2019-11-07 00:41:51
10219 River Landing Road Denton, MD 21629 410-479-0655 www.carolinehistory.org/places/choptank-river-heritage-center/
During the 1850s, steamboats loaded with freight and passengers made weekly departures from Denton to Baltimore. Enslaved African Americans worked in shipyards here on the Choptank River. When Underground Railroad conductor Hugh Hazlett was arrested for assisting enslaved people to flee, he boarded a steamboat here in 1858 on his way to trial in Cambridge, downriver, where he faced possible mob violence.
The Choptank River played a role in the history of slavery as much as any plantation field. At this point, it was still wide and deep enough to serve as a barrier to escape for freedom seekers. Imagine the challenges they faced in trying to ford or cross waterways or hide away on vessels.
Denton boasted not only an active port, but also a ferry crossing, and the Eastern Shore’s first moveable bridge structure spanned the Choptank here in 1811.
Next Site
Head northeast on River Landing Rd. Travel 0.4 mile. Turn left onto MD 328 W. Travel 0.3 mile. Turn right onto MD 404 BUS W. The meeting house is on the right, adjacent to Choptank Electric Cooperative.
Previous Site
Head northeast on River Landing Rd. Travel 0.4 mile. Turn left onto MD 328 W. Travel 0.3 mile. Turn left onto MD 404 BUS E/ Meeting House Rd. Continue straight onto Market St. Make a sharp left to stay on Market St. Continue straight onto Gay St. The park is straight ahead.
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