Question 4. Where in the County is the oldest African-American AME parish located?
Answer: St John’s AME Church on Bellona Road in Ruxton. The nineteenth century building served the surrounding community until the 1950s. In 1833 the land was sold to five men (both free men and slaves) by landowner Elijah Fishpaw. This venture may have been one of the earliest efforts to ensure freedom of religious expression in pre-emancipation Maryland. The current building dates from 1886 and was restored in the 1980s.