African American Heritage Guide - 2022 African American Heritage Guide

Regional Attractions

2019-11-06 10:42:33

WESTERN MARYLAND Allegany County (ALL) Garrett County (GAR) Washington County (WAS) The letter-number code listed beside each destination refers to the fold-out map inside the back cover. Big Pool WAS A-10 Fort Frederick State Park 11000 Ft Frederick Rd, 21711 301-842-2155, 1-800-830-3974 A free and wealthy African American named Nathan Williams once owned the land that now houses this park. Witness military re-enactments and daily living history programming at the fort that once protected Maryland’s colonial frontier. dnr.maryland.gov/ publiclands/Pages/western/fortfrederick.aspx Cumberland ALL A-6 Emmanuel Parish 16 Washington St, 21502 301-777-3364 Using the former defense tunnels of Fort Cumberland under the church, oral history tells us that Samuel Denson and Rev. David Hillhouse Buel provided food and aid to Underground Railroad freedom seekers. emmanuelparish.ang-md.org Shawnee Oldfield Village 13 Canal St, 21502 301-722-8226 Shawnee Indians once lived in the hills surrounding Oldtown, near the confluence of the North and South branches of the Potomac River. From about 1711-1727, Shawnees living at King Opessa’s Town and neighboring sites offered refuge to freedom seekers who had fled from Virginia and Maryland. Frustrated governors of both states sought to negotiate with the Shawnee to return the runaways. Virginia offered bounties of guns and blankets. Today the village site is a forested area located within the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park. nps.gov/choh/index.htm Fairplay WAS B-10 Rockland 9030 Sharpsburg Pike, 21733 • 301-582-5826 One of the most prominent African American leaders of the 19th century escaped from here in 1827. James W.C. Pennington described his life at Rockland and his dramatic escape in his 1849 autobiography, The Fugitive Blacksmith. Pennington became a powerful Presbyterian minister, abolitionist, civil rights activist and Underground Railroad agent. Built in 1803, the site is now a wedding and events center and may be viewed from the main road. rocklandweddingand events.com Grantsville GAR A-3 Negro Mountain Alt US 40 & Zehner Rd, 21536 301-895-5759 Believed to have been named after Nemesis, an enslaved black frontiersman, who killed fighting Indians with Maryland frontiersmen. Accessible by backcountry hiking. hmdb.org/marker. asp?marker=5409 Hagerstown WAS A-11 Asbury United Methodist Church 155 N Jonathan St, 21740 301-791-0495 Founded in 1818, the oldest African-American church in Hagerstown. umc.org/find-a-church/ church/79908 Doleman Black Heritage Museum 540 N Locust St, 21740 301-797-5019 Collection of black history artifacts and books depict the lives of local African Americans; dolls, souvenir buttons, WWII memorabilia. dolemanblackheritagemuseum.org Miller House 135 W Washington St, 21740 301-797-8782 Features a Civil War room, C&O Canal room and an extensive local research library devoted to local history and genealogy. https://washcohistory. org/miller-house/ Sharpsburg WAS C-11 Antietam Furnace Harper’s Ferry Rd, 21782 301-739-4200 Built in 1768, the furnace produced goods for the Revolutionary War, relying on the labor of both enslaved and free blacks. National Register of Historic Places. https://tinyurl.com/yypcfqes Antietam National Battlefield Rt 65 & Sharpsburg Pike, 5831 Dunker Church Rd, 21782 301-432-5124 Site of the bloodiest one-day battle in American history. Many view this battle as the turning point needed for Abraham Lincoln to announce the Emancipation Proclamation. Offers interpretive programs, tours and audio-visual programs. nps.gov/anti Ferry Hill Plantation 16500 Shepherdstown Pike, C&O Canal National Historical Park, 21782 301-582-0813 On the C&O Canal and Potomac River, both major thoroughfares for freedom seekers heading North, Ferry Hill was once a thriving plantation that used enslaved and free black labor. Records show that runaways from here were taken to the Hagerstown jail. A $200 bounty was paid for capturing five enslaved persons from here. nps.gov/choh/planyourvisit/ferry-hill-place.htm Kennedy Farm House (John Brown HQ) 2406 Chestnut Grove Rd, 21782 202-537-8900 Old farmhouse that served as a staging area for John Brown’s pre-Civil War raid on a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry. johnbrown.org Tolson’s Chapel 111 E High St, 21782 Founded in 1866, Tolson’s Chapel was a Methodist Church built on land donated by the Craig family. John Tolson was the church’s first minister. A Freedman’s Bureau School operated in the church from 1868 to 1870. The cemetery has burials dating back to the 19th century. https://tolsonschapel.org/ CPL. WILLIAM OTHELLO WILSON (1867–1928) received a Congressional Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration, for bravery after volunteering for a courier mission during the Sioux Campaign in 1890. The Hagerstown resident is the subject of a book titled Black Valor and is buried at Rose Hill Cemetery. CAPITAL REGION Frederick County (FRE) Montgomery County (MON) Prince George’s County (PRG) The letter-number code listed beside each destination refers to the fold-out map inside the back cover. Aspen Hill MON E-15 Matthew Henson State Park Veirs Mill Rd to Connecticut Ave, 20906 Park named after the Nanjemoy, Maryland native and first man to reach the North Pole. It offers a paved hiker/biker trail through the Rock Creek valley, which links to the Rock Creek Trail and Sligo Creek Trail. montgomeryparks.org/parksand- trails/matthew-hensonstate- stream-valley-park Beltsville PRG F-16 Abraham Hall 7612 Old Muirkirk Rd, 20705 301-454-1780 Built in 1889, it is the county’s most outstanding example of a late 19th-century African American benevolent society lodge. It has also served the Rossville’s African-American community as a temporary schoolhouse and Methodist Church. The site hosts exhibitions. pgparks.com/3004/ Abraham-Hall Queen’s Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church Site and Cemetery 7410 Old Muirkirk Rd, 20705 301-937-7122 The site of the original church, a small log chapel, was purchased by six black men in 1868. The land had been previously used as a cemetery by African Americans in the Muirkirk area. The original chapel has been replaced twice and is known as an anchor of the Rossville community. umc.org/find-a-church/ church/79862 Bowie PRG F-17 Belair Mansion 12207 Tulip Grove Dr, 20715 301-809-3089 For more than 100 years, the Ogle and Tasker families living at Belair Mansion struggled to keep their enslaved people from running away. A featured exhibit “African-American Slaves at Belair,” tells the stories of resistance and flight. Groups of 10 or more by appointment. Donation requested. cityofbowie.org/288/ Belair-Manson Blacksox Park 2201 Mitchellville Rd, 20716 301-809-3011 The park was once home of the Mitchellville Tigers and the Washington Blacksox, two local African-American sandlot baseball teams. The lot was a popular game site for several other African-American sandlot teams. The 70-acre park, primarily designed for baseball and softball, has interpretive exhibits. cityofbowie.org/facilities/facility/details/ Blacksox-Park-3 Boyds MON E-14 Boyds Negro School House 19510 White Ground Rd, 20841 301-461-4646 A restored one-room schoolhouse (1896-1936) complete with furnishings and literature on the school and community. The school was the only public school for African Americans in the area. boydshistory.org/Boyds_ Negro_School.html Brunswick FRE D-12 Brunswick Railroad Museum 40 W Potomac St, 21716 301-834-7100 Exhibits feature the contributions of African Americans to the development of the B&O Railroad in Brunswick. brunswickmuseum.org Clinton PRG H-16 Poplar Hill on His Lordship’s Kindness 7606 Woodyard Rd, 20735 301-856-0358 Originally part of a land grant from Charles Calvert, third Lord Baltimore, to Colonel Henry in 1703. Programs and tours describe the site’s enslaved African Americans and their families who remained in the area following emancipation. The current mansion was built between 1785 and 1787 by Colonel Henry’s great grandson, Robert Darnall, replacing an earlier residence constructed for his father, Henry Darnall III. poplarhillonhlk.com Fort Washington PRG H-15 Mouth of Swan Creek Escape Site Fort Washington Park 13551 Fort Washington Rd, 20744 • 301-690-1385 A mass escape of enslaved African Americans occurred off Diggs Point at the mouth of Swan Creek in early September 1814. The group escaped to a moored British ship that had arrived from Alexandria, Virginia, which was occupied during the War of 1812. In order to undermine the local economy, the British offered freedom to the enslaved African Americans. None of the freedom seekers were recaptured. nps.gov/fowa Frederick FRE C-13 African American History Walking Tour 121 South Bentz St, 21701 301-663-1188 Learn about some of the county’s outstanding sites, people and events through a tour of the local African-American community’s historical, cultural and civic center. 90-minute tours start at the Roger Brooke Taney House in Downtown Frederick. frederickhistory.org/programs Best Farm – L’Hermitage 4801 Urbana Pike, 21704 301-662-3513 The farm, now part of Monocacy National Battlefield, was once part of a 748-acre plantation known as L’Hermitage. Established by the Vincendieres, a family of French planters from the Caribbean, this plantation was worked by 50 to 90 African-American indentured persons in the 18th and 19th centuries. At least two of those slaves fled for freedom. The Best family began farming the property in the 1830s. One of their slaves escaped in 1850. https://www.nps.gov/mono/learn/historyculture/hermitage.html Laboring Sons Memorial Ground Chapel Aly & 5th St, 21701 301-600-4047 Established in 1851 by the Beneficial Society of Laboring Sons of Frederick City, the City of Frederick acquired the burial ground in 1950 and placed a park on the site. Among those buried here are six Civil War veterans who served in colored regiments. In 1999, protests were responsible for the successful change from park to memorial. https://www.visitfrederick. org/listing/laboring-sonsmemorial- ground/286/ National Museum of Civil War Medicine 48 E Patrick St, 21701 301-695-1864, 1-800-564-1864 Immersion exhibits illustrate the story of patients, caregivers and medical innovations of the Civil War; includes a rare collection of Civil War medical artifacts. Guided tours, educational programs. CivilWarMed.org Germantown MON E-13 Button Farm Living History Center 16820 Black Rock Rd, 20874 301-916-7090 Maryland’s only living history center depicting 19th-century slave plantation life and the heroic story of the Underground Railroad through unique living history experiences. buttonfarm.org Glenn Dale PRG F-16 Dorsey Chapel 10704 Brookland Rd, 20769 