2019-11-07 00:26:18
Bucktown Road and Decoursey Bridge Road Bucktown, MD 21613 There is no public access.
The flight of the “Dover Eight” made national headlines on March 8, 1857 when eight slaves escaped together from the Bucktown area, two of them from this farm. The group first sought help from Reverend Samuel Green in East New Market. Then they found assistance from Harriet Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, at Poplar Neck in Caroline County. Eventually they found their way to Thomas Otwell, a black Underground Railroad conductor in Delaware. Tubman trusted Otwell with the group’s safety. Instead, he betrayed her trust and lured them to the Dover, DE, jail so he could collect the $3,000 reward for their capture. With quick thinking and a show of force, the group successfully broke out of the jail and fled to Wilmington, DE, then Philadelphia, PA, and finally to Canada.
Local slaveholders sought swift and stern justice for anyone who assisted the “Dover Eight.” The Reverend Samuel Green was arrested and jailed on suspicion of aiding the group’s escape. Ben Ross nearly experienced the same fate, but Tubman rescued him just in time. Two of the eight escapees temporarily joined John Brown’s small army in Canada before the raid on Harper’s Ferry.
By continuing north on Bucktown Road, you will pass the Cambridge – Dorchester Regional Airport where Kay’s Country Kitchen is a favorite local eating establishment and a great place to take a break and watch planes take off and land.
Next Site
Drive north along Bucktown Road for several miles until you come to Route 50. Turn right onto Route 50 East. Travel about 2 miles, move into the left lane, and turn left onto MD 16 E at signal. Continue driving north on MD 16 E. Turn left on Mt. Holly Rd. to stay on 16. Continue north on MD 16 E. Turn right onto MD 14 (Railroad Avenue). Cross Rt 392, then stop at Faith Community Church on the right.
Previous Site
Drive south on Bucktown Rd. for 0.5 mile. The chapel is on the right.
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