Maryland‘s Lower Eastern Shore Underground Railroad Site Collection

Curtis United Methodist Church was founded and built by men and women who were formerly enslaved by Curtis W. Jacobs, including some who attempted or succeeded in escaping from him, such as Jacob Holland. The church was founded on property once owned by Curtis Jacobs and where some of the church’s founders toiled while enslaved.

Here in the cemetery, the people who suffered the most and were closest to Jacobs are laid to rest in unmarked gravesites. The descendants of the enslaved - modern-day church members - are living reminders of their resilience, their faith and their belief in the right to freedom and self-determination.

Jacobs was notorious for being one of the largest and cruelest slaveholders on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore. He recorded his personal interactions, activities, thoughts and feelings in his handwritten journal. He fought the operation of the Underground Railroad through published writings and the Maryland legislature. As a member of the Maryland General Assembly, Jacobs fought for free Blacks to be expelled from the country or re-enslaved. He called for Underground Railroad conductor Thomas Garrett to be caught and hanged.

In June 1855, an enslaved man named Handy successfully ran away from Jacobs. Jacobs thwarted a man named Joshua who attempted to escape in December of that year. Numerous others fled from Jacobs, including those who joined the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War, such as Jacob Holland.

In 1856 Jacobs wrote in his journal that he discovered “letters revealing a plot by which a large number of negroes were to run away.” Jacobs rounded up a posse of Worcester County men and rode on horseback between several farms where these freedom seekers were hired out. Thirty-eight likely freedom seekers were detained by Jacobs and William Holland.

Jacobs severely punished them and marched them to Prairie Bluff, Alabama to work on cotton plantations. Six of the freedom seekers died during this grueling labor. Their children, newly orphaned, were returned to Jacobs here in Campbelltown.

In 1872, following the Civil War and the end of slavery, Jacobs sold a quarter acre of land for one dollar to the community of people whom he formerly held in bondage to use for worship, education, and to bury their deceased members, forming the roots of Curtis United Methodist Church. Freedom seeker Jacob Holland became a church trustee.

The Curtis United Methodist Church and Cemetery now serve as a memorial to those who survived enslavement by Jacobs on land that once witnessed the community’s trauma and resilience.

Curtis United Methodist Church
11808 Campbelltown Road
Bishopville, MD 21813
410 352-5647

Several journeys to freedom began in and around the town of Berlin, within an area known as the Burley Tract. Among those who sought freedom were William and Josiah in 1839, Leah in 1854, and Oliver Pernell, Isaac Jacobs, and Catherine Pitts in 1855.

In 1839, William fled from John C. Dirickson who had property in Berlin and on the Sinepuxent Bay. Josiah escaped from John S. Purnell. Both men appeared to have succeeded. Two free Black men, Isaac Hudson, known as “Boating Isaac,” and Andrew Massey were involved in helping this duo escape. Indictments were brought against Hudson and Massey for enticing, persuading, and assisting their escape from the town of Berlin. Hudson and Massey were found guilty and sentenced to two three-year prison terms. Sadly, Hudson died while incarcerated.

Family ties often shaped the difficult choices enslaved people faced when deciding whether to seek freedom or remain with loved ones. In 1855, Oliver Pernell escaped enslavement by Moses Purnell from the Burley Tract near Berlin, just south of Buckingham Presbyterian Church. Determined to keep the wages he earned, Oliver made the painful decision to pursue freedom while leaving his parents, two brothers, and three sisters behind.

Oliver did not leave alone. He fled with Isaac Jacobs, enslaved by Henry Pilchard and Hannah D. Fitchett. Isaac’s wife Leah had previously escaped north to freedom in the spring of 1854, and Isaac followed over a year later in search of Leah, hopeful they could reunite, although he had no idea of her whereabouts. The two had five children together, none of whom escaped.

Oliver and Isaac arrived at Underground Railroad agent William Still’s home in Philadelphia in late 1855. Mr. Still recorded their escape in his journal. Isaac described his enslaver, Mrs. Fitchett. He spoke kindly of her, but Still regarded Pernell’s view as unaware. It meant only that they had not been beaten and starved half to death. Isaac relayed to Mr. Still his feelings of dejection and loneliness at hearing nothing from his wife Leah.

