Southern Maryland’s Underground Railroad Site Collection (2024)

Riversdale House Museum

Prince George’s County

Riversdale House Museum

Riversdale, a former 19th-century plantation, is a National Historic Landmark and the freedom site of Emily Saunders Plummer. Museum exhibits and tours give a glimpse into the lives of the enslaved individuals, such as Adam Francis Plummer, who was forced to labor at Riversdale under the oversight of his enslaver, the Calvert family.

Members of the extended Plummer family dreamed of freedom from slavery. The love and bonds of family motivated the Plummers to flee to reunite and find freedom. Adam Francis Plummer and his wife Emily Saunders Plummer were separated on different plantations for the first 22 years of their marriage. Emily and her 5 younger children were eventually enslaved at Mount Hebron and Woodlawn in Ellicott Mills, Maryland.

Emily's road to freedom was difficult. After one unsuccessful attempt to flee in 1845, Emily escaped with her children, including her infant twins, in the fall of 1863 to Baltimore. Misled by a dishonest guide, she was arrested when they reached Baltimore. Her enslavers, the Thompsons, did not have funds to claim the family and word was sent to Charles Benedict Calvert at Riversdale that "...The wife of your servant ran off with her children. . . [Thompson] desires me to say that he will make any arrangement that would be agreeable to you...He speaks very highly of your man..." The judge ordered them discharged from custody.

Adam was granted permission by Charles Benedict Calvert to travel to Baltimore and bring Emily and the five children to Riversdale on December 9, 1863, where they officially gained freedom soon after. By 1864, Adam was being paid as a foreman and Emily and her older children had jobs with wages. By 1866, following the Civil War, Adam and Emily were reunited with all of their children, including Sarah Miranda, who had been sold and taken to New Orleans in 1860.

The lives of Adam and Emily Plummer are remarkably well documented considering both were born and raised enslaved. Nellie, one of the infant twins with whom Emily escaped, wrote in her book "Out of the Depths; or the Triumph of the Cross": "No young woman of today can imagine the bravery that it took on mother's part to venture to Baltimore alone, as it were, through troops of soldiers, during war time, with a girl of 14 years and a boy of 12, a girl of 9 years, and two babies to be carried. But love knows no fear. We still think she was a heroine, indeed! Freedom was in sight!"

Records on the lives of the Plummers also include letters between Emily and Adam Plummer, and portions of a diary by Adam Plummer, now held at the Anacostia Museum.

Riversdale is now a house museum, owned and operated by Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. Visit the historic structures, gardens, and grounds to discover all the ways history lives at Riversdale. Silhouettes of African-American enslaved workers throughout the house vividly depict the roles of the Plummer family and others at Riversdale. Plummer family descendants were involved in creating these models. Occasional events are offered commemorating the lives of the Plummer family and house tours illuminate their lives at Riversdale.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

4811 Riverdale Road
Riverdale, MD 20737

More Information

Marietta House Museum

Prince George’s County

Marietta House Museum

Built in 1813, Marietta is a former tobacco plantation and the former home of Gabriel Duvall, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1811-1834), and generations of his family. The profitable plantation depended upon enslaved labor. The Duvall family enslaved anywhere from nine to 40 men, women and children at Marietta during any given year between 1783 and 1864, including multiple generations of the Duckett, Butler, Jackson, and Brown families.

Gabriel Duvall’s career was primarily in public service as a lawyer, Maryland legislator, U.S. Congressman, U.S. Comptroller, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice. The labor provided by his enslaved workforce enabled him to lead the life of a prosperous country gentleman as well.

As an attorney, Gabriel Duvall worked on behalf of over 120 enslaved men, women and children who sued in court for their freedom. He established his reputation as a successful lawyer who won nearly 75% of enslaved people’s petitions for freedom. The paradox begs to be questioned when we know that Duvall fought against the petition of freedom filed by Thomas and Sarah Butler, whose family Duvall enslaved at Marietta.

Newspaper records indicate that at least 2 of the bondsmen at Marietta (Frank and Joe) attempted to escape between 1814 and 1859.