240-264-3415 Built in 1900 as a Methodist church, it served as the social and spiritual center of Brookland, an African- American farming community. pgelegantsettings.com/3154/Dorsey-Chapel Marietta House Museum 5626 Bell Station, 20769 301-464-5291 The lure of Washington, D.C., with its significant free black population and ample hiding places tempted nearby enslaved people to escape. Between 1814 and 1859, three slaves fled Marietta House, the plantation home of Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Gabriel Duvall. Judge Duvall wrote the Supreme Court opinion that slaves could testify in court. pgparks.com/3072/Marietta- House-Museum Landover PRG F-16 The Wayne K. Curry Sports and Learning Complex 8001 Sheriff Rd, 20785 301-583-2300 Named after Prince George’s County’s first African-American County Executive, the complex is dedicated to improving the community’s fitness and educational needs. pgsportsandlearn.com Largo PRG G-16 Elizabeth Keckly Burial Site National Harmony Memorial Park, 7101 Sheriff Rd, 20792 • 301-772-0900 Mrs. Keckly, best known as Mary Todd Lincoln’s seamstress, worked on behalf of the newly emancipated enslaved people that sought refuge in the nation’s capital. She devoted herself to raising funds and collecting donations for their benefit. She organized the Contraband Relief Association at Union Bethel AME Church in 1862 and served as the organization’s first president. This organization helped expose the need for government involvement in caring for the contrabands, as the emancipated enslaved people were also known. nationalharmony.com Laurel PRG E-16 St. Mark’s Methodist Episcopal Church 601 8th St, 20707 301-776-8885 Since 1921, the church has been a landmark of Laurel. The history of the congregation dates back to 1891 when James Hebron and two other black Methodists purchased the land for the church. The church sat across the street from the Laurel Colored School, which was constructed in 1884. Together the two buildings served many of the residents in Laurel’s black community. umc.org/find-a-church/ church/79814 Linganore FRE B-14 Thornton Poole House 13025 Glissans Mill Rd, 21771 Twelve members of the enslaved Aldridge family escaped from here at various times in the 1850s. William Still, the famous abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor, recorded their story in 1857. The Aldridge family’s story expresses the motivations for escaping from slavery, particularly the fear of being sold away from one’s family and loved ones. Several of the escapes were triggered by the slave owner’s sale of other family members. The site is a private residence on Glissans Mill Road near Linganore. It is not open to the public. Mitchellville PRG G-17 Holy Family Roman Catholic Church 12010 Woodmore Rd, 20721 301-249-2266 Built in 1890 to serve the local black Catholic community of thenrural Woodmore and Mitchellville. In 1889, the land for the church was deeded to the congregation by Isaac Wood, a local white carpenter. Parishioners, mostly African-American tenant farmers, built the structure. Today, the parish remains active serving the community. holyfamilywoodmore.org Northampton Slave Quarters and Archaeological Park 10915 Water Port Ct, 20721 • 301-627-1286 This prominent plantation was home to the Sprigg family and their slaves and servants for nearly 200 years. Numerous enslaved workers escaped from the site from 1800 through 1836, and many African-American descendants from Northampton still reside in Prince George’s County. Archaeologists have created a unique research environment that combines excavation and archival data with oral histories of the enslaved and tenant farmers. pgparks.com/3009/ Northampton-Plantation- Slave-Quarters N. Bethesda MON F-14 Josiah Henson Park 11420 Old Georgetown Rd, 20910 • 301-299-0071 Josiah Henson’s autobiography inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe’s landmark novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. He lived and worked as an enslaved African American from 1795 to 1830 here on the Riley Farm. The existing building is the late 18th century – early 19th century Riley home with its log kitchen wing. Henson describes sleeping in a room similar to this one in his memoir. Henson eventually escaped to Canada via the Underground Railroad, where he established a fugitive slave settlement and became an abolitionist, speaker and writer. montgomeryparks.org/parksand- trails/josiah-henson-park N. Brentwood PRG F-16 Prince George’s African American Museum and Cultural Center (PGAAMCC) 4519 Rhode Island Ave, 20722 301-809-0440 Since 2010, PGAAMCC has shared incredible and unique stories of the African-American experience in Prince George’s County through exhibitions, educational and public programs; Museum-In- A-Box, Culture Keepers and Early Keepers programs; and special online content. pgaamcc.org Olney MON E-15 Oakley Cabin African American Museum and Park 3610 Brookeville Rd, 20832 301-650-4373 Log home built in the 1820s served as home to enslaved and free blacks and tenant farmers. It was the center of an African-American roadside community from emancipation well into the 20th century. The dwelling, inhabited until 1976, is now a living history museum. montgomeryparks.org/parks-and-trails/Oakley-cabinafrican- american-museumpark Oxon Hill PRG G-15 Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm/Berry Farm 6411 Oxon Hill Rd, 20745 301-839-1176 This site once consisted of cash-crop plantations where enslaved people provided most of the labor. A working farm offers programs and exhibits on the history of the farm’s enslaved labor, including Jacob Shaw, who escaped from the farm. Visitors can enjoy farm animals, a hay barn and daily chore demonstrations. nps.gov/oxhi St. Paul United Methodist Church at Oxon Hill 6634 St Barnabas Rd, 20745 301-567-4433 Believed to have been home to one of the first African-American congregations in Prince George’s County. stpumcmd.org Poolesville MON E-13 Warren Historic Site Whites Ferry Rd and Martinsburg Rd, 20837 301-258-9021 Visitors are welcome to drive by at any time. Following the Civil War, free blacks and former slaves purchased land and built the Warren Methodist Episcopal Church, Martinsburg Negro School and Charity Lodge Hall. These buildings were the anchor and center for religious worship, educational development and social interaction for this rural African-American community. warrenhistoricsite.weebly. com/history.html Potomac MON F-14 Chesapeake and Ohio Canal 11710 MacArthur Blvd, 20854 • 301-714-2202 Freedom seekers escaped by following the towpath along the canal before passing into Pennsylvania, a free state. John Curry narrated his flight to freedom from North Carolina to Pennsylvania. Documentation in the form of Runaway Slave ads reveal that the canal was used not only as a transportation route for fugitives escaping slavery, but also as a destination point. Some runaway slaves posed as free blacks and sought employment in constructing the canal as a means to finance their escape. nps.gov/choh/ index.htm Riverdale Park PRG F-16 Cherry Hill Cemetery 6821 Ingraham St, 20737 301-627-1286 A late 1800s African-American family burial ground. Established in 1884 by Josiah Adams, it is significant as the only intact African-American family farm in the area. Graves are marked with slabs of local ironstone and yucca plants. Many African-American families — such as the Adams, Becketts, and the Plummers — buried their loved ones here from the late 1800s to the 1940s. hmdb.org/marker. asp?marker=32854 Riversdale House Museum 4811 Riverdale Rd, 20737 301-864-0420 An elegant early 1800s Federalstyle plantation house has been restored to reflect the lifestyle of the Calverts and the story of Adam Francis Plummer, an enslaved man who brought back his wife, Emily, and children to live in freedom after they escaped from a plantation in Ellicott City. They were caught, jailed in Baltimore and could not be reclaimed by their master. pgparks.com/3023/ Riversdale-House-Museum Rockville MON E-15 Beall-Dawson House 103 W Montgomery Ave, 20850 301-340-2825 The Beall family was one of the largest slave-owning families in Montgomery County. When Upton Beall died in 1827, he left the plantation to his wife who later passed it to their daughters. The Beall daughters are recognized for not selling any slaves. When emancipation was passed in 1864, they sold pieces of their lands to their former slaves. https://montgomeryhistory.org/beall-dawson-house/ In Their Steps: A Guided Walking Tour 29 Courthouse Sq, 20850 301-762-0096 Hear about the life of Josiah Henson, the model for the title character of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, who risked all for freedom and whose autobiography inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe. Find out about the young Ann Maria Weems, who escaped slavery in Rockville by dressing as a coachman. Learn about two sisters from a prominent Rockville family who exemplify the differences between slaveholders. peerlessrockville.org Montgomery History: Jane C. Sween Research Library 42 W Middle Ln, 20850 301-340-2825 Government and family records reveal the patterns of slaveholding in Montgomery County and establish the social and cultural context for the Underground Railroad. The collection includes county antebellum tax lists, probate records, census records, county newspapers with fugitive slave notices, sales of slaves and other related information. Books, manuscripts and oral histories enhance the collections. montgomeryhistory.org/jane-c-sween-library Sandy Spring MON E-15 The Underground Railroad Experience Trail 16501 Norwood Rd, 20860 301-929-5989 This trail commemorates Montgomery County residents involved with the Underground Railroad, and celebrates the Quaker heritage and traditions of Sandy Spring. Learn how fleeing slaves eluded capture. This twomile trail has a natural surface and includes interpretive sign markers keyed to a map. Find the map at the Woodlawn Manor trailhead or on the web site. montgomeryparks.org/parksand- trails/woodlawn-manorcultural-park/undergroundrailroad- experience-trail-hikes Sandy Spring Slave Museum & African Art Gallery, Inc. 18524 Brooke Rd, 20860 301-774-4066 The museum’s campus has four displays: a cross-section of a slaving clipper ship, a slavery-era log cabin, an arts pavilion and great hall. sandyspringslave museum.org Silver Spring MON F-15 Arrest Site of William Chaplin Jesup Blair Park, Georgia Ave & Blair Rd, 20910 • 301-650-4373 Chaplin, an abolitionist from Albany, NY, was involved in the failed escape of 77 people from Washington, D.C. aboard the schooner Pearl in 1848. Eluding imprisonment then, Chaplin was captured on August 8, 1850 during a desperate shootout with slave catchers on Georgia Ave. in Silver Spring. Both freedom seekers he was transporting were wounded. Northern