Still sent Oliver and Isaac to Underground Railroad agent Sydney Howard Gay in New York City, who also recorded their journey in his journal. The duo arrived at his station on November 19, 1855.

After arriving, they found a woman they  knew, Catherine Pitts, who had also fled from Berlin. She had arrived at Gay’s station on November 17. The three of them sheltered with Gay. Catherine Pitts escaped enslavement from John Pitts, a physician and preacher who lived north of Berlin, after learning she was about to be sold. With encouragement from her husband and brother, she fled by wagon to Delaware, traveled on foot, and then took a steamboat to Philadelphia. She hoped her family would follow with the child she left behind, but whether they were ever reunited remains unknown.

Gay sent Oliver, Isaac (alias Charles Handy) and Catherine (alias Ann Derickson) together onto Syracuse. Oliver eventually arrived in Canada and lived in Niagara Falls, Ontario as a free man for 50 years. His headstone shows a man with a knapsack, a symbol of a freedom seeker. The fates of Catherine Pitts, Leah Davis and Isaac Jacobs are unknown.

Take a walking tour of Berlin’s Main Street to see Victorian, Federal, Greek and Gothic Revival buildings that remain from the 19th century, including those owned by John C. Dirickson and John S. Purnell. Imagine the scene from which these daring freedom seekers escaped. A walking tour brochure and audio history tour are available at the Berlin Welcome Center.

Berlin Welcome Center
14 S. Main Street
Berlin, MD 21811
https://berlinmainstreet.com/berlin-history/
 

Several enslaved men escaped from John C. Dirickson at different times in the early 19th-century. Dirickson owned the Rackliffe House, the site of his major agricultural operations, from 1829 through 1862. Dirickson operated a shingle business here with his brother James that used enslaved men for back-breaking labor.

The men, under the supervision of an overseer, harvested cypress trees in the remote Great Cypress Swamp, hauled them with mules to mills in the nearby towns of Whaleyville, Bishopville and Campbelltown, and processed them into shingles and other products, shipping them from the Rackliffe House. Dirickson enslaved about 20 people in this operation.

William fled from Dirickson in 1839 with Josiah who was enslaved in Berlin by John S. Purnell. The pair were assisted by two free Black men: Isaac Hudson, a 58-year-old nicknamed “Boating Isaac,” and Andrew Massey.  Boating Isaac and Andrew Massey were caught and indicted for enticing, persuading, and assisting the escape of William and Josiah. Hudson and Massey were sentenced to two three-year terms in the Baltimore Penitentiary. Tragically, Isaac Hudson died while imprisoned in 1844.

Two other men, 24 year-old Peter fled from Dirickson with 26 year-old Charles Purnell in December 1854. They traveled northward by foot, eventually arriving at the home of Quaker abolitionist and Underground Railroad agent, Thomas Garrett in Wilmington, Delaware. Garrett wrote in a letter to his friend, J. Miller McKim, “I now have two more from the lowest county in Maryland, on the Peninsula upwards of one hundred miles. I will try to get one of our trusty colored men to take them tomorrow.”

Garrett sent Peter and Charles onto William Still’s Underground Railroad station in Philadelphia, where they arrived on New Year’s Day 1855. Still recorded their escape in his journal and gave them aid from the Vigilance Committee. Charles explained, “I left because I wanted my time and money for myself.” Charles mourned leaving his parents, three brothers, and five sisters behind, who remained enslaved. Peter Derrickson and Charles Purnell successfully fled from slavery and found freedom in the North.

The house, which was built by Captain Charles Rackliffe in 1752 as the headquarters for his plantation, is open seasonally for tours. Docents interpret life on the 18th-century coastal plantation, including the vital role that African Americans had in the development of the region. Exhibits explore the role of enslaved workers at Rackliffe House and in Worcester County, as well as interactions between European colonists and the Native American Assateague tribe. The Rackliffe Trail and grounds are open daily, year-round from sunrise to sunset. Leashed pets are permitted on the trail and grounds.

Rackliffe House
Behind the Visitor Center on Assateague Island
11800 Marsh View Land
Berlin, MD 21811
410-629-1011

Enslaved people and freedom seekers in Worcester County were familiar with the courthouse and jail in Snow Hill. The courthouse symbolized power and control held by wealthy white landowners, and though infrequent, it also offered the possibility of obtaining freedom.

