal holiday celebrated on June 19 that commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. African Americans have celebrated the holiday since 1866, and former President Joe Biden signed legislation designating Juneteenth as a federal holiday in 2021.

Lisa Fager, the executive director of the Black Georgetown Foundation, said the nonprofit’s mission is to create a cultural center at the Mount Zion and FUBS cemeteries that researches and educates the public on the town’s past. 

Fager said through her work at the cemetery, she has learned about the lives of those who were buried there like Reverend Cartwright, the first ordained Black preacher in the D.C. and Baltimore area. She said Cartwright bought his own freedom in the 1820s and raised money throughout his life to free his wife, five children and grandchildren out of slavery. 

“I’ve learned more about the institution of slavery in this position and then just how remarkable some of the people were that suffered through this way of life, and then we’re still able to accomplish so much at the same time,” Fager said.

Fager said there is erosion throughout the cemeteries, and due to Georgetown’s infrastructure, water flows directly into the area. She said as the executive director, she liaises between the National Park Service and D.C. government to manage the land, as some has been taken control of due to eminent domain.

“Most historic cemeteries don’t have an executive director, and I think you literally have to have one, somebody to stay on top of things all day, every day,” Fager said. 

Fager said in order to “reimagine” the cemetery and have it included in official city maps, it must be properly taken care of, and as a result, have the memory and history of those buried there preserved. 

She said this year’s Juneteenth program included a libation ceremony and a discussion with Lynette Clark, whose family was enslaved at the former Georgetown Hotel. Fager said a family historian discussed Clark’s family and how they were freed on Emancipation Day.

She said participants cleaned the cemetery’s vault, installed private property signs, cleaned weeds and planted flowers in urns. Fager said one station had a headstone restoration workshop, and another involved painting memory rocks to place next to unmarked graves. Fager said about 150 volunteers signed up online, and the Clark Construction company volunteered some of their employees to help out as well. 

Fager said the District has been celebrating its own Emancipation Day on April 16 since 2005 in honor of President Abraham Lincoln signing the District of Columbia Compensated Emancipation Act. 

On Juneteenth weekend in 2023, Fager said after a grave of an eight year old girl who passed away in 1856 was burnt by anonymous actors, and the story was picked up by local news outlets, guests went to the cemetery to visit and help restore the site, which was previously adorned with toys and flowers. She said this inspired her to continue holding Juneteenth programming. 

She said local high school and college students visit the cemetery for research projects and that the site has regular volunteers, with Juneteenth attendees being the most “diverse,” as the holiday attracts them to participate in service learning.

In addition to managing volunteers and the cemetery itself, Fager said she goes down “rabbit holes” researching those buried in the cemetery, finding “splinters” of who people were connected to, where they moved and their descendants. 

“The feeling, I think it keeps me going because it’s like finding out history,” Fager said.

Neville Waters, president of the Board of Directors of the Black Georgetown Foundation, said he is a direct descendant of some of the founders of the Female Union Band Society — a coalition of freed Black women founded in 1842 — and members of the Mt. Zion Church. He said several of his family members are buried at the historical cemeteries. 

Waters said he currently resides in this childhood home that his grandfather bought in 1927, which is “right around the corner” from the cemeteries.

“My grandfather wanted me to see the burial sites of my relatives and for me to gain some appreciation for my family history,” he said.

Waters said the cemeteries were labeled as historical sites in the 1970s after his father and current board member Vincent deForest went to court in defense of the cemeteries when developers wanted to turn the plots into housing units. This led to the creation of the Mt. Zion and Female Union Band Society Cemeteries Foundation, now known as the Black Georgetown Foundation, to oversee both properties.

He said the cemeteries also hold historical significance since a structure on the property was used by individuals escaping slavery as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Waters said what is now the Rock Creek Parkway was formerly “essentially a river” flowing north and was used as a guiding path in order to escape slavery in the South. 

“There would be supplies left there, dry clothes, food, and what made it in part so ingenious was that the white people were frightened of the idea of being around dead Black bodies,” Waters said. “So that was a place where the bodies were kept until the ground could be dug, particularly in the winter when the ground was frozen or cold. So that became an ideal hiding spot.”

Waters said some of his ancestors buried at the cemeteries include Hezekiah and Mary Turner and their twin sons Charles and James Turner, who were born in 1865. He said Mary and her children were enslaved until D.C. Emancipation Day in 1862. 

Waters said Charles lived to be 85 years old, became the head of the local Republican Party, owned property throughout the District, including Waters’ current residence, and was profiled by the Evening Star in 1937 for being the person who has witnessed the most Presidential inaugurations.

“It’s sort of the ultimate American story,” he said. “I mean, this man is born into slavery, becomes a productive member of society, ultimately a homeowner, and lives to 85.”

Waters added that it has been “encouraging” to see the preservation work done by the foundation and the influx of volunteers that have helped make the grounds “nicer” and more maintained than when he visited as a child through groundskeeping and restoration. He said the foundation has also increased local community awareness of the site’s historical significance through social media and community events like the Juneteenth programming, ensuring Georgetown’s Black history is preserved and celebrated.

“It’s a wonderful place, as I say, to sort of sit and reflect and just contemplate life and history and where we’re going,” he said. “It’s just a beautiful, beautiful setting.”