abolitionists raised his bond of $25,000. There is an outdoor exhibit that describes these events. https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=109230 Thurmont FRE A-13 Catoctin Iron Furnace and Manor House Ruins 13102 Catoctin Mountain Hwy, 21788 • 410-260-8150 The Johnson Family established the Iron Furnace in 1776. The site depicts the iron making process, which highlights the role of industrial slavery in America. The Johnson’s employed some free black labor and were the largest slaveholders in Frederick County when they operated the furnace. At least one enslaved man attempted escape in 1780. Visitors see the charcoal-fired stone furnace, a re-created casting shed and the ruins of the manor house. Self-guided walking tour information is available at Cunningham Falls State Park Visitor Center. nps.gov/cato/learn/ historyculture/furnace.htm Upper Marlboro PRG G-17 Croom Airport 16000 Croom Airport Rd, 20772 • 301-627-6074 The first African American owned and operated airport on the eastern seaboard. tc-solutions.com/croom/ airport/airport.htm Darnall’s Chance House Museum 14800 Governor Oden Bowie Dr, 20772 • 301-952-8010 The museum highlights the African-American community and mid-18th-century town life in Upper Marlboro. Eight enslaved people have been recorded as escaping from here. Those who escaped were William and his wife Nancy (1820), Basil Duppin, Leander, Camilla Dent, Louisa and John Dent (1832 to 1857) and John Kettle (1860). pgparks.com/3055/Darnalls- Chance-House-Museum Mount Calvert Historical & Archaeological Park 16801 Mount Calvert Rd, 20772 •301-627-1286 Mount Calvert plantation depended upon enslaved labor from the 1770s to the end of the Civil War. The site is linked to escaped enslaved people through advertisements placed by different owners. In 1841, Samuel Berry called for the return of Dick and Charles Sprigg, and owner John Brookes called for the return of his house servants Susan and Arianna. pgparks.com/3007/ Mount-Calvert-Historicaland- Archaeologi The Charlotte Duckett Log Cabin at the Patuxent Rural Life Museum 16000 Croom Airport Rd, 20772 • 301-627-6074 Rare chestnut log tenant farm house from the 1800s, which was probably built by Charles Duckett, a former slave and a landsman in the Union Navy during the Civil War. It is part of the larger Patuxent Rural Life Museums complex, which includes the Duvall Tool Museum, a tobacco museum, a blacksmith shop, and a 1923 Sears, Roebuck and Company simplex house. pgparks.com/3021/Patuxent- Rural-Life-Museums JAMES W.C. PENNINGTON (1807-1870), a teacher and author most famous for his 1850 autobiography, The Fugitive Blacksmith. He was born a slave, but fled from a job in Hagerstown in 1827, settled in Connecticut and became famous for his anti-slavery speeches and writings. MATTHEW HENSON (1866–1955), recognized on a plaque at the Maryland State House as “co-discoverer of the North Pole,” was born in the Southern Maryland town of Nanjemoy. Orphaned when not yet a teen, Matthew Henson worked on merchant ships as a cabin boy and learned to read and write while sailing around the world. As part of an Arctic expedition in 1909, he reached the North Pole about 45 minutes ahead of his colleague, Admiral Robert E. Peary. “I think I’m the first man to sit on top of the world.” -Matthew Henson JOSIAH ADAMS (?–1884) lived and worked primarily as a gardener at Charles Calvert’s plantation, Riversdale, in the mid-19th century. Between 1871 and 1883, he accumulated 50 acres of his own land, on which his family operated a fruit and vegetable farm. Adams is laid to rest at Cherry Hill Cemetery, which was established by his will in 1884 and accepted burials through the 1940s. ISAAC MYERS (1835–1891), recognized as a pioneer of the African-American trade union movement, was hired in 1855 to supervise one of the largest shipyards in Baltimore. A decade later, he helped establish the Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company and created the Colored National Labor Union, for which he was elected its first president in 1869. The Frederick Douglass-Isaac Myers Maritime Park in Baltimore is a national heritage site with galleries containing images, artistic renderings and historic artifacts. CABELL (CAB) CALLOWAY, III (1907–1994) grew up in Baltimore and frequented many local jazz clubs. His band performed regularly at the Cotton Club, and in 1931 he recorded the hit, “Minnie the Moocher.” In 1983, the aging jazz and scat legend performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., with his grandson, C. Calloway Brooks, who now directs the Cab Calloway Orchestra. CENTRAL MARYLAND Anne Arundel County (AAR) Baltimore City (BCI) Baltimore County (BCO) Carroll County (CAR) Harford County (HAR) Howard County (HOW) The letter-number code listed beside each destination refers to the fold-out map inside the back cover. Annapolis AAR F-19 Alex Haley Memorial/ Kunta Kinte Plaque Sidewalk at head of City Dock, Compromise St & Market Space, 21401 410-956-9090 A life-size bronze statue of Alex Haley, author of the epic Roots, is situated next to the plaque honoring his ancestor, Kunta Kinte; designed by nationally acclaimed African- American sculptor Ed Dwight. kuntakinte.com Aris T. Allen Statue Chinquapin Round Rd at Aris T. Allen Blvd, 21401 410-263-9591 Statue depicts the first African- American doctor allowed to admit patients at Anne Arundel Medical Center. dcmemorials.com/ index_indiv0003422.htm Banneker- Douglass Museum 84 Franklin St, 21401 410-216-6187; 410-216-6180 Located inside the historic Mt. Moriah A.M.E. Church, the exhibit “Deep Roots, Rising Waters” celebrates African American life in Maryland. Exhibits also highlight the contributions of key Underground Railroad figures, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and others. bdmuseum.maryland.gov City Dock 1 Dock St, 21401 410-263-7973 This Colonial port is believed to be the site where Kunta Kinte, made famous by Alex Haley’s book, Roots, entered the country on the slave ship Lord Ligonier. It is now the site of a waterfront park, Harbormaster’s office, visitor information booth and harbor cruise docks. Annapolis.gov/165/ Harbormaster Historic Annapolis Foundation Walking Tours & Museum Store 99 Main St, 21401 410-267-7619 Serves as the starting point for an Acoustiguide self-guided walking tour of prominent landmarks from Annapolis’ Colonial History, including an African American Tour highlighting the roles of African Americans in shaping the town. annapolis.org Maryland State Archives Hall of Records, 350 Rowe Blvd, 21401 410-260-6400; 800-235-4045 Government records, newspapers and special collections provide historical resources specific to slavery and freedom in Maryland. The Archives hosts an interactive website (www.mdslavery.net) entitled “Beneath the Underground: The Flight to Freedom,” which focuses on stories of many freedom seekers and their accomplices. msa.maryland.gov Maryland State House 100 State Cir, 21401 410-974-3400 Built between 1772-1779, this is the oldest state capitol still in continuous legislative use. It served as the U.S. Capitol from November 1783-August 1784 when the Continental Congress met in the Old Senate Chamber. Many state laws about slavery, black freedom and the activities of the Underground Railroad were debated and passed here. In November 1864, the Maryland Legislature abolished slavery in the state. msa.maryland.gov/ msa/mdstatehouse/ html/home.html Matthew Henson Memorial The Rotunda, Maryland State House, 100 State Cir, 21401 410-260-6400 A memorial dedicated to Matthew Henson, an African- American explorer who, accompanying Admiral Robert E. Peary, was the first man to reach the North Pole on April 6, 1909. msa.maryland.gov/ msa/mdstatehouse/ html/visitor.html The Stanton Center 92 W Washington St, 21401 410-295-5519 Built in 1898 and listed in the National Register of Historic Places, it served as the first African-American school in Annapolis. https://www.annapolis. gov/491/Stanton- Community-Center Thurgood Marshall Memorial Lawyer’s Mall, Maryland State House, State House Sq, 21401 • 410-974-3400 This memorial honors the first African American Supreme Court Justice who served for 24 years. His most famous court case, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, ended racial segregation in American public schools. msa.md.gov/msa/ mdstatehouse/html/ home.html Baltimore BCI C-18 Arbutus Memorial Park 1101 Sulphur Spring Rd, 21227 410-212-2700 A historical burial ground for African Americans such as National Baseball Hall of Famer Leon Day and jazz musician Chick Webb. arbutusmemorialpark.com Arena Players 801 McCulloh St, 21201 410-728-6500 The oldest, continually performing, historically black theater had its humble beginnings in 1953 by a small group of aspiring actors. Today the theater is made up of volunteers who help keep the show running. arenaplayersinc.com Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum 901 W Pratt St, 21223 410-752-2490 The museum presents the history of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company with an oral history exhibit that features recorded stories of African- American porters recalling work and life on the B&O Railroad. borail.org The Baltimore Museum of Art 10 Art Museum Dr, 21218 443-573-1700 A pioneer in the acquisition of works by African-American artists including Joshua Johnson, Jacob Lawrence and Henry Ossawa Tanner. artbma.org Baltimore Museum of Industry 1415 Key Hwy, 21230 410-727-4808 A hands-on museum with exhibits on the Port of Baltimore, garment industry, oyster canning and more. Exhibits explain how a visitor’s ancestor, no matter their station in life, contributed to Baltimore’s development. thebmi.org Bethel AME Church (1785) 1300 Druid Hill Ave, 21217 410-523-4273 Baltimore’s oldest, independent black institution, dating from the late 18th century. Founded by Daniel Payne Coker after he left the Methodist church because of segregated seating. bethel1.org Black Soldiers Memorial Statue War Memorial Plaza, Holiday & Fayette Sts, 21203 877 BALTIMORE Erected in 1972, this nine-foot bronze statue is dedicated to the memory of African- American soldiers who served in every American conflict. theclio.com/entry/9706 Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse 100 N Calvert St, 21202 410-333-3722 Dedicated in honor of a native son who became known as the “101st Senator” for his perseverance in getting Congress to recognize the Constitutional rights of African Americans. baltimorecitycourt.org Dugan’s Wharf National Aquarium Pier 4, 501 E Pratt St, 21202 410-576-8534 On October 21, 1856, Harriet Tubman helped a young woman named “Tilly” flee enslavement in Baltimore. Unable to safely bring Tilly to Philadelphia via a route out of Baltimore, Tubman cleverly devised a scheme to take Tilly south, via a steamboat to