Throughout the 18th and early 19th centuries, the courthouse and jail were central to numerous cases involving enslaved people and freedom seekers. Some petitioned the court for their freedom, often seeking to settle the terms of an enslaver's will or estate. Others were imprisoned here after failed escape attempts. Free and enslaved Black people were also vulnerable to kidnapping and could be held in jail while the courts determined their legal status.

In October of 1831, two women, Abigail and Ann with their children Leonard and Jane, broke out of the Accomack County jail in Virginia, about 50 miles south of Snow Hill. The group had been taken from slave trader Daniel McKenzie, who kidnapped them and brought them south into Virginia from Delaware. The families were afraid that they would be sold to a slaveholder in the Deep South, where the working conditions were brutal.

Abigail and Ann were determined not to let that happen. They yearned for their liberation and had freedom in sight. They headed northward into Maryland with the prospect of reaching the border of the free state of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, the group was apprehended in Worcester County and jailed in Snow Hill. They were transported back to the jail in Accomack County, Virginia.

A man named Mr. Currie, representing Daniel McKenzie, whisked them away across the Chesapeake Bay aboard a steamboat to Portsmouth, Virginia. Newspaper reports stated they were likely on their way to North Carolina.

A few years later, three men—Charles Godfrey, J.H. Hudson, and Hardy Powell—were arrested “for stealing a negro boy, the property of Mrs. Davis … sold in Drummondtown, VA.” Slaveholders in Maryland viewed kidnappers as thieves who had stolen their so-called “property.” In a striking contradiction, the jail held both the free and enslaved Black victims of kidnapping and the very individuals accused of illegally taking them.

Before emancipation, free Black people were often viewed as a threat by authorities, leading to laws that severely restricted their movement, rights, and daily lives. When traveling, their freedom could be challenged; if they were considered suspicious or unable to produce valid freedom papers, they could be detained in county jails. In many cases, these proceedings ended with them being “disposed of”—a term used to describe their sale into slavery.

In 1831, Merry Ewall, a free Black woman from Virginia was jailed in Snow Hill for remaining in the state longer than was allowed by law. Ewall was fined $225. Capril Purnell, a man from Delaware violated the same law and his fine was $4000. Merry and Capril were  quickly sold into slavery to pay the fine.

Rarely, enslaved men and women found success and freedom at the courthouse through legal avenues such as self-purchase and manumission.

Interpretive markers on site describe the courthouse building and Civil War-related activity in the area.

1 W. Market Street
Snow Hill, MD 21863

Numerous enslaved men gained their freedom at the Snow Hill Wharf by joining the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.), regiments approved by President Lincoln to grow the Union Army ranks during the Civil War.

In 1863, the steamboat John Tracey traveled along the Pocomoke River and arrived in Snow Hill with the excitement and fanfare of a grand celebration. A brass band of Black musicians played from the deck, announcing the arrival of a vessel that some enslaved African Americans had nicknamed “Jesus.” Aboard the boat, Union General David Birney welcomed enslaved and free Black men to join the Union Army and fight for freedom.

Hundreds of Black men streamed toward the boat, eager to serve their country and end slavery, while believing they were being transported to the “promised land.”

Worcester County sat on the border between Maryland and Virginia, and its county seat, Snow Hill, experienced heightened tensions before and during the Civil War. Local Worcester County politician Curtis W. Jacobs argued in Maryland’s General Assembly that the state should secede from the Union to protect its “slave property.” The Union Army quickly occupied the Delmarva Peninsula to secure important telegraph lines to Norfolk, maintain control over its border with Virginia, and enable a Naval blockade of the Chesapeake Bay.

Enslaved black men gained freedom through military enlistment in the 9th Regiment of the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T) at the Snow Hill Wharf on the Pocomoke River. These soldiers included 16-year-old Frost, and 18-year-old Peter, along with James (35), Major (35), Jenkins (28) and Henry (age unknown), all enslaved by Curtis W. Jacobs, who wrote details about their escape in his journal. Jacobs’ enslaved men departed from the Snow Hill Wharf and were transported to Camp Benedict on the Patuxent River where their service began.

As men like Frost, Peter, James, Major, Jenkins, and Henry joined the U.S.C.T., some white men who had been selected for military drafts fled into the swamps to avoid service. These draft evaders became known as “skedaddlers.”

