Mount Gilboa Chapel, African Methodist Episcopal Chapel in Oella, Maryland.
Mount Gilboa Chapel is a stone building in Oella, Maryland that was constructed in 1859 and displays modest religious architecture from that era. The structure measures approximately 28 feet by 42 feet and features finely dressed stone on the front while the sides and rear use rougher stone construction.
Free African Americans built the chapel in 1859 to replace an earlier wooden structure where Benjamin Banneker may have worshipped. This site became a landmark of Black religious life in the region.
The chapel served as a spiritual center for the free Black community of Oella, fostering bonds through worship and shared faith. The cemetery nearby remains an active place of remembrance where descendants gather to honor their ancestors.
The chapel is protected as a historic site and the grounds are accessible for respectful visits that honor the location's significance. Visitors should approach the adjacent cemetery with care, as it contains burials spanning more than a century.
An obelisk erected in 1977 by the Maryland Bicentennial Commission stands in the cemetery to honor Benjamin Banneker, an esteemed Black mathematician and astronomer of the 1700s. The monument marks his likely burial place, though his original grave marker has been lost.
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