Marietta is currently owned by the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission and is open to the public as Marietta House Museum. It includes a cemetery, original root cellar, the Duvall law office, and 25 acres where visitors can see the former locations of outbuildings and a slave dwelling.

Special guided tours during International Underground Railroad Month highlight the relationships among the enslaved people and their enslavers that were shaped in part by the nation’s founding documents and local slave codes. Hear the histories of enslaved families’ decisions to seek freedom through flight, through the courts, and through deeds.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

5626 Bell Station Road
Glenn Dale, MD 20769

More Information

Belair Mansion and Stable Museum

Prince George’s County

Belair Mansion and Stable Museum

The Belair Mansion is the circa 1745 Georgian brick plantation house of Maryland's colonial Governor Samuel Ogle and his wife Anne Tasker Ogle. Over a century and a quarter of Ogles and Taskers made this their home until 1871.

At least 50 enslaved bondsmen were at Belair at any time. An inventory lists names, ages, and sometimes occupations of these individuals. Those who labored here include "Negro Pompey 56" worth 10 pounds in 1775, and "Cser, 25, hired to Mr. Buchanan," and "Phyllis, too old to be worth anything" in 1815, or "Peggy, infant, infirm" for $40.75, and "Hercules, a carpenter" in 1844.

According to these records and runaway advertisem*nts, at least four members of the enslaved families held at Belair fled to freedom, escaping by boat, by joining the British troops during the War of 1812, or by other means. In 1744 Governor Ogle's "Negro Joe...his cook" went off on a boat to Philadelphia. Shoemaker Tom was in 1775 "probably concealed...by some white people who make too familiar with my slaves." Liberated by soldiers in 1814, another "Tom" departed Belair with the British troops. "Dennis" with good teeth and whiskers ran off in 1852.

The historic home is a City of Bowie Museum that includes manicured gardens, lawns and other historic buildings. The stories of people bound and people seeking their freedom is told in the exhibit "African American Slaves at Belair.”

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

12207 Tulip Grove Drive
Bowie, MD 20715

More Information

Elizabeth Keckley Burial Site

Prince George’s County

Elizabeth Keckley Burial Site

On May 26, 2010, a ceremony was held at National Harmony Memorial Park in Landover, unveiling a memorial headstone marking the grave of Elizabeth Keckley. While Mrs. Keckley is best known as the seamstress/confidante of Mary Todd Lincoln and author of "Behind the Scenes," her largely forgotten work on behalf of newly emancipated slaves deserves recognition.

As the Civil War progressed, many former bondsmen, also known as contrabands, who fled from their places of enslavement, sought refuge in the nation's capital. They often arrived with little more than the clothing on their backs. Some mistakenly believed the government would feed and clothe them as their former masters had done. Unfortunately, the government was slow to adopt a policy for helping the newly arrived freedmen, who were in desperate need of basic necessities.

Elizabeth Keckley, realizing their plight, devoted herself to raising funds and collecting donations for their benefit. In 1862, she organized the Contraband Relief Association (CRA) at Union Bethel AME Church. Mrs. Keckley founded and served as the first president of the group of forty volunteers. The CRA and similar societies helped bring to light the need for more government involvement in caring for contrabands. The society helped set the standard for providing aid and sustenance to the formerly enslaved people.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

National Harmony Memorial Park Cemetery
7101 Sheriff Road
Hyattsville, MD 20785

More Information

Concord Historic Site / Walker Mill Regional Park

Prince George's County

Concord Historic Site / Walker Mill Regional Park

A large, multigenerational community of enslaved people lived on interconnected plantations near Walker Mill and Concord. At least a dozen freedom seekers fled from Concord and its surrounding properties, which were originally operated by wealthy planter and enslaver Zachariah Berry, Sr. Some of the freedom seekers escaped.

One of the freedom seekers who fled in August of 1851 was 23-year-old Luke Williams. Luke’s father lived free in Philadelphia and his mother was enslaved in Annapolis. He also had relatives near Bladensburg. Luke possibly used these connections to reach freedom in Philadelphia.

