Gaithersburg receives $50K for historical marker honoring Metropolitan Grove community

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. ( DC News Now ) — The City of Gaithersburg has received $50,000 in funding to support the installation of a historical marker for the historic Black community, Metropolitan Grove.

The city received funding from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program from the National Trust for Historic Preservation , according to a press release .

The Action Fund awarded $3 million to preserve 30 sites nationwide that “represent Black American life through modern architecture, education, sports, Black women’s achievement and more,” according to their website .

According to the city, the Gaithersburg Community Museum will use the funding specifically to support the research, development and fabrication of the historical signage.

Officials said the marker would include an interactive neighborhood map, share a history of Metropolitan Grove, provide a link to information about the Gaithersburg History Project, and showcase video clips from community members’ oral histories and archival records.

Metropolitan Grove, now known to most as the MVA, was formerly a flourishing Black Community founded by formerly enslaved individuals, according to the Gaithersburg website . The signage will be part of the Gaithersburg History Project , an initiative that aims to tell the stories of people and groups within the community who have been historically excluded.

“The National Grant Program represents the Action Fund’s enduring commitment to telling the full American story – one that makes room for Black resilience, creativity, and achievement,” said Brent Leggs, Executive Director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, in a press release.

“History is crucial to our nation’s understanding of where we’ve come from, who we are today, and how we envision our future. These grants will support critical preservation efforts to revitalize and sustain tangible links to our shared past that we hope will inspire future generations,” said Leggs.

The Action Fund awarded funding to one other recipient in Maryland, the Kennard High School at the Kennard African American Cultural Heritage Center and Museum in Centreville.

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