Seaford, Delaware. The steamer docked at Dugan’s Wharf in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, which is now the site of the National Aquarium Marine Mammal Pavilion at Pier 4. Once the women arrived in Seaford, Tubman and Tilly took the Delaware Railroad to Camden and eventually found their way to Wilmington, Delaware where Underground Railroad agent Thomas Garrett sent them onto Philadelphia and freedom. aqua.org Emmart-Pierpoint Safe House 3523 N Rolling Rd, 21244 410-655-7821 Oral history says that this was a vital station on the Underground Railroad. enjoybaltimorecounty. com/play/Find Enoch Pratt Free Library 400 Cathedral St, 21201 410-396-5430 One of the oldest and largest public libraries in the country features an African-American department with a comprehensive collection of historical and contemporary materials. prattllibrary.org The Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute and Culture Center 847 N Howard St, 21201 410-225-3130 Explore the life and music of Baltimore musicians Eubie Blake, Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway and others. eubieblake.org First Baptist Church 525 N Caroline St, 21205 410-675-2333 Organized in 1836 by Moses Clayton, a former slave and lay minister, it was Maryland’s first African-American Baptist church. Frederick Douglass- Isaac Myers Maritime Park 1417 Thames St, 21231 410-685-0295, ext 252 The park chronicles the saga of Frederick Douglass’ life in Baltimore as an enslaved child and young man who gained his freedom. It also explores the life of Isaac Myers, a freeborn African American who became a national leader. Learn about the founding of the Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company and the establishment of the African-American community in Baltimore during the 1800s. https://livingclassrooms.org/ programs/frederick-douglassisaac- myers-maritime-park/ Heritage Museum of Art 4509 Prospect Cir, 21216 410-664-6711 Call for info on traveling exhibits. Nonprofit institution preserving and presenting history and culture of various ethnic groups. Historic Ships 301 E. Pratt St Pier 1, 21202 410-539-1797 Launched in 1854, the USS Constellation is the last all-sail ship built by the U.S. Navy. Served in anti-slavery patrol, helping to save hundreds of Africans from bondage. Demonstrations and activities. Complimentary audio tours daily. historicships.org James E. Lewis Museum of Art Morgan State University, 2100 Argonne Dr, 21251 443-885-3030 Named after a former director and university professor, the museum includes permanent collections of African art. jelmamuseum.org Leadenhall Baptist Church 1021 Leadenhall St, 21230 410-752-5191 Second-oldest African-American church structure in Baltimore. hmdb.org/marker. asp?marker=6358&Result=1 Maryland Historical Society 201 W. Monument St, 21201 410-685-3750 Among the society’s many exhibits and resources is the “definitive” Eubie Blake collection. mdhs.org Metropolitan United Methodist Church (Lafayette Square Church) 1121 W Lanvale St, 21217 410-523-1366 Large Gothic church with origins that have been traced to Orchard Street Church founder, Truman Pratt. metropolitanumc.org Mother Mary Lange Monument 610 George St, 21227 Four-foot monument honors Mother Mary Elizabeth Lange, founder of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first order of African-American nuns. gpsmycity.com/attractions/ mother-mary-langemonument- 27286.html Mount Auburn Cemetery 2614 Annapolis Rd, 21230 410-547-0337 Founded in 1868, this is the oldest African American owned-and-operated cemetery in Maryland. Among those buried here is John Henry Murphy, the founder of the Afro-American Newspaper. mountauburncemetery.org Mount Clare Museum House 1500 Washington Blvd, 21230 • 410-837-3262 Maryland’s finest example of a Georgian estate and Baltimore’s oldest house. Once an 800-acre agricultural and industrial complex, hundreds of enslaved people labored here. At least four fled. National Historic Landmark. mountclare.org The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum 1601-03 E North Ave, 21213 410-563-3404 Nation’s first black history wax museum with more than 100 life-size wax figures in historical scenes, including a dramatic exhibit of a slave ship. greatblacksinwax.org Orchard Street Church/ Baltimore Urban League 512 Orchard St, 21201 410-523-8150 Oral history says this was a safe house on the Underground Railroad, now the home of the Greater Baltimore Urban League. baltimoreheritage.org Pennsylvania Avenue Heritage Trail 1528 Pennsylvania Ave, 21217 443-984-2369 Along the trail, colorful and informative story signs and site markers introduce you to Baltimore African Americans that helped build the city, gain civil rights and change the face of American music, art, literature and politics. Guided tours are available May-Oct. explorebaltimore.org/ tours/Pennsylvaniaavenue- heritage-trail President Street Station/Baltimore Civil War Museum 601 President St, 21202 410-461-9377; 410-396-1954 This station was part of the Baltimore, Philadelphia and Wilmington Railroad, which became part of an ambitious Underground Railroad network whose activists in those cities and beyond secured passage for freedom seekers. Like Frederick Douglass, many carried forged freedom passes or, like Harriet Eglin, wore disguises. Learn about freedom seekers who rode the train. baltimore.org/listings/ historic-sites/baltimorecivil- war-museumpresident- street-station Reddy Gray Burial Site Loudon Park National Cemetery, 3445 Frederick Ave, 21229 410-644-9696 The Loudon Park National Cemetery is the final resting place for Reddy Gray, a former slave, who escaped slavery on the Underground Railroad in 1863. Gray was born in slavery in Baltimore County, the property of Thomas Cradock Risteau. He enlisted with the United States Colored Troops one year after his escape. Following the war, he worked, married and raised a family. His post-escape life, documented in pension and census records, defied the stereotype of the “helpless freedman.” Upon his death in 1922, he was buried in Loudon Park National Cemetery. https://www.cem.va.gov/ cems/nchp/loudonpark.asp Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture 830 E Pratt St, 21202 443-263-1800 Largest African-American museum on the East Coast features exhibits, programming, kids’ activities, genealogy resource center and soul food café. Smithsonian affiliate. lewismuseum.org Sharp Street Memorial United Methodist Church Dolphin & Etting Sts, 21217 410-523-7200 Established in 1787, this was the first African-American Methodist church in the state and is often referred to as the “Mother Church of African-American Methodism.” The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, during its formative years, held their meetings at the church. umc.org/find-a-church/ church/79724 St. Frances Academy 501 E Chase St, 21202 410-539-5794 Established in 1828, by Mother Mary Lange, it is the oldest continuously operating school for black Catholic children in the United States and is still educating children in Baltimore. It was founded to teach “children of color to read the Bible,” which was illegal at the time. sfacademy.org St. Frances Xavier Church 1501 E Oliver St, 21213 410-727-3103 The first African-American Catholic community in the country, it was cofounded in 1793. josephites.org/parish/md/sfx The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House 844 E Pratt St, 21202 410-837-1793 Explores the role of African Americans in the early 19th-century Baltimore and the War of 1812. flaghouse.org Thurgood Marshall Statue Edward A. Garmantz Building and U.S. Courthouse, Pratt & Sharp Sts, 21201 Statue honors Baltimore native and first African- American Supreme Court Justice, Thurgood Marshall. baltimoremd.com/ monuments/thurgood.html Union Baptist Church 1219 Druid Hill Ave, 21217 410-523-6880 Became the central point in the struggle for civil rights, thanks to the efforts of its leader, the Rev. Dr. Harvey Johnson. unionbaptistmd.org/ contact_us.aspx The Walters Art Museum 600 N Charles St, 21201 410-547-9000 Home to Charles Henri- Joseph Cordier’s bronze and gold sculpture of an African woman visiting Paris in 1851 (African Venus), one of the museum’s best-known items. thewalters.org Bel Air HAR B-19 Hays-Heighe House 401 Thomas Run Rd, 21015 • 443-412-2539 In 1860, Sam Archer escaped enslavement by Thomas Hays on this property. Archer escaped to Pennsylvania, and his experiences are documented by William Still in his book, The Underground Railroad. Archer Hays built the dwelling in 1808, and Thomas Archer Hays, Sr. inherited this farm and his father’s chattel, including his enslaved Africans. harford.edu/community/ hays-heighe-house Catonsville BCO D-17 Oblate Sisters of Mount Providence 701 Gun Rd, 21227 410-242-8500 Founded in 1828, the Oblate Sisters of Mount Providence were the first successful Roman Catholic sisterhood established by women of African descent. Elizabeth Lange (later Mother Mary Lange) and Maria Balas started a school, St. Francis Academy, to teach and care for African-American children. oblatesisters.com Columbia HOW D-16 Howard County Center of African-American Culture 5434 Vantage Point Rd, 21044 410-715-1921 Preserving the history of African-American culture in Howard County. The center includes more than 4,000 books, a children’s library, and a research and reading library. hccaac.org Darlington HAR A-20 Hosanna School Museum 2424 Castleton Rd, 21034 410-457-4161 The first of three schools to be built in Harford County in 1867 by the Freedmen’s Bureau. The building of schools was mandated by state law across all of the former slaveholding states for the purpose of educating the recently freed African Americans. The property was originally owned by a free African- American man, Cupid Paca. hosannaschool museum.org Davidsonville AAR F-17 Roedown Farm 3856 Wayson Rd, 21035 Born enslaved in the early 1820s at Roedown, William Parker later made a daring escape at age 17. Settling in Pennsylvania, Parker became famous as the leader of the Christiana Resistance of 1851, a violent confrontation between black and white abolitionists and a Maryland slaveholder intent on recapturing a local runaway. The slaveholder was left dead. Today, Roedown Farm is privately owned and not open to the public. Ellicott City HOW D-17 Ellicott City Colored School 8683 Frederick Rd, 21043 410-313-5131 Private and group tours year round. Restored one-room schoolhouse built in 1880, serves as living history museum/ African-American genealogical resource center. First publicly funded school in the county for African-American children. ellicottcity.net/tourism/ attractions/ellicott_ city_colored_school/ Howard County First Courthouse Site Ellicott Mills Dr at Main St, 21043 410-313-4401 The first Howard County Courthouse was located in the historic district of Ellicott