The Concord manor house on this plantation was constructed prior to 1798 by Zachariah Berry. The house remained in the Berry family for five generations.
The grounds are significant for their intact plantation core, which has remained undeveloped. The grounds also have connections to the Ridgley family, prominent African-American landowners and entrepreneurs in Prince George’s County. Berry family land was sold to members of the Ridgley family over time, including to the Ridgley Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery.

The Concord Historic Site former plantation is now located within Walker Mill Regional
Park. Plans are being made for its preservation and interpretation. The park includes sports courts, picnic areas and a playground.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

8000 Walker Mill Road
District Heights, MD 20747

More Information

Northampton Slave Quarters and Archaeological Park

Prince George's County

Northampton Slave Quarters and Archaeological Park

Northampton Slave Quarters and Archaeological Park features reconstructed foundations of two slave quarters from the former Northampton Plantation (1673-1860). These slave quarters, which were occupied by generations of the same family for decades, both before and after Emancipation, are now tucked between rows of modern townhomes. The family members lived there from the late 1700s through the mid-1900s.

The 1000-acre Northampton plantation was originally granted to Thomas Sprigg in 1673 by Charles Calvert, the third Lord Baltimore. The property was home to the Sprigg Family, their servants and enslaved African Americans.

During the 1800s, several enslaved people fled from slavery at Northampton. Runaway ads in Washington, D.C. newspapers reveal their information. Osborn Sprigg, Jr., great-grandson to Thomas Sprigg, placed multiple runaway ads in The Centinel of Liberty for both "Charles" and "Bob" in 1800. Later, Samuel Sprigg, former Governor of Maryland and nephew to Osborn Sprigg, Jr., placed runaway ads in the Daily National Intelligencer for "Billy" and “Clem" in 1815, "Clem and his wife Sophy" from 1817 to 1819, "Tom" and "Joe" in 1820, and "William" in 1836.

Numerous descendants of Northampton’s enslaved men, women and children and tenants still reside nearby in Prince George's County. Six clans can link their families to a common ancestor, Elizabeth Hawkins, who lived at Northampton during the 1800s.

Historians and archaeologists recovered artifacts and worked together to reconstruct the lives of the many enslaved African Americans and tenant farmers who lived at Northampton Plantation. Interpretive panels guide visitors on a tour through the park to discover the people who lived and worked on the plantation, as well as their descendants who helped archaeologists uncover their history in the 20th century.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

10914 Water Port Court
Bowie, MD 20721

More Information

Berry Farm at Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm

Prince George's County

Berry Farm at Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm

From the late 1600s to the early 1800s, tobacco, wheat and other crops helped bring prosperity to the enslavers that owned property at the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers in Prince George’s County that is now included in Oxon Cove Park. The Berry family was one of the enslavers who cultivated crops with back-breaking labor done by enslaved workers. Their prosperity came at a huge price—bondage, hard labor, and broken families for the enslaved African Americans.

No information about the lives of the enslaved people who lived there survives in their own words. Their voice is still unheard and their stories untold. The Wills, letters, and other records tell part of the story from the slaveholders' point of view. Most able-bodied people—men, women, and older children—worked in the fields. One or two probably worked as cooks or servants in the main house.

Some of the enslaved people escaped from the Berry Farm. On December 5, 1840, Thomas Berry placed an advertisem*nt in the Daily National Intelligencer requesting information or the return of an enslaved person named Jacob Shaw. A second ad was placed by John Bayne (a neighboring farmer) seeking the return of Samuel Tyler, also an enslaved person who had fled at the same time as Shaw. Most likely, Shaw and Tyler fled together. Given the location on the border of the District of Columbia, it was possible to escape and find shelter in the free black community of Washington, DC, but the fate of these men is unknown.

Records reveal that Jacob attempted to escape several times prior from Berry between 1837 and 1840, and Thomas Berry had at least seventeen other individuals flee from him. One of them was a 23-year-old woman named Sarah who fled in August of 1833. Thomas Berry suspected that she would flee to Williamsport where her mother and father lived and where she was raised. Sarah must have longed to reunite with her family and loved ones.