Marylanders loyal to the Union whose slaves enlisted in the Colored Troops were eligible to receive $300 compensation if a proper application was made. Initially, Curtis W. Jacobs was not offered this certificate of compensation, because his loyalty was questioned.

John Quincy Adams Dennis boarded the steamboat in Snow Hill, but did not serve in the U.S.C.T. Instead, Dennis sailed to freedom in Boston where he wrote a compelling letter to the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, urging him to free his children from slavery in Maryland. Dennis became a Methodist Episcopal minister who later served in Easton, Maryland and preached on a circuit that included Philadelphia and numerous Eastern Shore towns.

Most of the other soldiers returned to Worcester County following the Civil War. Major Holland was noted as a wounded veteran. James died in Brownsville, Texas in 1865.

Explore Sturgis Park which now occupies the site of the historic wharf. Stroll the scenic River Walk to see nearby murals in the downtown shopping and arts district. Rent a canoe, kayak or paddleboard from the Pocomoke River Paddle Company, or launch your own kayak from the floating launch pad to discover the Pocomoke River’s unique cypress-lined banks via water, and imagine the steamships that once navigated these waters.

Sturgis Park
200 River Street
Snow Hill, MD 21863
410-632-4080

In June of 1860, six freedom seekers used the cover of the Great Cypress Swamp near the Maryland - Delaware border to successfully escape from slavery in a dramatic and perilous journey to freedom.

Thomas Sipple, Henry Burkett, John Purnell and Hale Burton were enslaved by Benjamin Sheppard, James West and Ritchie Fooks. The men cut Bald Cypress trees in the remote swamp, sawed timber and transported logs to mills, where they were processed into shingles and other products. They also harvested grain from farm fields. These men knew the swamp provided coverage and a place for evasion, but was also an unknown and wild territory. Nevertheless, they were willing to brave this difficult landscape and “were fully persuaded that they were entitled to their freedom.”

Joined by Elizabeth Burkett and Mary Ann Sipple, the group purchased a batteau and set out by water, departing late in the evening. They likely traveled north along the Pocomoke River, navigating through the swamps toward the Delaware Bay in search of freedom.

While attempting to cross the Delaware Bay into New Jersey, a group of slave catchers attacked them, hitting one of the freedom seekers over the head with an oar, knocking him down. Thomas Sipple struck the man back and the slave catchers fled, firing their weapons as they ran, injuring the freedom seekers.

The group rowed across the bay reaching the Cape May lighthouse in New Jersey, where they met a sympathetic oyster captain who brought them to Philadelphia for $25. In Philadelphia, Underground Railroad agent William Still recorded their harrowing journey and sent them onto John W. Jones in Elmira, New York.

After Elmira, John Purnell continued on to Toronto where he worked as a carpenter, married and eventually settled in Auburn, New York. Thomas Sipple continued to Ontario and later enlisted in the United States Colored Troops in Elmira, New York, serving in Company G of the 20th Regiment. Following the Civil War, Sipple worked as a laborer in upstate New York. The details of the other freedom seekers’ destinies is unknown.

The area where the men labored in the Great Cypress Swamp and escaped can be seen by crossing the Pocomoke River on MD 346 in Whaleyville, or by 
traveling on Sheppards Crossing Road across the swamp. Further south, visitors can experience the Great Cypress Swamp by boat at Pocomoke River State Park, to see the dark colored river water swirl and meander around iconic Bald Cypress trees. Canoe and kayak rentals are available. The park offers mini cabins, picnic areas, a marina, camping, nature center and hiking trails.

Shad Landing at Pocomoke River State Park
3461 Worcester Highway
Snow Hill, MD 21863
410-632-2566

When Henry Cotton was 24 years old, he decided to escape from Nathaniel Dixon who violently abused him and threatened to sell him. Dixon lived on Ipsenancy Creek, a tributary of the Annemessex River near Marion Station on a farm surrounded by forests that bordered marshes. Henry escaped during the difficult winter of 1859, and fled to a swamp where he hid in a hollow tree.

Over the next year, Cotton’s brother brought him food from time to time. After surviving 12 months in the wilderness and evading capture, Henry fled north to Philadelphia where in 1860 he told his escape story to Underground Railroad agent William Still:

“He fled to a swamp and made his way to the most secluded spot that he could find - to places that were almost impenetrable so dense were the trees and undergrowth. That was all the better for Henry, he wanted to get safety; he did not wish company…Henry passed twelve months in this way, beholding no human soul save his brother.”

William Still continued, “rather than continue as a slave he preferred living in the swamps with wild animals.” 

The Vigilance Committee gave Henry help to move onward. His whereabouts and life after leaving Philadelphia are unknown.

Henry Cotton’s enslaver, Nathaniel Dixon, sought to find and return several other enslaved people who fled prior to Cotton’s escape. In 1856, Dixon and Isaac F. Powell placed a runaway advertisement for a 40-year-old woman named Silba and a 35-year-old man named Ben.

Freedom seekers sometimes sought refuge in the swamps and marshes of the Lower Eastern Shore, which provided ample hiding places. In the colonial period, Native Americans lived on the water’s edge and in remote areas of the Great Cypress Swamp. Some developed close familial relationships with enslaved and free Blacks.

Janes Island State Park is located a few miles south of where Henry Cotton was enslaved and fled near the Big Annemessex River. The park provides an opportunity to experience the marshes and woodlands similar to where Cotton found refuge after fleeing his cruel “master.” Over 30 miles of water trails weave through a saltmarsh bordered by woodland. 

Visitors can enjoy an observation tower, picnic areas, cabins and camping, canoe and kayak rentals, a boat ramp, fishing dock and marina. Janes Island provides visitors a tranquil setting to see wildlife, enjoy expansive vistas and beautiful sunsets. 

Janes Island State Park
26280 Alfred J Lawson Dr.
Crisfield, MD 21817
410-968-1565

On July 17, 1825, three enslaved men - Sterling, Charles, and William - successfully broke out of the Somerset County Jail in Princess Anne after being sold to a slave trader, John H. Joyce. Joyce placed a runaway advertisement in the Cambridge Chronicle, offering a $150 reward for their capture. Joyce supposed they fled toward Delaware. Sterling, Charles and William were likely successful in finding freedom.

The Somerset County Courthouse and jail were a familiar sight for free and enslaved Blacks and freedom seekers. Increasing numbers of enslaved people filed petitions for freedom at the courthouse to settle the wills of their former enslavers. Others were detained in the jail. Free Blacks traveled through the area and were often suspected of being runaways, such as Leah Church from Accomack County, Virginia. Freedom seekers who were captured were detained in the jail.

At times, free Black people were kidnapped and held in jail while courts determined their cases. If an enslaver did not come forward to claim those accused of being runaways, they could be “disposed of,” a term used to describe the sheriff’s sale of them into slavery. Others were imprisoned before and after being sold to traders who transported them to the Deep South, as happened to Sterling, Charles, and William.

The original jail where the trio was imprisoned before escaping bondage stood at the corner of Somerset Avenue and Dr. William P. Hytche Boulevard. It burned down in 1831, and the site is now occupied by a private residence. In 1857, a new Somerset County Jail, known as the “Grey Eagle,” was constructed on Beckford Avenue. Throughout the Civil War, the jail continued to hold both free and enslaved Black people. Today, the Grey Eagle, a 19th-century stone structure, serves as the Princess Anne Police Headquarters.

Stroll through Princess Anne where the original jail sat. The town is an official Maryland Main Street community and a pleasant place to visit with restaurants, boutiques and the historic Washington Hotel and Tavern.

Somerset County Jail Site - Grey Eagle (Built 1857)
11786 Beckford Avenue
Princess Anne, MD 21853

Original Somerset County Jail Site
30514 Dr. William P. Hytche Blvd.
Princess Anne, MD 21853
 

Freedom seekers recognized and took advantage of rare opportunities for escape from religious Camp Meetings on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Methodist churches held week-long outdoor religious revival gatherings in late summer where worshippers praised God and listened to sermons from preachers both white and Black, free and enslaved. These meetings were some of the largest social gatherings in the rural Chesapeake.

Deal Island hosted camp meetings on Maryland’s Eastern Shore at a site within view of the Chesapeake Bay, presenting a chance for escape via water. Believers congregated at this site, where the Joshua Thomas Chapel and the St. John Methodist Episcopal Church were later constructed. Enslavers brought their enslaved men, women and children to the event.