City. It housed judicial proceedings of the new Howard district, including those involving enslaved runaways and those inciting insurrection. This structure was rented from 1840 through 1842, while a permanent courthouse was being constructed. Cases related to enslaved people include those of Jacob Madden and William Williams for circulating publications that created discontent among the black population. Another case involved four slaves belonging to Charles D. Warfield who fled from their master to Pennsylvania. The courthouse is no longer standing. ellicottcity.net/tourism/ attractions/heritage_ orientation_center/ Howard County Historical Society 9421 Frederick Rd, 21042 410-840-3250 Archives and manuscript collections include original source documents, such as court cases dealing with fugitive slaves and those who aided, abetted and enticed runaways. It also includes ledgers and records of slaveholders. The documentation identifies connections between the county’s prominent slaveholders and court cases presented in the District Court dealing with escaped slaves. The repository is crucial for recounting the history of those attempting to flee bondage as well as the fate of those who were tried in the court system. hchsmd.org Howard County Jail 1 Emory St, 21043 Runaway slaves and those charged with encouraging the enslaved to escape or rise up against their masters were held in the county jail. Augusta Spriggs was held here, while ads for her master in Prince George’s County were posted for him to claim her. Free Black Augustus Collins was held here while awaiting trial for inciting an insurrection among people of color. Richard Martin was held as a fugitive without a pass. Howard County Courthouse 1843 8360 Ct Ave, 21043 410-313-2111 The 1843 Howard County Courthouse was the location for judicial proceedings for cases of those charged with encouraging slaves to runaway. The most famous case involved the transfer of known Underground Railroad agent William L. Chaplin of New York from Montgomery County to Howard County in 1850. An interpretive marker describes these events. mdcourts.gov/circuit/howard Fulton HOW D-16 African Art Museum of Maryland 11711 E Market Pl, 20759 301-490-6070 A collection exhibiting and preserving the art of Africa. africanartmuseum.org Highland Beach AAR F-18 Frederick Douglass Museum and Cultural Center “Twin Oaks” 3200 Wayman Ave, 21403 410-268-2956 This summer cottage built for Frederick Douglass in 1895 serves as a memorial to him that preserves and displays exhibits related to his family and the history of the community. highlandbeachmd.org Highland Beach Community 3200 Wayman Ave, 21403 410-267-6960 Originally planned as an exclusive vacation destination for African-American families in 1893, it later became the first incorporated African-American township in Maryland in 1922. highlandbeachmd.org Jarrettsville HAR B-18 Rock Run Grist Mill Susquehanna State Park, 3318 Rocks Chrome Hill Rd, 21084 • 410-557-7994 Stone mill with 12-ton water wheel. Oral history says it was used by those escaping from slavery via the Underground Railroad as a place to pick up provisions before continuing their journey. dnr.state.md.us/ publiclands/pages/central/ Susquehanna.aspx Oella BCO D-17 Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum 300 Oella Ave, 21228 410-887-1081 A 142-acre institution of cultural and natural history was the farmstead of the Banneker family. It centers on America’s first African- American man of science. baltimorecountymd.gov/ Agencies/recreation/ countyparks/mostpopular/ Banneker Mount Gilboa AME Church 2312 Westchester Ave, 21228 410-461-6599 Located near his homestead, scientist Benjamin Banneker was thought to have worshipped at this site before the current chapel was completed in 1860. It is also the site of the Benjamin Banneker Obelisk and the oldest African-American church in Baltimore County. mtgilboa.org/index.html Perry Point HAR B-21 Perryville Railroad Ferry and Station Site Perry Point VA Medical Center, 21902 410-949-1003 The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Steam Ferry Landing site at the mouth of the Susquehanna River was used for numerous famous and lesser known Underground Railroad escapes, as well as a kidnapping and rescue of a free Pennsylvanian. Frederick Douglass escaped on this railroad in 1838. history.amtrak.com/blogs/ blog/exploring-undergroundrailroad- heritage-sites Sykesville CAR C-16 Sykesville Colored Schoolhouse 518 Schoolhouse Rd, 21784 410-489-6540 One-room schoolhouse restored to its 1904 appearance and a repository for artifacts related to the African American experience in Carroll County. townofsykesville.org/2153/ Historic-Colored-Schoolhouse Towson BCO C-18 Hampton National Historic Site 535 Hampton Ln, 21286 410-823-1309 Hampton was the heart of a 25,000-acre commercial, industrial and agricultural estate supported by indentured and enslaved labor. Family records reveal attempts by enslaved people to flee from Hampton. African-American life, labor and resistance is interpreted throughout the site including slave quarters, post Civil War tenant farmers’ quarters, landscapes and other cultural resources. nps.gov/hamp Verona BCO A-17 Gorsuch Tavern 15910 York Rd, 21152 410-887-3495 In 1851, Gorsuch relatives gathered to attempt to capture enslaved African Americans that had fled to Pennsylvania from Edward Gorsuch’s Retreat Farm. The site commemorates a significant escape from enslavement and the master’s effort to recapture his bondsmen by force. With the aid of the U.S. Deputy Marshall, the Gorsuch party tracked them down to Christiana, Pennsylvania. There they encountered armed resistance, led by Roedown’s William Parker, to take the freedom seekers back to Maryland. In the ensuing fracas in a farmhouse hideaway, Edward Gorsuch was killed and his son was wounded. Not open to the public. hmdb.org/marker. asp?marker=2057 None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody — a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns — bent down and helped us pick up our boots. —Thurgood Marshall THURGOOD MARSHALL (1908–1993) Marshall was born and attended school in Baltimore before graduating first in his class from Howard University Law School. He was the lead NAACP attorney in the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, case that overturned the “separate but equal” doctrine in public school segregation. In 1967, the Baltimore native became the first African American named to the U.S. Supreme Court. He is remembered with a memorial in Annapolis by the State House. REGINALD F. LEWIS (1942–1993) built a company that became the largest black-owned and managed business in the United States. A Harvard Law School graduate, in 1987, he bought Beatrice International Foods and created TLC Beatrice, a snack food, beverage and grocery store conglomerate. The Baltimore native and philanthropist became the first African American to create a $1 billion empire. JAMES E. LEWIS (1923–1997) was a sculptor and Chair of the Morgan State University Art Department. The gallery he established on campus in 1951 contains a renowned collection of African and African-American art. Among many works sculpted by Lewis is the Black Soldiers Memorial Statue (at left) outside City Hall in Baltimore. MOTHER MARY ELIZABETH LANGE (1784–1882) founded the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the world’s first African-American Roman Catholic order. The order opened a Catholic school for girls, thus beginning St. Frances Academy, the oldest continuously operating school for black Catholic children in the United States. BENJAMIN BANNEKER (1731–1806), a freeborn scientist and mathematician, who grew up on a farm near Ellicott City, helped conduct a 1791 survey of the land that would become Washington, D.C. He also published six almanacs, filled with information on tides and eclipses, which he calculated himself. JAMES HUBERT “EUBIE” BLAKE (1883–1983), a legendary ragtime composer and performer, started playing the organ at age five; by age 15, he was dazzling audiences at brothels, clubs and saloons in his Baltimore hometown. In 1915, he teamed up with vocalist Noble Sissle on the 1921 opus “Shuffle Along” — one of the first musicals to be written, produced and directed by African Americans. Blake composed hits such as “I’m Just Wild About Harry” and “Memories of You,” and in 1981 received the Medal of Freedom. SOUTHERN MARYLAND Calvert County (CAL) Charles County (CHR) St. Mary’s County (STM) The letter-number code listed beside each destination refers to the fold-out map inside the back cover. Chesapeake Beach CAL H-18 St. Edmond’s United Methodist Church 3000 Dalrymple Rd, 20732 410-257-7311 Served the African-American community as a school and church beginning in 1857. Burned in 1893. The present building dates from 1970. umc.org/find-a-church/ church/79746 Coltons Point STM L-17 St. Clement’s Island- Potomac River Museum 38370 Pt Breeze Rd, 20626 301-769-2222 Mathias de Sousa, often noted as the first individual of African descent to settle in Maryland, was part of the first group of colonists to land at St. Clement’s Island in 1634. The little that is known about de Sousa is included in the museum’s display. https://www.stmarysmd.com/ recreate/stclementsisland/ Dameron STM L-19 St. Jerome’s Hall 17765 Three Notch Rd, 20628 301-872-4566 Built in 1885 by the local chapter of the Knights of St. Jerome, the oldest Catholic fraternal organization in the Archdiocese of Washington. In the late 1880s, the hall served as the first parochial school for black children in St. Mary’s County. Drayden STM L-18 Drayden African-American Schoolhouse 18287 Cherryfield Rd, 20630 301-994-1471 One of the best preserved African-American schoolhouses in the country. This structure still occupies its original site and has not been significantly altered. co.saint-marys.md.us/ recreate/Draydenschool/ Hollywood STM K-18 Sotterley Plantation 44300 Sotterley Ln, 20636 301-373-2280 1-800-681-0850 The plantation has an 1830s slave cabin that exemplifies typical slave housing in the Tidewater region. The history of slavery at Sotterley is told through the cabin and related artifacts, as well as through the story of the Kane family that lived on the plantation. sotterley.org Hughesville CHR I-16 Camp Stanton Prince Frederick Rd, 20637 This former Union encampment was established in 1863 for the recruitment and training of black soldiers, some who had recently escaped enslavement. Now empty fields, visitors can travel an African-American heritage paddling trail on the Patuxent River to the site, which can also be viewed from the south side of Route 231, Prince Frederick Road. https://mht.maryland.gov/ historicalmarkers/Details. aspx?id=RM-297&recNum=6&c ounty=Charles+County Huntingtown CAL I-18 Patuxent United Methodist Church 3500 Solomons Island