The Berry Farm is now part of Oxon Cove Park, which is operated by the National Park Service as a demonstration farm to educate the public.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

6411 Oxon Hill Road
Oxon Hill, MD 20745

More Information

Darnall’s Chance House Museum

Darnall’s Chance House Museum

Throughout its history, Darnall’s Chance served as the townhome of many prominent tobacco merchants. The site depended on the labor of enslaved African Americans for more than a century. Darnall’s Chance house was built in 1742 by James Wardrop, a Scottish immigrant, who amassed a fortune as a merchant and entrepreneur in the bustling 18th-century port town of Upper Marlborough. Wardrop's 20-acre residential complex included a substantial brick dwelling house and outbuildings, orchards, livestock, and an ornamental garden.

Through runaway slave advertisem*nts, eight enslaved individuals have been identified who fled from Darnall's Chance. John Hodges, who owned Darnall's Chance from 1799 until 1825, placed two runaway advertisem*nts for a man named William and his wife Nancy who fled from Darnall's Chance in 1820. Horatio Scott, who owned the house from 1832 until 1857, placed fourteen advertisem*nts in the local newspapers calling for the capture of five individuals who fled from Darnall's Chance: Basil Duppin, Leander, Camilla Dent, Louisa and John Dent. Mr. Edward Grafton Washington Hall who purchased the house from his father-in-law Horatio Scott and owned Darnall's Chance from 1857 until 1899. He, too, placed an advertisem*nt for the return of John Kettle in 1860.

Darnall's Chance is a historic house museum owned and operated by the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission and includes a new museum exhibit on the lives of Black women enslaved at Darnall’s Chance. Come to Darnall’s Chance House Museum and travel back in time to the 18th century. Step inside and take a tour of the home to learn about what life was like for the women who lived here. Discover how Darnall’s Chance keeps history alive through innovative, interactive, and engaging programs and special events.

During International Underground Railroad Month, a special program Echoes of the Enslaved is being held at the museum to highlight how archaeological discoveries have illuminated the history of slavery in Prince George’s County and its lasting impact on modern society.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

14800 Governor Bowie Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

More Information

Upper Marlboro Town Hall / A British Encampment

Prince George's County

Upper Marlboro Town Hall / A British Encampment

British military forces marched from the Patuxent River through Upper Marlboro and camped in the area on August 22, 1814, on their way to raid and occupy the nation’s capital, during the War of 1812. On their way back through the town after invading and burning Washington, D.C. numerous enslaved people fled from nearby plantations to seek their freedom with the British who had promised them liberty. At least one fled from Darnall’s Chance.

In the Chesapeake region, thousands of enslaved people found freedom by escaping to the British Marines during the War of 1812, America’s second war for independence. The British used this offer as a strategy to recruit soldiers and undermine local American economies. While the young nation was defending its independence from Great Britain, the enslaved in Southern Maryland found their freedom by fleeing to them.

This site is on the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail.

14211 School Lane
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

Mount Calvert

Prince George's County

Mount Calvert

Mount Calvert Historic Site is located along the Patuxent River in Upper Marlboro and provides sweeping views of the rolling landscape and Patuxent River. The site includes the 76-acre Mount Calvert tobacco plantation that depended on the labor of enslaved African Americans from the 1770s to the end of the Civil War. A late 1700s brick house and 1900s barn remain on the property.

The plantation was owned by a series of planters, including John Brown and heirs (1774-1812), John Brookes (1835-1858), and Samuel Berry (1859-1871). Africans and African Americans lived and worked at Mount Calvert from the late 1600s through the early 1900s.

Some of the enslaved workers here escaped to freedom. John Brookes placed a runaway advertisem*nt for his house servants “Susan” and “Arianna” who fled during 1841. Samuel Berry placed at least two runaway advertisem*nts in local newspapers during April of 1860 calling for the return of "Dick" and "Charles Sprigg".

Mount Calvert today is a 106-acre public park owned and administered by the Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Commission. A museum exhibit and interpretive trail tell the story of Mount Calvert’s past. Signs along the trail highlight American Indian cultures, colonial Charles Town, 19th century African-American history, the War of 1812, and the Chesapeake Beach Railway. The park features ongoing archaeological and historical research and provides programs and hands-on activities for the public.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

16302 Mount Calvert Road
Upper Marlboro, MD 20772

More Information

Fort Washington Park / Mouth of Swann Creek Escape Site

Prince George's County

Fort Washington Park / Mouth of Swann Creek Escape Site

Fort Washington Park is located south of Washington, D.C. in Prince George's County, Maryland. The fort was established in 1809 to defend the nearby waterways and the adjacent Potomac River as access points to the nation’s capital. It served as an active post through World War II. This site witnessed the escape of thousands of enslaved African Americans.

During the War of 1812, America's second war for independence, the British successfully attacked Washington, D.C. Fort Washington had just been blown up and destroyed by the U.S. Commander to avoid falling into the hands of the British.

To undermine the local economy, a British Proclamation offered freedom to enslaved African Americans. In early September 1814, a British ship had sailed down the Potomac River from occupied Alexandria, Virginia and was moored near Swann Creek. The mouth of Swann Creek, off Diggs Point, is visible from Fort Washington.
A mass escape of enslaved African Americans fled to the British ship from nearby plantations.

None of the freedom seekers were recaptured. At least one settled in Nova Scotia and three went to Bermuda.

The escape of African Americans to the British near Fort Washington is documented by depositions sworn by plantation owners from Prince George's County in the 1820s who sought compensation from the British.

See MD State Archives Legacy of Slavery, War of 1812, Prince George’s County
Flee of Stay? The African American Experience During the War of 1812
NPS Fort Washington Park: African Americans and the War of 1812

The site is now a park operated by the National Park Service and offers picnic facilities and fishing.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

13551 Fort Washington Road
Fort Washington, MD 20744

More Information

Goshen Farm

Anne Arundel County

Goshen Farm

Goshen Farm is an example of a colonial farm that was built in the late 1780s by Richard Gardiner. The 1800 census shows nine enslaved people living on the property to work the farm. By 1810 that number increased to 12. Originally 149 acres, Gardiner’s property grew to 292 acres by 1812. His estate included horses, pigs, oxen, cows, pigs, sheep, bee hives, and canoes. Many of the subsequent owners cultivated tobacco on this property.

Some of these enslaved workers fled from the farm and attempted to reunite with family members living in Baltimore. An enslaved man named Jack Green, a carpenter, escaped from Richard Gardiner from Goshen Farm at Broad Neck on June 29, 1833. At first, Gardner offered a $20 reward for the capture of Jack in the county or Baltimore, or $30 if apprehended elsewhere in the state, and $50 if captured out of slate. According to the runaway advertisem*nt, Gardiner suspected that Green was headed to Baltimore to join his free wife and two children, or he would head to Delaware by way of the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

A week later, Gardiner posted another advertisem*nt offering the same reward for the capture of an enslaved woman, Polly, aka Mary Johnson, and her two children, five-year-old Henry and three year old Eliza. Mary was married to an enslaved man named Adam, who worked for John Quay at Fells Point in Baltimore. John Quay fled at the same time. Mary also had a mother and sister living in Baltimore. The couple likely planned their escapes to reunite with each other. By August, Gardner offered $350 for the capture of Mary, Henry, Eliza, and Jack. It is not known if they all reached freedom.

The Goshen Farm Preservation Society restores and preserves the historic Goshen Farm and the “Radoff” House. For a small donation, visitors may enjoy the wooded trails on the property, interpretive signs describing the buildings and gardens, and visit the Henson-Hall Slave Garden.

The society created the Henson-Hall Slave Garden in recognition of the twelve enslaved people who lived and labored on this farm in the early 1800s. The garden is named after Jack Henson and Nace Hall, two of Gardiner’s enslaved men, born between 1810 -1811.
Occasionally, enslavers allowed the people they enslaved to plant small gardens on a parcel of land to supplement the food provisions given to them. Enslaved individuals would work their garden plots after sundown and on Sundays.

The garden is a unique opportunity to learn about food crops planted by enslaved people for their own consumption, including heirloom vegetables such as black-eyed peas. The garden is enclosed using a picket fence and a wattle fence, constructed using tree branches and vines, similar to fencing used by enslaved people in the 1800s to keep deer, rabbits and other animals from browsing their food supply.

1420 Cape St. Claire Road
Annapolis, MD 21409

More Information

Maryland State Archives

Anne Arundel County

Maryland State Archives

The Maryland State Archives is a public research facility and the repository for government records of permanent value. The archives include the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland, which preserves and promotes the diverse experiences that have shaped the lives of Maryland’s African-American population. Researchers can explore numerous source documents, exhibits and interactive online presentations.

As an online research resource, the Legacy of Slavery includes case studies with biographies of enslavers, freedom seekers and those who assisted them. A searchable database leads to original source materials such as legal documents, newspaper ads, census records, church records, committal notices and more that are invaluable to understanding the workings of the Underground Railroad in this border state.

These sources and 19th-century government records reveal details about freedom seekers. They also document the legalities and operations of slavery in Maryland. The resources offered include a Guide for researching African-American families and a Guide to the History of Slavery in Maryland. Educational and outreach programs round out the offerings of the Maryland State Archives.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

350 Rowe Boulevard
Annapolis, MD 21401

More Information

Annapolis Walking Tour

Anne Arundel County

Annapolis Walking Tour

Annapolis’s history as a successful port and capital city is intertwined with the history of slavery and freedom in America. The work of free, indentured, and enslaved laborers built the economic success of this colonial town. From its earliest beginnings, enslaved Africans were brought to Annapolis to labor for wealthy gentry, planters, businessmen and landowners. As long as slavery existed here, those held in bondage sought ways to gain their fundamental human right to freedom.

This walking tour is 1.3 miles long.

99 Main Street
Annapolis, MD 21401

More Information

Historic London Town and Gardens

Anne Arundel County

The William Brown House at Historic London Town

London Town was a colonial seaport founded in 1683. According to the Maryland State Archives’ Legacy of Slavery Project, London Town was home to 961 known enslaved people between its founding and 1788. Of those 961 people, 9 are known to have escaped.

London Town is a place where captive African children, women and men first arrived in the American colonies. Historic London Town is recognized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a Site of Memory Associated with the Slave Route Project. A marker acknowledges London Town as a Middle Passage port of entry.

At least four ships brought kidnapped Africans to its port on the South River: the Margaret (1718), the Elizabeth (1719), the Clapham (1729), and the Jenny (1760). Captive Africans were unloaded and prepared for sale to the highest bidder. Some were bought and sold from the property of William Brown, tavern keeper and ferry master. By 1776, more than half the people living in and around London Town were enslaved.

With no real free Black or emancipated community to help them escape or to shelter them, running away was largely an unrealistic option for permanent freedom. The chance of freedom was slim for any enslaved person, especially during the early colonial period. Nonetheless, the enslaved of London Town persisted.

The South River Ferry was commonly used as a place of escape from enslavers. It is also a place where people returned to their families from whom they had been torn apart. Here are stories of a lucky few who broke free from bondage in London Town and the South River Hundred area. The fate of these individuals after their escapes is unknown.

Enslaved by the planter Richard Moore, Sam ran away near London Town on October 13, 1756. Moore took out an advertisem*nt in the Maryland Gazette offering a reward if anyone could recapture him. Moore stated that Sam was wearing a “Cloth Frock Coat, turned up with blue, and white Metal Buttons,” possibly a livery. The livery was a uniform worn by servants and the enslaved, distinctive to the household in which they were held. Not only was this a uniform that demonstrated the wealth of a household, it also served as a marker. With such a distinctive garment, it was far more difficult for a freedom seeker to melt into a crowd. The runaway advertisem*nt also describes scarring on Sam’s back from Moore whipping him.

To prevent the enslaved from escaping, enslavers often resorted to drastic steps, such as placing them in shackles or having them wear a metal collar. One man in his 40s, Guy, escaped from John Gassaway who had property near London Town. The newspaper advertisem*nt from his enslaver reveals that Guy escaped near the South River Ferry, located behind the William Brown House.

