Maryland Official Visitors Guide - 2020 Maryland Official Visitors Guide
Underground Railroad
2019-12-19 23:34:31
The Most Powerful Underground Railroad Storytelling Destination in the World
BLACKWATER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
The journey to freedom was filled with risk, as freedom seekers had to successfully navigate land and waterways, forage for food and evade capture. There’s no better way for you to experience their powerful, life-changing story than on the Harriet Tubman Undergroud Railroad Byway. Follow the Byway Guide and you’ll discover the 28,000-acre Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County has remained largely unchanged since the days of the Underground Railroad and provides an example of the terrain that many of Maryland’s freedom seekers had to navigate. Several escapes occurred within the refuge boundaries and today, visitors can explore the waterways and wildlife on walking and paddling trails.
CHOPTANK RIVER LIGHTHOUSE
The Choptank River Lighthouse offers stunning views of historic Cambridge and is home to a museum celebrating the maritime heritage of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. The lighthouse is a replica of an earlier beacon that guided sailors up and down the Choptank River—an important path northward that was likely used many times by freedom seekers, including Harriet Tubman and her passengers on the Underground Railroad.
HARRIET TUBMAN MURAL
Located on the outside wall of the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center in Cambridge, local artist Michael Rosato’s new mural depicts Harriet Tubman extending an encouraging hand to all those who pass by the museum. The powerful mural has already gained national attention on social media channels and is a must-see photo stop for visitors.
HARRIET TUBMAN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD VISITOR CENTER
Near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge sits the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center. The center is home to multimedia exhibits detailing Harriet Tubman’s life, from childhood to her flight to freedom, and her epic feats of daring rescue. Inspiring exhibits include profound elements—like a list of people who Tubman freed, set upon plaques that read “We are free because of Harriet Tubman.” A gift shop and library feature books about slavery, those who fought against and lived under it, and the fight for equality.
BUCKTOWN VILLAGE STORE
Just 15 minutes east of the Visitor Center, the Bucktown Village Store is kept in its early-19th century condition. Tour the site of Harriet Tubman’s first act of defiance then visit other places associated with Tubman, including Brodess Farm, the home of Harriet Tubman’s enslaver and the place where she endured much of her nightmare before fleeing and becoming the “Moses of her People.”
LINCHESTER MILL
At Linchester Mill in Preston, free and enslaved African Americans worked side by side and shared valuable information and resources to support freedom seekers. The mill sat amidst a secret network of safe houses, and many Quakers and free blacks who lived near the mill secretly helped fleeing enslaved persons pass through the area. Today, visitors can explore the grounds and walk through the Nature Braille Trail that winds behind the historic mill.
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