Montgomery Parks is unveiling new interpretive panels and a listening post at Johnson’s Local Park that spotlight the powerful and often untold history of the Emory Grove community in Gaithersburg.
Founded in 1864 by formerly enslaved African Americans, Emory Grove grew into a self-sustaining community rooted in faith, tradition, and resilience. For nearly a century, it thrived as a cultural and spiritual center for Black families in Montgomery County.
The public unveiling will take place Sunday, March 1, from 1:30-3:30pm at Johnson’s Local Park, located at 18000 Washington Grove Lane. A speaking program will begin at 2pm, followed by a reception at the Upper County Recreation Center on Emory Grove Road.
According to Montgomery Parks Director Miti Figueredo, the project was shaped directly by those with the deepest connection to the land and its legacy. Emory Grove residents and descendants shared family records, photographs, and personal histories that do not exist anywhere else, helping ensure the stories preserved reflect lived experience rather than distant interpretation.
At its height, Emory Grove spanned roughly 300 acres and was home to about 500 residents. The community became widely known for its religious camp meetings hosted by the Emory Grove United Methodist Church. Every August, thousands of African American worshippers traveled from across Maryland and beyond to attend revival-style gatherings held on grounds that now include Johnson’s Local Park.
The park itself carries its own significant chapter of Black history. It is named in honor of Edward Johnson, a businessman who purchased the land in 1947 and transformed it into a major entertainment hub for African Americans during segregation. His development included a dance hall and a lighted baseball field that, from the late 1940s through the 1960s, hosted local sandlot teams as well as major Black baseball stars such as Satchel Paige. Those games drew large, enthusiastic crowds to the grandstand and made the site a regional destination.
Johnson sold the land to Montgomery County in 1970. Four years later, the property was acquired by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, and the public park opened in 1974.
The new interpretive signage and listening post are part of Montgomery Parks’ Untold Stories program, which is designed to surface meaningful histories connected to parkland across the county. At Johnson’s Local Park, the goal is to ensure that the legacy of Emory Grove and the people who built it is visible, audible, and preserved for future generations.
