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Herring Hill
Prominent Members of Georgetown's African American Community
Pope Family Ties to Herring Hill
The Pope family had strong ties to the Herring Hill Community, they contributed to the infrastructure of its early black establishment:
Prominent Pastors of Mt. Zion United Methodist Church
Discoveries collected from archival newspaper research on Mt. Zion United Methodist Church's Pastors:
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Research Conducted by Thomas Temesgen
Research Conducted by Anya Duffy
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Community Member Profiles
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Research conducted by Simone Hinton
The Life of J. T. Beason
A brief profile of J.T. Beason by Jack Watkins
Longtime officer of Mount Zion Church, as a secretary and a Reverend, was very involved in his community and part of many projects. Part of the Mason Order, was the Grand Architect of Mount Mariah church and a leader of the Pythagoras Lodge. Was a publicly active figure in the community, being the officiator of many weddings and funerals in the western D.C. area. He also engaged himself as part of many Church groups and committees, notably a group trying to raise funds to continue the works of the D.C. Y.M.C.A. and one of the head organizers of both the Fiftieth and Eightieth anniversaries of Mount Zion Baptist Church.
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 The Poor Relief SocietyThe article above mentions the formation of a Poor Relief Society on November 18, 1968 in Washington DC with Hannah Pope as president. This shows the creation of a social welfare system to support members of the community who are economically suffering. Newspaper cited: The Evening Star, October 10, 1896 p. 10 |  The New ChurchAlfred Pope purchased a lot for Mt. Zion to build a new church in 1875 for $2,381 which in today's money is $49,806. |  Alfred Pope's WillThe Evening Star reports that Alfred Pope's will dated March 9, 1902 was filed December 24, 1906. Mr. Pope is said to have left his entire estate to his widow Hannah Pope. Newspaper cited: The Evening Star, December 24, 1906 |
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 Politics in Herring HillFebruary 1884, Alfred Pope was elected as the treasurer for the Fourth District Republicans. This provides insight into the political circles within Georgetown's black community. |  Secret Societies in Black GeorgetownIn September 1897, Alfred Pope is listed to become the superintendent of construction for the new Odd Fellows Hall, a home for all of the colored secret societies replacing the location on 28th street. This article highlights black masonic orders and secret societies. |  Red Bill of Herring HillAlfred and Hannah Pope's son William Pope came into conflict with law enforcement in Georgetown. His conflict was highly publicized in local newspapers. The Evening Star (above) reported the initial assault. There are conflicting reports on the incident. It said that after being called a racially charged insult that William Pope attacked a man leading to the conflict with the law. William Pope's incident shows heightened racial tensions in Georgetown. |
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