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Home to a large population of free and enslaved Blacks, and sympathetic whites, Underground Railroad support grew in Maryland in the years leading to emancipation. Many of the nation’s best-known Underground Railroad leaders emerged in this environment. These agents and untold more guided Underground Railroad passengers to safety and fought for their freedom. Explore their stories at The Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African-American History and Culture and the Banneker-Douglass-Tubman Museum and at the[...]

Fells Point was a waterfront shipbuilding and commercial business district, made famous by the Baltimore Clippers, first designed and launched from these slipways. Frederick Douglass worked as a caulker in the shipyards and planned his successful escape from slavery here in 1838.

Explore the 1879 Hooper Strait Lighthouse, working shipyard, meet traditional craftsmen, enjoy hands-on activities and discover exhibitions detailing the Bay's role throughout history. On Maryland's Frederick Douglass Driving Tour. A recognized Chesapeake Bay Storyteller, trained by the Maryland Office of Tourism.

This Smithsonian affiliate offers exhibits, musical performances, films, kids' workshops, genealogy resources, lectures, and a soul food cafe'. Emphasis on Maryland African-American history and culture. On Maryland's Frederick Douglass Driving Tour. A National Park Service National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom site.

A Dangerous Journey Escaping bondage and running to freedom was a dangerous and potentially life-threatening decision. Making the choice to leave loved ones, even children behind was heart-wrenching. Surviving exposure without proper clothing, finding food and shelter, and navigating into unknown territory while eluding slave catchers all made the journey perilous. At Maryland’s Network to Freedom sites and programs, you can discover personal stories about the ways enslaved people struggled for freedom and how others[...]

Maryland’s Hotbed of Underground Railroad Support Home to a large free black population, enslaved blacks and sympathetic whites, a hotbed of Underground Railroad support grew in Maryland in the years leading up to emancipation. Many of the nation’s best-known Underground Railroad leaders and abolitionists emerged. Names like Harriet Tubman, the “Moses of her People,” Frederick Douglass, accomplished orator, abolitionist and statesman, and Josiah Henson, whose slave narrative became inspiration for the character Uncle Tom in[...]

Take your time experiencing the special beauty of this tidewater region with its pristine waterways and vibrant historic waterfront villages. The lifestyles and livelihoods of generations of watermen, shipbuilders and farmers have been shaped by a landscape that, even to this day, makes it easy for visitors to imagine when goods were shipped to “faraway Baltimore” in wooden barrels lashed aboard schooners. The pace of life is slower here. Charming small towns are often accessed[...]

After shooting President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, John Wilkes Booth fled into Southern Maryland and towards Virginia. His leg broken in a fall at the theater, Booth met up with accomplice David Herold before stopping at the Surratt House and Tavern for supplies and guns stashed there earlier. Booth and Herold then stopped at the farmhouse of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, who splinted the assassin's leg. They managed to cross the Potomac River into[...]

The National Park Service created the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom to commemorate the places and people who shaped the journey to freedom. Network to Freedom sites are documented places where the enslaved escaped from bondage, the routes they took, places where they stayed or found assistance, and sometimes places where their freedom was tried and tested. Network to Freedom programs provide authentic information about the Underground Railroad and people who escaped. Network to[...]