Rd N, 20639 • 410-535-9819 The original church was built in 1883. Burned in 1893. Within seven months, the present building was erected on the site and dedicated, debt-free. umc.org/find-a-church/ church/78602 La Plata CHR I-16 African-American Heritage Society Museum 7485 Crain Hwy, 20646 301-609-9099 Depicts the life, history and contributions of famous African Americans from Charles County and displays items used during the time of slavery. somd.com/catalog/5743.php Southern Maryland Studies Center College of Southern Maryland Library Building, Room LR211 8730 Mitchell Rd, 20646 301-934-7626, ext 7107 Resources with information on slavery, freedom and the culture and development of Southern Maryland from the colonial period forward. csmd.edu/community/southernmaryland- studies-center/ Leonardtown STM K-17 Old Jail of St. Mary’s County Museum Courthouse Dr, 20650 301-475-2467 Built in 1858, the jail represents the fear and despair facing freedom seekers whose unsuccessful attempts at freedom ended here. The jail’s exhibits feature the stories of five runaway incarcerated enslaved people, and highlights the choices confronting freedom seekers and the struggles they endured. stmaryshistory.org Lexington Park STM K-19 African-American Monument 21744 S Coral Dr, 20653 301-737-5447 Dedicated in 2000 to recognize local African American achievements in the arts, agriculture, business, politics and education. https://www.visitstmarysmd. com/site/detail/africanamerican- monument-andfreedom- park Carver Community Center (Formerly George Washington Carver School) 47450 Lincoln Ave, 20653 George Washington Carver School, built in 1958, and its predecessor, Jaboesville School, built in 1925, served African- American students in southern St. Mary’s. Carver graduated its last high school class in 1966, when county schools were desegregated. It became an integrated elementary school and then a community center. Located in South Hampton, formerly a housing development built in the 1940s exclusively for African-American civilian and military employees of the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. visitstmarysmd.com/sports/ detail/carver-recreationcenter Port Tobacco CHR J-15 Port Tobacco Courthouse 7215 Chapel Point Rd, 20677 • 301-934-4313 This reconstructed courthouse is where two African Americans were tried for aiding in the flight of more than 30 armed freedom seekers from Southern Maryland in 1845. charlescountymd.gov/ locations/port-tobaccocourthouse Prince Frederick CAL I-18 Calvert County Historical Society 70 Church St, 20678 410-535-2452 Among the society’s special collections are African- American genealogies and other historical documents. calverthistory.org Scotland STM M-19 Point Lookout State Park & Civil War Museum 11175 Pt Lookout Rd, 20687 • 301-872-5688 Located at the mouth of the Potomac River, the park has ties to the Underground Railroad. Site of the Union’s Hammond Hospital, where several nurses and doctors assisted in the escape of local Maryland freedom seekers. Thousands of freedom seekers from Virginia and other states found protection and shelter at a contraband camp at Point Lookout, located just outside the prisoner of war camp where United States Colored Troops were assigned to guard Confederate prisoners. Point Lookout Creek is where on April 15, 1848 the schooner Pearl, under the command of Daniel Drayton, was captured with 77 freedom seekers on board. Visit the lighthouse, earthworks, fortifications and graveyards and explore reconstructed barracks and officer’s quarters. Programs offered seasonally. dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/southern/pointlookout.aspx Solomons CAL K-19 Calvert Marine Museum 14200 Solomons Island Rd, 20688 • 410-326-2042 Museum features collections, exhibits, paleontology, children’s rooms and the Drum Point Lighthouse. The nearby J.C. Lore & Sons Oyster House was built in 1934 and features “Seasons of Abundance, Season of Want: Making a Living from the Waters of the Patuxent.” Most of the oyster house workers were African Americans, and their work is interpreted in the exhibit. calvertmarinemuseum.com St. Leonard CAL J-18 Brooks United Methodist Church & Cemetery 5550 Mackall Rd, 20685 410-586-3972 The focus of the civic life for African Americans in the area since the 1850s. The cemetery includes graves of many Union soldiers from the Civil War. brooksumc.org Jefferson Patterson Park & Museum 10515 Mackall Rd, 20685 410-586-8557 Situated on the Patuxent River and St. Leonard Creek, this state museum of history and archaeology interprets the diverse cultures of the Chesapeake Bay region. The Battle of St. Leonard Creek, a War of 1812 naval engagement occurred here and is retold in the slave narrative of Charles Ball, who fled north to freedom. Two enslaved people from this site enlisted in the Union Army and became free. The visitors center offers exhibits, re-enactments, events and demonstrations. jefpat.org St. Mary’s City STM L-19 Historic St. Mary’s City Rt 5 & Rosecroft Rd, 20686 240-895-4990; 1-800-762-1634 A monument to Mathias de Sousa, the first Marylander of African descent, stands at Historic St. Mary’s City, the state’s Colonial capital that now serves as an outdoor living history museum. Museum exhibits provide information on de Sousa and Africans in 17thcentury Maryland. https://hsmcdigshistory.org/ Sunderland CAL I-18 H. Elizabeth Brown Roadside Marker MD Rt 2 at Pushaw Station Rd, 20689 The marker documents a local teacher’s pursuit of equalization of teacher salaries in Calvert County and throughout Maryland. hmdb.org/marker. asp?marker=5573 EASTERN SHORE Caroline County (CRN) Cecil County (CEC) Dorchester County (DOR) Kent County (KEN) Queen Anne’s County (QUA) Somerset County (SOM) Talbot County (TAL) Wicomico County (WIC) Worcester County (WOR) The letter-number code listed beside each destination refers to the fold-out map inside the back cover. Bucktown DOR I-21 Brodess Farm/ Harriet Tubman Marker Greenbrier Rd, 21613 Edward Brodess moved Harriet Tubman’s mother Rit and her children (including Harriet) to his farm in Bucktown after 1823. Harriet spent her early years here and on nearby farms. Tubman was called “The Moses of Her People” for her work on the Underground Railroad. harriettubmanbyway. org/brodess-farm Cambridge DOR I-21 Bucktown Village Store 4303 Bucktown Rd, 21613 410-901-9255 Site of Harriet Tubman’s first public act of defiance. She was struck in the head with a two-pound weight while assisting a slave to avoid the anger of the field overseer. harriettubmanbyway.org/bucktown-village-store Dorchester County Courthouse 206 High St, 21613 410-228-1000 Site of frequent slave auctions throughout the antebellum period. Sam Green, a free black Underground Railroad agent, was convicted here for owning a copy of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. White Underground Railroad agent Hugh Hazlett stood trial here. Outdoor exhibit explains how Harriet Tubman’s niece Kessiah Bowley and her two children escaped from the auction block in 1850. harriettubmanbyway.org/dorchestercounty- courthouse Finding a Way to Freedom Tour: Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway Visitor Center at Sailwinds Park, 2 Rose Hill Pl, 21613 410-228-1000 1-800-522-TOUR A 125-mile driving tour featuring sites that illustrate the story of the Underground Railroad in Dorchester and Caroline counties. An audio tour is available for download, and stories about byway sites are told through interpretive markers and a tour brochure. harriettubmanbyway.org Frederick Douglass Driving Tour of Talbot County 11 S Harrison St, 21601 410-770-8000 Born into slavery, Frederick Douglass escaped to become a leading abolitionist. His speeches inspired many whites to work on the Underground Railroad. Selfguided driving tour gives visitors an overview of Douglass’ early life at 14 sites. Information and tour brochure available from the Historical Society of Talbot County. frederickdouglassbirthplace. org/driving-tour/ Harriet Tubman Memorial Garden Rt 50 & Washington St, 21613 410-228-1000 • 1-800-522-TOUR Native plantings, interpretive signs and artistic tribute to Harriet Tubman. http://harriettubmanbyway. org/harriet-tubmanmemorial- garden/ Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center 424 Race St, 21613 410-228-0401 Keeping Harriet Tubman’s legacy alive with museum tours (by appointment), literature and historical displays. harriettubmanbyway.org/ harriet-tubman-museum Long Wharf at Cambridge 100 High St, 21613 410-228-1,000 Seven enslaved men and women escaped from Town Point on July 24, 1858 with the help of Irish immigrant conductor, Hugh Hazlett. They were caught in northeastern Caroline County and then shipped back to Cambridge on the steamboat Kent. A mob awaited their arrival here to lynch Hazlett. The sheriff ordered the steamboat to leave Long Wharf and dock elsewhere. Hazlett was taken to the Cambridge jail, tried, convicted and sent to prison for 44 years. The freedom seekers were re-enslaved. Other freedom seekers, John Wesley Hughes and George Hackett fled from Bucktown and used a forged pass to board the steamer Kent for Baltimore. The suspicious captain returned them to Cambridge where Hughes was returned to his enslaver, Pritchett Meredith. harriettubmanbyway. org/long-wharf Pritchett Meredith Farm Bucktown & Decoursey Bridge Rd, 21613 In March 1857, Thomas Elliott and Denard Hughes fled the farm of their enslaver, Pritchett Meredith. With six other freedom seekers, the group was betrayed by a black Underground Railroad agent, Thomas Otwell, who had been enticed by the $3,000 reward for their capture. Boldly escaping the Dover, Delaware jail, the freedom seekers traveled north and eventually joined Harriet Tubman in Canada. The group became known as the “Dover Eight.” In 1861, another enslaved man, John Wesley Hughes, fled from the Meredith Farm with George Hackett from a neighboring farm, but the pair were eventually arrested and returned. harriettubmanbyway.org/ pritchett-meredith-farm Stanley Institute MD 16 W & Bayley Rd, 21613 410-228-6657 Restored, 19th-century one-room schoolhouse, among the oldest in the state to be organized by African Americans. harriettubmanbyway. org/stanley-institute Staplefort Farm: Bob Manokey Escape Site Wildlife Dr, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, 2145 Key Wallace Dr, 21613 410-228-2677 On December 10, 1828 Bob Manokey fled from the Staplefort family, whose plantation sat on the Little Blackwater River near the Little Blackwater Bridge. The Stapleforts advertised a $150 reward for his capture and return, noting that Manokey was a very skilled man - a great sawyer. Given Manokey’s experience as a sawyer and the Staplefort’s home on a navigable river, Manokey would have been familiar with the watermen who manned the vessels that carried timber to shipyards throughout the Chesapeake and to New England. He could have relied on this transportation for his escape. Visitors may drive along the Little Blackwater Bridge or Wildlife Drive to see the Staplefort farm. fws.gov/refuge/Blackwater/ Waugh Chapel United Methodist Church 425 High St, 21613 410-228-5189 Site of the oldest African- American Methodist congregation (1825) in Cambridge. umc.org/find-a-church/ church/79020 Centreville QUA F-21 Hope School 125 Ruthsburg Rd, 21617 410-758-2502 In 1892, this one-room schoolhouse was listed as “Colored School No. 2.” It was restored and moved to Queen Anne’s County High School. qac.org/208/schools Kennard School 410 Little Kidwell Ave, 21617 410-758-2502 Built in 1936 to be the county’s first secondary school for African Americans. Named for Lucretia Kennard Daniels, who, along with Larrie S. Jones, helped purchase land for the school. https://www.historicqac. org/historic-site/oldkennard- high-school Chesapeake City CEC B-22 Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Museum 815 Bethel Rd, 21915 215-656-6615; 410-885-5622 The canal provided a route for freedom seekers aboard steamboats, schooners and other water craft. Boats entered at Elk River in Cecil County and exited at Delaware City, Delaware. This route to Philadelphia was safer for smaller watercraft than the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay. William Still and Sydney Howard Gay recorded escapes on steamboats and schooners passing through the canal. https://chesapeakecity. com/cd-canal-museum Chestertown KEN D-21 Historical Society of Kent County 301 High Street, 21620 410-778-3499 Information on African Americans in Kent County. kentcountyhistory.org Church Creek DOR J-21 Buttons Creek: Jane Kane Escape Site MD Rt 335 & Little Blackwater River, 21622 410-228-2692 Jane Kane was enslaved by Horatio Jones, whom she described as “the worst man in the country.” Jones’ plantation sat along Buttons Creek and the Blackwater River, west of this landing. Harriet Tubman’s brother, Ben Ross, had hoped to marry Jane, but Jones refused to allow them to do so. Ben arranged for Jane to join him when he and his brothers fled during the Christmas holidays in 1854. Jane disguised herself in men’s clothing to successfully flee Jones. A significant portion of Jones’ plantation is located within Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Visitors can paddle to Buttons Creek via the Blackwater River. harriettubmanbyway. org/buttons-creek Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park 4068 Golden Hill Rd, 21622 The park is dedicated to the legacy of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad and includes a visitor center, picnic pavilion, gardens and trails, which provide an opportunity to experience firsthand the beauty of the Tubman landscape while also gaining insight into the hardship and challenges enslaved African Americans faced during their journeys to freedom. Immersive and interactive exhibits reveal stories about Tubman’s life. dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/ eastern/tubman.aspx Denton CRN G-22 Caroline County Courthouse and Jail Courthouse Square 109 Market St, 21629 410-479-2730 This is the site where Underground Railroad operatives and enslaved people were imprisoned for fleeing the bonds of slavery. Some were later tried at the courthouse. In late July 1858, a group of seven freedom seekers and Hugh Hazlett, an Irish immigrant who helped them escape, were captured and brought to the jail. They were later taken to trial via steamboat down the Choptank River. The freedom seekers were re-enslaved and Hazlett was convicted and sent to prison for 44 years. In 1849, Isaac Gibson, a free African American, was captured and jailed in Denton for helping enslaved John Stokes attempt to flee. Gibson was tried and convicted at the Caroline County Courthouse in March 1851 and sentenced to more than three years in prison. harriettubmanbyway.org/caroline-courthouse Crouse Memorial Park 5 Crouse Park, 21629 410-479-2050 Moses Viney fled his enslaver Richard Murphy in 1840. The plantation’s hounds tracked him and two other men in his party, but Moses relied on a carefully made plan. He had been feeding Murphy’s dogs and treating them well. When the dogs charged him, Moses greeted them and ordered them home. The three men then crossed the Choptank River. carolinemd.org/ facilities/facility/details/ Daniel-Crouse-Memorial- Park-42 Denton Steamboat Wharf 10219 River Landing Rd, 21629 • 410-479-0655 At this wharf, captured Underground Railroad agent Hugh Hazlett and seven freedom seekers boarded the steamer Kent for return to Cambridge, from which they had fled. The group had left Town Point in Cambridge, but were betrayed by a free African American named Jesse Perry and were captured between Henderson and Templeville in northeast Caroline County. The group was placed in the Caroline County jail in Denton prior to their return trip to Cambridge for trial. The freedom seekers were re-enslaved and Hazlett was convicted and sent to prison for 44 years. harriettubmanbyway.org/ denton-steamboat-wharf Museum of Rural Life 16 N Second St, 21629 410-479-2055 Museum depicts historic rural lifestyle of townspeople including a free black sailor and an enslaved girl. Exhibits highlight Harriet Tubman, who passed through the area along the Underground Railroad. carolinehistory.org/places/ museum-of-rural-life Richard Potter Home Site 9 N 4th St, 21629 410-479-2730 In this post Civil War residence of Richard Potter, he wrote his kidnapping narrative. Born free around 1838 in Greensboro, Delaware, Richard was indentured in 1848 by his mother, Sydney Potter to Batchelder Skinner, a farmer near Greensboro. Skinner leased him illegally to Edward Taylor, another Greensboro farmer around 1852, who was cruel and abusive. Richard’s parents sued to cancel their son’s indenture, and Taylor schemed to sell Potter as a slave. In 1853, in a trap set by Taylor, Potter was kidnapped and sold to a man named Vaughn, who lived near Concord, Delaware. With search parties hot on his trail, Vaughn decided to kill Potter. Potter fled from Vaughn and found refuge with a sympathetic neighbor, Mrs. Short. Potter was rescued and brought back to Denton to be greeted by his joyful parents and cheering crowds. Richard Potter Rescue Celebration Site 4 N 2nd St, 21629 410-479-0655 This site is the location of the former hotel where Richard Potter was brought after he was rescued from being kidnapped into slavery in 1853. At this site, Richard Potter’s freedom began. African American and white residents celebrated the rescue and return of Richard John Potter, a free black youth who had been kidnapped from Greensboro, MD and sold into slavery in Delaware. Potter’s indenture, kidnapping and rescue are vividly documented in his memoir, The Narrative of the Experience, Adventures, and Escape of Richard Potter, published in 1866. Tuckahoe Neck Meeting House 24820 Meeting House Rd, 21629 • 410-479-0655 Built in 1803, this was one of five Quaker meeting houses in Caroline County whose members sustained a local Underground Railroad network. Quakers also supported women’s equality and the end of slavery. Abolitionist Hannah Leverton from the Linchester Mill area spoke here also. harriettubmanbyway.org/Tuckahoe-neck-meeting-house William Still Family Interpretive Center 4-H Park, Detour Rd, 21629 410-479-0655 William Still, famous Underground Railroad agent and author of The Underground Railroad, has family roots in this area. His mother, Sidney Still, and four of her children lived in a house similar to the one found here on Alexander “Saunders” Griffith’s plantation. Sidney fled around 1806, but had to leave her two sons, Levin and Peter, behind. Griffith sold the boys to slave traders from Kentucky. Sidney joined her husband in New Jersey and renamed herself Charity. Eventually Peter was reunited with his family with the assistance of Still. harriettubmanbyway.org/William-stillinterpretive- center Choptank River 3 Crouse Park Lane 21629 410-479-4950 Site of numerous escape attempts by freedom seekers relying on their own maritime skills or secreted aboard vessels. More than 15 public access points, including Martinak State Park, Choptank Boat Launch, the Choptank River Heritage Center and Joppa Steamboat Wharf in West Denton. https://choptankriverheritage. org/wp3/ East New Market DOR H-22 Faith Community United Methodist Church 509 Railroad Ave, 21613 410-943-4383 Sarah Young, a free black woman, deeded land near here in 1843 to seven free black trustees, including the Rev. Samuel Green, an Underground Railroad agent, to establish the Colored People’s Methodist Episcopal Church in August 1844. The building is the second to house this continuously operating congregation. harriettubmanbyway.org/ faith-community-unitedmethodist- church Isaac Henry Wright Farm Site 4042 Baker Rd at Rt 16, 21613 • 410-903-5273 In April 1856, Harriet Tubman arrived on Maryland’s Eastern Shore hoping to rescue her sister Rachel. She was unable to do so, but instead rescued four enslaved men living at and near a farm in Cabin Creek who were ready to leave. Underground Railroad Agent Sydney Howard Gay of New York City wrote that “Captain Tubman arrived safely with her charges on May 14.” Benjamin Jackson and James Coleman, enslaved by Isaac Henry Wright; Henry Hopkins, enslaved by John Houston; and William A. Connoway, enslaved by Levin Hodson. The four eventually settled in Canada. Easton TAL H-21 Frederick Douglass Marker Matthewstown Rd, near Tuckahoe River Bridge, 21601 410-770-8000 Frederick Douglass was born in 1818 on a farm that is now Trappers Corner. A marker honors his memory. frederickdouglassbirthplace.org Frederick Douglass Statue 11 N Washington St, 21601 410-770-8001 The Frederick Douglass Honor Society commissioned sculptor Jay Hall Carpenter for the statue of Frederick Douglass on the front lawn of Talbot County Courthouse. frederickdouglassbirthplace. org Historical Society of Talbot County 30 S Washington St, 21601 410-822-0773 Campus includes an antiques shop, three historic homes and a museum that features profiles and exhibits on important African Americans from Talbot County. https://talbothistory.org/ Third Haven Meeting House 405 S Washington St, 21601 410-822-0293 The oldest positively identified structure in Maryland. Used by Quakers, who were ardent abolitionists, it likely housed freedom seekers. thirdhaven.org Elkton CEC B-22 Historical Society of Cecil County 135 E Main St, 21921 410-398-1790 Genealogical library, artifacts, local history library, log cabin. Resources on enslaved persons and African Americans in Maryland. cecilhistory.org/ Greensboro CRN G-22 Greensboro North Main St & Cedar Ln, 21639 • 410-479-0655 In 1797, Greensboro resident Peter Harrington was president of the Choptank Abolition Society, formed