Chain of Title Tax Map 144, Parcel A HB 1:618 April 18, 1868 JB10:323 March 12, 1900 NLP 7684:913 June 12, 1990 VJ 14547:444 February 26, 2001 Jane P. Williams to Trustees of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (2 acres, $100) Being a portion of the real estate of the late John A. Marberry Jane P. Williams to Trustees of African M.E. Church (1.5 acres, $45) Beginning at a stone on the north side of the county road leading from T.B. to Piscataway until it strikes the line of the former purchase Western section of historic parcel Trustees of Union Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church (also known of record as Trustees of African Methodist Episcopal Church) to Union Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Inc. (4.560 acres, $0) Grantors desire to convey property to grantee, a religious corporation. Trustees include Rev. Harry L. Seawright, pastor, and Jimmie Rawls, Henry C. Pinkney, and Stanley Brown. Union Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Inc., and Union Bethel A.M.E. Church, Inc., Trustee, to Union Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Inc., (26.78802 acres, $0) recorded for sole purpose of correcting legal name of property owner. Land conveyed in NLP 7684:913 is Parcel Three of four conveyed here.
Section 7. DESCRIPTION Prepare both a one paragraph summary and a comprehensive description of the resource and its various elements as it exists today. SUMMARY Union Bethel A.M.E. Church in Brandywine is located on the north side of Floral Park Road facing south. 1 The current church was constructed in 1955 after the church was destroyed by fire in 1948. The church building is a one-and-one-half story, brick-and-stucco building and is relatively unchanged in appearance. In 1991, a large addition was added to the west to accommodate the expanding congregation. The church cemetery is located to the north and west of the church and has approximately 157 graves, the oldest identified dates to 1890, and the most recent dates to 2007. The grave markers are varied in design and materials and the grounds are mostly grassy with several large mature trees. DESCRIPTION Union Bethel is located on the north side of Floral Park Road. The brick-and-stucco church building constructed in 1955 is still standing and is relatively unchanged in appearance. To the west of this church is a large church constructed by the congregation in 1991. 2 The new church is a one-and-one-half story building with a two-story, tower-like entrance and one-story wings east and west of the main block. The western wing connects to the 1955 church building. A paved asphalt driveway enters the property from Floral Park Road west of the new church and east of the old church. The driveways converge in front of the church complex. The driveway on the east leads to a large asphalt parking area north and east of the old church. The driveway on the west leads to a smaller parking area west and southwest of the 1991 church. A canopy over the entrance of the 1955 church identifies it as Bethel House, which is the name of a present health ministry of Union Bethel A.M.E. Church. The Union Bethel A.M.E. Church cemetery is located north and west of the church building complex. The location of the cemetery was identified but the cemetery was not described on the 1983 form. The cemetery grounds extend over an estimated two-acre area. There are 1 Union Bethel A.M.E. Church,, was documented in a Maryland Historical Trust State Historic Sites Inventory Form twice, most recently in March 1983. This addendum updates the 1983 form and records current conditions. 2 Susan G. Pearl, African American Heritage Survey, 1996, Upper Marlboro: Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission, 39
approximately 157 marked graves and an unknown number of unmarked graves. The oldest marker identified is dated 1890; the most recent, 2007. Most of the markers are grouped in rows by families and are located in the central and northern section of the cemetery. The eastern section of the cemetery, located north of the 1955 church, appears to contain the oldest markers. There are a few markers of recent date lined up along the western perimeter of the cemetery. On the northwest, a number of markers are located just inside the woods that border the site. The northeastern portion is an open, grassy area. There are many large trees located in the cemetery due north of the 1991 church, including a group of mature cedars. The grounds also contain a few oak trees, mature hollies, and a few azalea bushes. In the northern section of the cemetery there are a few yuccas planted close to graves. The grave markers are varied in design and materials, as to be expected in a cemetery that has existed for more than 100 years. The markers include concrete tablets, marble tablets, concrete crosses, granite headstones, a marble obelisk, flush plaques, and small metal funeral home signs. The grave markers are a combination of manufactured and hand-made items. While most of the markers are upright, a few have fallen over and some have shifted. In addition, some of the concrete crosses appear partially buried. In the southwestern section of the cemetery, close to Floral Park Road, there are a number of grave markers and grave depressions partially screened from the road by a row of oak trees. There are a few modern grave markers in the southwestern corner of the cemetery, close to where the church is planning to construct a community center on an adjacent parcel of land. Names frequently appearing on markers in the cemetery include Daniel, Hawkins, Wales, Pinkney, Duckett, Smith, and Burroughs. The church site retains a moderate level integrity of location, feeling, and association. There has been some loss of integrity of setting is due to the construction of the modern church in 1991. The cemetery possesses a moderate level of integrity, retaining its original location design, workmanship, and materials and numerous grave markers from the historic period.
Section 8. SIGNIFICANCE Prepare a one-paragraph summary statement of significance addressing applicable criteria, followed by a narrative discussion of the history of the resource and its context. (For compliance projects, complete evaluation on a DOE Form see manual.) SUMMARY In 1868, unnamed trustees of the African Methodist Episcopal Church purchased two acres of land on the county road from Piscataway to T.B. A church was constructed on the site by 1878 as shown on the Hopkins Atlas of that date. 3 The first church building may have been rebuilt or replaced in 1887 by a front gable frame building. In 1900, the church obtained two additional acres west of its 1868 purchase for the expansion of the cemetery. 4 In 1906 the congregation made plans to expand the church, and later, a bell tower and a wing were constructed. This expanded church building appears in a 1938 aerial photograph of the site. 5 This church was destroyed by fire in 1948 and the brick and stucco building were constructed on its site in 1955. In 1991, the congregation constructed a larger sanctuary on the west, joined to the old church. With grave markers dating from the 1890s, the Union Bethel Cemetery is older than any of the buildings on the site. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE The roots of Union Bethel A.M.E. Church were established in 1868, one of the first of a number of churches founded by African Americans in Prince George s County following the Civil War. The Union Bethel A.M.E. Church and Cemetery is significant for its character, interest, and value as a part of the historic development of the African-American community, exemplifying the cultural, social, political, and historic heritage of Prince George s County. 3 African American Heritage Survey, 138 4 Ibid. 5 1938 Grayscale imagery, Prince George s County GIS, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Available on the World Wide Web: www.pgatlas.com.
Resource Sketch Map Open area Church parking 12 9 10 5 Uneven ground Boxwood hedge 6 4 8 Cleared woods Grave depressions 3 11 7 Asphalt parkin g Asphalt parkin g Dwellin g 2 Floral Park Road 1 ² N Site Plan Not to Scale PG: 85A-013 Union Bethel A.M.E. Church Parcel 205 Church buildings, cemetery, and photo locations
1938 Grayscale imagery Prince George s County GIS, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission