Work has begun on a project to ensure the Scotland AME Zion Church can withstand heavy rainstorms while also breathing life into an African American community that thrived a century ago.

The wood frame church on Seven Locks Road in Potomac was built by hand in 1924 by Black congregants who formed a strong community there. They had their own homes and schools, prospering even without the use of public water and sewer.

But an extreme rainstorm in the summer of 2019 destroyed the structure right to the foundation, doing damage once again to the Scotland Community. The church is registered as a State Historic Site by the Maryland Historical Trust and is the only historic building to survive in the Scotland community.

Since the flooding, church and community members have created the Second Century Project to restore the church, regrade the area to mitigate the risk from future flooding and then add a new worship space that will seat 120 people.

The capital campaign committee is cochaired by former Executive Ike Leggett and Joyce Siegel, who has spent years helping the residents of the Scotland community. There is a GoFundMe page for donations.