to promote the end of slavery in Maryland. Quakers, some Methodists and others joined the society. Peter Harrington is buried in a local cemetery in Greensboro. harriettubmanbyway. org/Greensboro Harmony CRN G-22 Joseph Cornish Escape from Gilpin’s Point Holly Park Dr, 21655 410-479-2730 Enslaved Joseph Cornish escaped on a vessel on the Choptank River from Gilpin’s Point, one of the busiest wharves along the Choptank River in Caroline County in the 19th century. He stopped in Philadelphia and told his story to William Still who recorded it. Still offered him food and rest and sent him to New York and then Canada. harriettubmanbyway.org/Gilpin-point Madison DOR I-21 Jacob Jackson Home Site MD Route 16, 21648 This is the homesite of Jacob Jackson, a free black farmer and noted veterinarian, who helped Tubman rescue her brothers. In 1854, Tubman discovered that her brothers were soon to be sold as slaves. She had a friend in Philadelphia write a letter to Jackson, who lived near the plantation where her brothers worked. Within the letter was a carefully coded message to Jacob to let her brothers know that she was coming for them. With Jacob’s help, Harriet’s brothers were able to meet her and escape out of Maryland and into Canada. nps.gov/hatu Madison MD Rt 16 & Madison Canning House Rd, 21648 In early June 1854, Harriet Tubman successfully led from here Winnebar Johnson, the slave of Samuel Harrington. Johnson was passed along to the bustling port of New Bedford, Massachusetts. Jacob Jackson, the free black veterinarian and farmer, who received a coded letter and helped Tubman arrange the escape of her three brothers, also lived in the area. harriettubmanbyway. org/Madison Malone’s Church White Marsh Rd, 21648 For decades before the Civil War, four nearby communities, connected by footpaths through the woods, provided a strong social network among free and enslaved blacks. As soon as the war ended, these communities established their own African- American churches. Founded in 1864, Malone’s Methodist Episcopal Church was the first. harriettubmanbyway.org/malones-church Parson’s Creek: Keene Family Escape Route Parsons Creek at Rt 16, 21648 • 410-228-1000 In April 1831, Joseph Keene and his pregnant wife Nellie stole a small boat and sailed their seven children to freedom from Parsons Creek in Dorchester County. Enslaved by Levin Woolford, the Keene family took an unusual and risky step to liberate themselves. Escapes of entire families, especially large families, were rare. Joe and Nellie were successful in evading capture. harriettubmanbyway.org/ joseph-stewarts-canal Millington KEN D-21 Grantham and Forrest Farm 31245 Chesterville Bridge Rd, 21651 • 410-778-0416 Benjamin Tillotson (Abram Rilison) escaped from enslavement here in 1857 during a religious camp meeting, as he feared being sold to slave traders from Georgia upon the death of his master and plantation owner, Samuel Jarman. Tillotson narrowly escaped slave catchers who pursued him. Today, Grantham and Forrest Farm is not open to the public. Please view site from the road. kentcounty.com Perry Point CEC B-22 Susquehanna Railroad Ferry at Perryville Perry Point VA Medical Center, 21902 • 410-287-8872 The Philadelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad Steam Ferry Landing site at the mouth of the Susquehanna River was used for numerous famous and lesser known Underground Railroad escapes, as well as a kidnapping and rescue of a free Pennsylvanian. At the Susquehanna River, trains stopped in Havre de Grace, and passengers and cars crossed on the railroad ferry, then resumed their journey from Perryville. Frederick Douglass escaped on this railroad in 1838. Others include Henry “Box” Brown, Charlotte Giles and Harriet Eglin and the Crafts. history.amtrak.com/blogs/ blog/exploring-undergroundrailroad- heritage-sites/ Pocomoke City WOR M-24 Sturgis One-Room School Museum 209 Willow St, 21851 410-957-1913 Circa 1900, African-American one-room school museum. octhebeach.com/museum/Sturgis.html Preston CRN H-22 Choptank Landing Choptank Rd at Choptank River, 21655 Josiah Bailey, a skilled shipwright, escaped slavery in November 1856 by rowing a boat at night six miles from Jamaica Point in Talbot County up the Choptank River. He passed by here on his way to nearby Poplar Neck, where he met with Ben Ross, Harriet Tubman’s father, to plan his escape the next time she was ready to go. Tubman led Bailey and three others to Canada. harriettubmanbyway.org/choptank-landing Jacob and Hannah Leverton House 3531 Seaman Rd, 21655 410-673-1910 Jacob and Hannah Leverton’s home provided a safe haven and was a major stop along the Underground Railroad. After Jacob’s death in 1857, his son Arthur provided protection and aid to runaways. Exposed as Underground Railroad agents in 1858, Arthur and Daniel Hubbard, a free black neighbor, fled for their lives ahead of a local mob seeking revenge for attempting escape. There is an interpretive marker. The house is not open to the public. harriettubmanbyway.org/Jacob-and-hannahleverton- home Linchester Mill 3390 Linchester Rd, 21655 410-310-9202 Quakers and free blacks who lived near and worked at the mill secretly helped fleeing slaves pass through the area. The mill dam created a spot to cross Hunting Creek on freedom seekers’ journeys northward. carolinehistory.org/ places/linchester-mill-campus Poplar Neck Plantation at Marsh Creek Northwest side of Marsh Creek Bridge, Poplar Neck Rd, 21655 410-479-2730 This area is part of the former Anthony C. Thompson “Poplar Neck” plantation where Harriet Tubman conducted several escape missions during the 1850s. Harriet Tubman’s parents, Ben and Rit Ross, were active in the Underground Railroad from their home on this large plantation. They assisted Tubman, her brothers and others as they escaped from here on Christmas Day in 1854. Tubman also led another group from this area in November 1856 with Ben Ross’s aid. The northwest side of the bridge is owned by Caroline County. The rest of the former plantation is privately owned. harriettubmanbyway.org/choptank-landing Webb Cabin Grove Rd, 21655 James H. Webb, a free African- American farmer, built this hand-hewn log home around 1852 and lived here with his enslaved wife and their four children. Typical of housing for most African Americans at the time, this cabin is a rare survivor. harriettubmanbyway. org/webb-cabin Princess Anne SOM L-23 Teackle Mansion 11736 Mansion St, 21853 410-651-2238; 1-800-521-9189 Early-1800s brick mansion is home of Somerset Historical Society. somersetcountyhistoricalsociety.org Queenstown QUA F-21 Belle Vue Carmichael Rd, 21658 Phebe Myers, a free black spinner residing on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, helped seven of her children and grandchildren to seek freedom from the Carmichael / Belle Vue Farm near Wye Island in August 1855. Their slaveholder, Richard Bennett Carmichael, had emancipated Phebe in 1839. They were apprehended and Phebe Myers was indicted on seven counts of “harboring and assisting slaves to run away.” Myers was sentenced by Judge Philomen B. Hopper to more than 42 years in prison. The judge was a leader among ardent Methodist reformers whose beliefs included abolition. Less than six months after her sentencing, Queen Anne’s County leaders, including Hopper and Carmichael, successfully petitioned the Governor for her pardon in May 1856. This case illustrates the complicated nature of relations among slave holders, their servants in bondage and free African Americans. The site is a private residence near Queenstown and is not open to the public. storiesofthechesapeake.org Salisbury WIC K-24 Chipman Cultural Center 327 Broad St, 21801 410-860-9290 Located in the oldest standing African-American church on the Delmarva, circa 1838, the center features displays and events highlighting the area’s rich African-American heritage. chipmancenter.org Snow Hill WOR M-25 Mount Zion One-Room School Museum 117 Ironshire St, 21863 410-632-0669 Authentic one-room school, built in 1869, and used as a school until 1931. furnacetown.org/mt-ziononeroom- schoolhouse St. Michaels TAL H-20 Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum 213 North Talbot St, 21663 410-745-2916 Extensive maritime exhibits, plus a white clapboard house once owned by Peter Mitchell, a free black man who married the sister of Frederick Douglass. One son worked as a bay waterman in the 1800s. cbmm.org Sudlersville QUA E-22 Dudley’s Chapel Marker 1110 Benton Corner Rd, 21668 410-928-3406 Among the oldest Methodist churches in the country. Preaching station for bishops Cooke and Ashbury. historicqac.org/historicsite/ dudleys-chapel Taylors Island DOR J-19 New Revived Church 4350 Smithville Rd, 21669 410-228-2110 The New Revived United Methodist Church, once known as Jefferson Methodist Episcopal Church, was established in Smithville in 1876. Before the Civil War, Methodist Camp Meetings were popular in the area. harriettubmanbyway.org/new-revived-unitedmethodist- church Unionville TAL H-20 Unionville Unionville & Tunis Mills Rds, 21601 • 410-770-8000 Town named in honor of 17 African-American Civil War soldiers who returned home to purchase land. tourtalbot.org Worton KEN D-21 African American Schoolhouse Museum 11730 St. James-Newtown Rd, 21678 • 410-810-1416 One-room schoolhouse built in 1890. Showplace of 19th- and early-20th-century photographs, oral histories and artifacts from Kent County’s African-American community. kentcounty.com/attractions/ museums/#aaschoolhouse Charles Sumner GAR Hall 206 S Queen St, 21620 410-778-3222 Built in 1908, one of only two African-American Civil War veterans’ halls standing in the United States. A Civil War Trails exhibit interprets the hall. kentcounty.com/attractions/ museums/sumner-hall HARRIET TUBMAN (1822–1913) began life enslaved in the Cambridge area. Having escaped in 1849, she returned a year later as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad and helped lead dozens of enslaved family and friends to freedom over thirteen trips. In 2013, to mark the 100th anniversary of her passing, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park were dedicated. FREDERICK DOUGLASS (1818-1895), began his life on Maryland’s Eastern Shore as a slave. After years of mistreatment he was sent to Baltimore, where he began working for the brotherin- law of his master’s daughter as a ship’s caulker. In 1838, he disguised himself as a sailor and crossed into free territory. He was one of the most gifted writers and speakers of the Civil War era, and led the abolitionist movement by using words as a tool against the people who attempted to oppress him. He later served as the U.S. minister and consul general to Haiti.

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2022 African American Heritage Guide


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