A Poolesville family home resides on the original property purchased in 1877.
Howard C Copland III, also known as Chuck, continues to tell the powerful story of his home in Poolesville and the stories surrounding the area.
Copland’s great great grandmother, Eliza Thompson, bought the property in 1877 for $450, which is around $14,000 in today’s value.
His family resided in Martinsburg, an African American community in Poolesville, one of six communities in the area.
“There were 6 African American communities that were established post-civil war, these were freed slaves. One of the communities was Jerusalem, Jonesville, Martinsburg, uh, that’s where, this Chuck Copland, he’s a descendant of the Martinsburg descent. Big wood, Mt Ephraim, and Sugarland,” tells James M Etheridge “Skip,” who is a friend of Copland, a former Maryland State police officer and Montgomery County Public Schools security guard.
Copland was able to obtain a list full of previously owned slaves in Poolesville as well as article clips from Montgomery County and even photographs.
“It was jarring when I found my family’s names,” says Copland.
Copland displays two pages from a large book containing records of formerly enslaved individuals in Poolesville, Md., on Feb. 15, 2025.
Historical news clippings documenting the history of enslaved individuals in Montgomery County, Md., on Feb. 15, 2025.
Determined to show us more, Copland took a walk through the Warren historic site cemetery which holds nearly 200-300 unmarked graves of previous slaves and African Americans.
Copland recalls a time when he was walking in the cemetery with his cousin.
“It was just the weirdest feeling we both had. And I just felt like it was my ancestors just saying, hey, look man, you better tell somebody we were here. You know what I mean, tell them we were here.”
