Groundbreaking Brings People Together
Pictured Left to Right; Yvonne West Burroughs, Daphne Gooding, Willie Flowers, Tifani Fisher, Ravonah Stringfellow, and congregation descendant Scarlett West-Spicer.
Photos courtesy Laura Stutzman
A special ground-breaking ceremony, sponsored by the Diversity and Engagement Employee Group of First United Bank & Trust, was held in Mountain Lake Park at 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 25, according to Mayor Don Sincell. The public was invited to attend what Sincell describes as “a truly historic event” on the grounds of the legendary Assembly Hall that is currently owned by the Apostolics of Oakland Church. The bucolic setting is located along G Street just south of Maryland Highway (Rt. 135).
“We finally broke ground on the new site for the church building that once served as Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) Church, originally located at the corner of High and Fifth streets in Oakland,” Sincell said. “The building was constructed by the Bethel A.M.E. congregation in the late 1890s and served local African Americans for nearly three decades. A general atmosphere of racism, coupled with economic hard times in the late 1920s, resulted in a major exodus of many people of color from the county, leading to the demise of the Bethel A.M.E. congregation. The empty building was ultimately purchased by Simon Swartzentruber of the Amish community and moved by Mr. Swartzentruber in 1935 to his farm in Pleasant Valley, where it was utilized as a blacksmith and harness shop for many decades.”
According to Samuel Yoder, grandson of Swartzentruber and current owner of the farm, out of respect for the former congregation of Bethel A.M.E., his grandfather never wanted the building to be moved from Garrett County; however, the ravages of time and weather conditions have taken a toll on the structure, and it has been utilized only minimally by Yoder in recent years.
Upon learning of its existence, the mayor and town council of Mountain Lake Park offered to purchase the building in order to disassemble, renovate, and relocate it to a permanent spot in the Park. The Mountain Lake Park Historical Association applied for and received sizable grants from the Maryland Historic Trust's African American Heritage Preservation Program, Community Legacy program, and Heritage Areas Authority to complete the relocation and restoration project.
“So many pieces of history surrounding African Americans and other people of color have been either forgotten or intentionally erased over many decades throughout our nation, and that is certainly true for Garrett County,” Sincell said. “Many people who have lived here all their lives are totally unaware that the Oakland area once had a significant, thriving population of Black residents who helped develop the county in its earlier years. Many were employed in the resort hotels in Oakland, Mountain Lake Park, and Deer Park, but several were in business for themselves in downtown Oakland, including at least one blacksmith, a tailor, and a livery operator. We believe that the completion of what will be called Bethel Center will restore and preserve that extremely important lost history, will provide excellent, ongoing educational opportunities for local residents and visitors, and will make a strong statement to people of color that they are welcome in Garrett County. It will be a fitting, lasting way to honor the lives of those people of color who contributed much to our community so many years ago.”
Once A Church, Always A Church
The Bethel A.M.E. Church was relocated to an Amish farm in Pleasant Valley to be used as a blacksmith’s and wheelwright shop for several decades. In great need of repairs, the structure will be deconstructed, moved to an indoor site for repairs, and reconstructed at its final location in Mountain Lake Park.
Sincell added that current plans are to make the building an extension of the Mountain Lake Park Ticket Office Museum and to utilize it primarily for educational programming and special events. While the current goal is not to reestablish an active congregation, he said that the once-restored building could certainly be used for occasional special services, weddings, and baptisms.
The First United Diversity and Engagement Employee Group, which consists entirely of volunteers, provided doughnuts and beverages to over 75 people in attendance. The ground-breaking ceremony included remarks by Sincell, Garrett County NAACP Branch president Daphne Gooding, Allegany County NAACP Branch president Tifani Fisher, Maryland NAACP Chapter president, Willie Flowers, and Chuck Olsson from First United Bank & Trust. A welcoming prayer was delivered by Pastor Tom Omholt. Fisher is also a descendant of parishioners who once attended the Bethel A.M.E. Church.
A Piece Of History Remains
The original and elaborate bible from the Bethel A.M.E. Church was salvaged before the structure was removed from its original site. An Amish family in Ohio preserved it for many years and allowed it to be on display at the groundbreaking ceremony. Inside the bible is the list of pastors who served the church while it was still active. D.H. Loar, who initially donated the bible, was a local philanthropist who funded the first hospital in Garrett County.
