Chestertown Historical Society of Kent County 301 High Street, 21620 410-778-3499 Information and tours on African-American history in Kent County. kentcountyhistory.org Church Creek 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 Caroline County Courthouse and Jail Courthouse Square 109 Market St, 21629 410-310-9202 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 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. 32 Maryland’s Underground Railroad & African-American Heritage Travel Guide
African American Heritage Guide 2025 African American Heritage Guide: Page 32