Crowds of people arrived at the camp meeting aboard a steamboat, some from as far away as Baltimore. Freedom was in sight! Enslaved people from Maryland’s Eastern Shore could blend into the throngs of people and board the steamships returning to Baltimore across the broad Chesapeake Bay.

In 1844, Charles and Hezekiah fled the Deal Island Camp Meeting from their Whitehaven enslaver, Captain Marcellus Jones, who was raised on Deal Island. In 1852 Daniel escaped from his Princess Anne enslaver, William T. Fleming. Both enslavers suspected the men of traveling to Baltimore; they posted runaway slave advertisements in the Baltimore Sun newspaper offering rewards for their return. From Baltimore, the freedom seekers likely found passage to the north.

Come to the Joshua Thomas Chapel and St. John’s Methodist Episcopal Church to see the beautiful waterscape and environs of Deal Island. Celebrate the freedom of these three men who risked their lives for liberty. An interpretive marker describes the legacy of Joshua Thomas, “Parson of the Islands,” for whom the chapel was named. Nearby, the Skipjack Heritage Museum explores the history of local watermen and Deal Island Wildlife Management Area offers top-tier birding.

St. John’s Methodist Episcopal Church and Joshua Thomas Chapel
9883 Deal Island Road
Deal Island Historic District, MD 21821

Between 1830 and 1844, several freedom seekers fled from the village of Whitehaven, likely via boat on the Wicomico River. The Whitehaven Ferry carried passengers across the river, and enslaved men labored in local maritime operations, shipping grain and timber from the town up and down the river. Working side by side with others who transported the products to distant ports, the men understood that escape on the river and Chesapeake Bay was a pathway to freedom. Other enslaved people in Whitehaven worked on farms surrounding the village or helped shopkeepers sell goods in the town.

In 1830, an enslaved family escaped from the Atkinsons in Whitehaven. After the death of George D. Atkinson, the couple were afraid of being sold. George Washington and Nanny fled with their two young sons, taking an abundance of clothing from the Atkinson’s village store for their journey. George Washington was skilled at using tools and had a brother who lived in Philadelphia. The Atkinsons suspected that George and his family settled there. By the autumn, the Atkinsons were still looking for the freedom seekers and believed they had  gone to Washington, D.C. George Washington, Nanny and their sons successfully evaded capture.

In 1836, another group of freedom seekers fled from a different family in Whitehaven. Moses, Levin, Maria, and Emeline escaped from John L. Moore after he began selling the people he enslaved. Details of their escape are unknown.

In the summer of 1844, Charles and Hezekiah, two freedom seekers enslaved by Captain Marcellus Jones, planned and began their escape from Jones’ riverfront home in Whitehaven. Marcellus Jones was born on Deal Island and worked as a merchant on the Wicomico River and throughout the Chesapeake Bay.

Jones and his enslaved people traveled to Deal Island for a Methodist camp meeting, a weeklong religious outdoor revival gathering. At the Deal Island Camp Meeting, Charles and Hezekiah made their escape, likely on a steamship heading back to Baltimore, hidden among the crowd and dense maritime traffic that visited the island for the religious meeting. Jones attempted to find them and advertised for their return in the Baltimore Sun. The pair were likely successful in finding freedom, as they were not listed among Jones’ assets in 1848 following their escape.

The Whitehaven National Historic District on the Wicomico River today includes the Captain Marcellus Jones House (circa 1811), the Whitehaven Hotel (circa 1810), and the Whitehaven Ferry (circa 1688) among other historic homes and buildings from the time period when Charles, Hezekiah, and the other freedom seekers fled.

Visit the charming village and travel by ferry on the Wicomico River to experience the freedom of the waterway yourself, like many others did during the 19th century. Spend the night at the Whitehaven Hotel to experience a bit of history.

The Captain Marcellus Jones House is private property; please be respectful.

Whitehaven Hotel
2685 Whitehaven Road
Quantico, MD 21856
410-873-3099

Freedom seekers on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore sought and seized opportunities to escape oppression. Opportunities came in an unusual way during the American Revolutionary War and War of 1812, through escape to the British Navy. Enslaved men fled from Somerset and Worcester counties and boarded British ships on the Tangier Sound. Some found freedom here on the Wicomico River.

