The early crossroads settlement of Martinsburg was racially integrated, uncommon in rural Maryland. Free Black Nathan Naylor purchased 97 acres here in 1866 and other newly freed slaves followed. By 1879 the population reached 75. Today, Martinsburg is a rare rural African- American settlement that retains the three anchors of the historical community – church, school, and benefit society lodge.
First built about 1866 was the Warren Church, facing Martinsburg Road. To the northeast, the congregation established a small cemetery. A decade later, oxen moved the church on skids and logs to its present site. The one-room Martinsburg Negro School was built in 1886 for 40 to 50 students in grades one to seven.
In 1903, the congregation hired W. Scott Bell to build a larger church at a cost of $150. This handsome building features traditional lines with a touch of Gothic influence; the sanctuary has a vaulted ceiling and wainscoting. Bell also built nearby Sugarland Forest Church in 1893 and Loving Charity Hall here in 1914.
The local lodge of Loving Charity Society, an organization that offered insurance benefits in segregated times, erected this community building to be used for plays, dances, lectures, and events. Playing here regularly was the Dickerson Cornet Band, formed in 1909 by men who taught music as well as performed “in concert and in harmony.” Lodge members paid dues of 25 cents per month. They received benefits of $3 per week during illness and $100 to beneficiaries at the death of a member.
During the 1970s, Dr. George McDaniel extensively documented the Martinsburg Community and its history for the Maryland Historic Trust. His work on Warren was recently published in the Montgomery County African American Heritage Cookbook, which preserves heritage church recipes and history.
Warren merged with nearby Mt. Zion Church in 1994. Seven years later, former parishioners, students, residents, and friends joined to purchase this extraordinary piece of Montgomery County history.
Help Support the Warren Site
The Warren Historic Site is the last in the state of Maryland to have all three of the critical buildings at the heart of African American communities of this era. Consider donating to the site to help further of the mission of preserving this site and the histories that come with it.