................................................................... a mixture of hope , anxiety ...................................................................
The Seneca Community Church , meanwhile , has rarely — if ever — held out its hand for help . Originally founded as the Potomac Grove Colored Methodist Episcopal Church next to the Potomac River on Violette ’ s Lock Road , the congregation included laborers who served the once dynamic industries associated with the C & O Canal . The most notable may have been Jack Clipper , an enslaved Virginian , who joined the Union army before signing on as a stonecutter at the Seneca Stone Quarry .
Closing of the quarry — that supplied the reddish sandstone for the Smithsonian Castle , parts of the Library of Congress , and the U . S . Capitol — and frequent Potomac River flooding eventually pushed Clipper ’ s descendants to the higher ground of Berryville Road , where they moved their church in 1941 .
“ That decision saved our church ,” said Sheila Moore . “ Being in such a remote location that nobody cared about originally , we didn ’ t have the same pressures to sell our land like Scotland . Now , the pressure is constant , but we have resolved to turn them away — for now , and hopefully for good .” Today ’ s building , by the standards of some of the other little white Black churches by the sides of our roads , is impeccably maintained . The original 130-yearold stained glass windows from Violette ’ s Lock still serve as a reminder of their forbearers ’ skill and creativity . Pews mark the surnames of the founders — Clipper ,
Seneca Community Church , rebuilt in 1998 , traces its roots to 1893 , when it was called the Potomac Grove Colored Methodist Episcopal Church .
Pastor Kenneth N . Nelson and recording secretary Sheila Driver Moore sit in one of the many pews that honor the church ’ s founders .
Green , Jackson , Driver , Genies , and Beckwith — so that shiny new surroundings don ’ t bury history .
“ We rebuilt the church all the way down to the foundation in 1998 ,” said Ms . Moore , beaming with pride . “ We did that on our own by taking out a loan , and we paid off that loan in three years , so our church never fell into disrepair . We know the sacrifices our ancestors made for us . We were just paying it forward .”
Even here , though , where Berryville Road is barely wide enough for two cars to pass in opposite
directions , the church could use some more traffic — now and in the future . Charismatic Pastor Kenneth Nelson said he isn ’ t worried about the encroachment of ZOOM or the real estate speculators . He believes faith will provide the solutions .
But Sheila Moore knows Scotland has at least one advantage : its church is located by the side of a busy road , and you never know when someone like Chuck Williams from Jersey or a Ken Cummins from Kansas might wander in — and stay .
“ I often ask our board of trustees : ‘ What does our 10-year plan look like ?’ Because I ’ m an ex-IBM software engineer , so I ’ m always looking forward ,” she said . “ I see the building always being there . I do . But do I see it in the same format that we see it today ? If I ’ m honest , probably not . You adapt , right ? That ’ s what our ancestors taught us .”
Paul Tukey is an award-winning writer who serves as the Director of Environmental Stewardship at the Glenstone Museum in Potomac .
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