Lord Dunmore’s 1775 proclamation promised enslaved people freedom for leaving their enslavers and joining British forces. Some enslaved and free Blacks chose to fight with the Patriots. Others chose to side with the British Empire. By taking on freedom seekers, the British gained manpower and hindered the economy and livelihoods of the colonists. While Maryland colonists fought for their own freedom from British tyranny, the enslaved found freedom by fleeing their colonial enslavers.

Battles and British raids in the Chesapeake Bay extended up its rivers. British Loyalists and privateers raided the Pocomoke, Nanticoke and Wicomico rivers, taking corn, tobacco, wheat, lumber and enslaved people. One ship, the Resolution, captained by notorious privateer Joseph Whaland, Jr. sailed over 20 miles up the Wicomico River, carrying 27 unnamed Black men as they raided “the Widow Elsey and a Capt. Evans” near Whitehaven, across the river from Pirate’s Wharf.

The names of freedom seekers were recorded by Lord Carleton in a document called the “Book of Negroes,” and included Hannah Gale, enslaved by John Gale for 31 years in Quantico, Sam Dismal, Tobia Peterkin, and Job Allen. In total, 3000 people were recorded in this book, including more than 20 people from Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore.

Following the war in 1783, Hannah Gale took her seven-year-old daughter Rose to live in Port Mouton, Nova Scotia, Canada aboard the British ship Nesbitt.

Decades later during the War of 1812, America’s “second war for independence” the British invaded the Chesapeake once again. In May 1814, Two men, David and Nathan, fled from Amelia Gale, the widow of Major General John Gale in Quantico and Robert Coulbourn fled from his enslaver Edward Coulbourn. The group stole a canoe and paddled to Jasseur, a British vessel in Tangier Sound to find freedom. David and Robert served in the British Colonial Marines.

John Planner Gale, John Gale’s son, received four hundred dollars from the State of Maryland for “lost property” when he proved that David and Nathan boarded a British ship to escape.

In Pirate’s Wharf Park trails explore the banks of the Wicomico River, providing sweeping views of the waterway that once served as an avenue for freedom. The view across the river includes the land where “the Widow Elsey” once lived, which the British raided. The park also provides picnic areas and a playground.

Pirate’s Wharf Park
4701 Whitehaven Rd.
Quantico, MD 21856
410-548-4900

Enslaved men found an avenue to freedom during the Civil War by joining the Union army. Freedom seekers enlisted in the 9th and 19th Regiments of the United States Colored Troops (USCT), and boarded steamships near Salisbury at Cotton Patch Island Wharf on the Wicomico River where they sailed away to their new posts.

By 1863 President Lincoln sought to grow the Union army ranks. He approved plans to recruit free and enslaved Blacks. General William Birney recruited soldiers throughout the Chesapeake and offered bounty money to slaveholders loyal to the United States as remuneration for their lost “property.”

On October 8, 1863, Lewis and Jess fled from Curtis W. Jacobs, a secessionist, near Berlin. On January 5, 1864, John, Jake, Edmond, Isaac, Arnold, George, Isma, and William also fled from Curtis W. Jacobs, who recorded his distress in his journal. Others left the farm fields, waterways, plantations and forests where they labored for their enslavers and came to Union forces to secure their own freedom with hopes for a better life.

During the Civil War, the Union army set up their strategic headquarters at Camp Upton, which overlooked Salisbury. Soldiers secured important telegraph lines to Norfolk and enabled a blockade of the Chesapeake Bay. Troops were quickly dispatched to suppress secessionist activities. Cannons from Camp Upton could reach the wharf, as well as rail and telegram lines.

Cotton Patch Island, once a busy port with hundreds of passengers arriving and leaving by steamship, is now part of Pemberton Historical Park. The Wicomico River in this area has filled in and what was once open water is now marshland.

Cotton Patch Island, the freedom site, can be viewed from several trails, including the Bell Island Trail, Wetlands Trail and Osprey Trail. Ramble along these pathways to an overlook of the island. Imagine the clamoring and excitement of newly liberated men who enthusiastically signed up to fight and bring an end to slavery, while securing their own freedom.

Pemberton Historical Park also includes 262 acres of conservation area and a family-friendly nature center. During your visit, tour Pemberton Hall, which was the 1741 home of Col. Isaac Handy and his wife Anne.

Pemberton Historical Park
5595 Plantation Lane
Salisbury, MD 21801
410-548-4900