Another ad placed in 1754 stated that Guy fled again after his previous attempt four years earlier, and this time Guy had been wearing irons. Gassaway tried, in vain, to prevent another escape by physically binding Guy with shackles. This punishment did not keep him from the freedom he was determined to attain.

Some enslaved people maintained their kinship networks despite being separated. In 1756, Kate returned to her family and friends near London Town at South River and the West River area after being sold away and separated from them. Benjamin Lane sold her to Henry Threlkeld, who lived near Georgetown. Enslaved people from the London Town area promised to conceal her whenever she would flee from her new enslaver to visit her loved ones. She came to spend time with an enslaved carpenter named Jemmy.

The Historic London Town staff interprets the African-American experience in this colonial seaport through guided tours and exhibits. Specialty tours of the African-American Experience in London Town are offered throughout September, International Underground Railroad Month.

839 Londontown Road
Edgewater, MD 21037

More Information

Serenity Farm / Camp Stanton

Charles County

Serenity Farm / Camp Stanton

The grounds on which Serenity Farm is located were used as a training camp for African-American units of the Union Army during the Civil War. Camp Stanton was established here in August 1863 for recruiting and training men for the Union Army. The 7th, 9th, 19th and 30th Colored Infantries were formed here at Camp Stanton and totaled over 8700 African-American soldiers. Camp Stanton played a pivotal role in the quest for freedom for enslaved men from Southern Maryland.

Existing muster and bounty rolls for the 7th Regiment reveal names, former enslavers, dates of enrollment and the place of origin for the soldiers. An interpretive sign on the property describes the camp and its soldiers.

The grounds on which Serenity Farm is located were previously farmed by people who worked the land using enslaved labor. A few of the enslaved people fled from this property in the 1700s and early 1800s.

A 1778 newspaper account details the escape of two enslaved men named Moses and Abraham who fled from Charles Somerset Smith. Smith offered a $100 reward for each man. According to a runaway advertisem*nt in the Maryland Journal and Baltimore Advertiser, Moses was a 30-year-old shoemaker and expert waterman with an extra finger on each hand. Abraham, also 30-years-old, was dressed well.

Smith suspected they fled with a man and woman who were enslaved nearby by a Mrs. Maxwell. The female freedom seeker was Moses’s wife. The group crossed the Chesapeake Bay in a large pine canoe to reach the Eastern Shore but were apparently caught. Abraham and Moses were listed as the possessions of Charles Somerset Smith II when he died in 1780, which indicates they were eventually caught and returned to this farm.

In January 1827, an enslaved woman named Cena escaped from Richard Smith, a descendant of Charles Somerset Smith. In 1834, Richard was still looking for her, offering a high reward—$350—for her capture if taken in Pennsylvania, or $100 for Cena plus $25 for each of her children if caught in Maryland or the District of Columbia. He suspected she was traveling with forged free papers. Cena frequented Washington, D.C. where she had relatives and occasionally visited Baltimore.

Serenity Farm is open to the public and includes a petting area with goats. The farm sells produce and other products at their Harvest House on site. The farm property includes a slave cemetery that is preserved and interpreted, which can be visited by appointment.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

6932 Serenity Farm Road
Benedict, MD 20612

More Information

Benedict Landing Site / British Have Landed

Charles County

Benedict Landing Site / British Have Landed

During the War of 1812, the United States fought to maintain its independence from Great Britain. As a fledgling nation fought for its freedom, its enslaved
individuals fought for their own liberation. The British Navy sailed up the Chesapeake Bay to reach the U.S. Capital in Washington, D.C. to occupy the city. Towns and farms in the Southern Maryland peninsulas had war on their doorstep. On their way to Washington, D.C. the British landed at Benedict to raid the town.

Many enslaved men fled to the British Navy as they were promised freedom by joining the British Colonial Marines. These men were eventually evacuated to Canada and other locations. Thirty Colonial Marines (formerly enslaved men from Southern Maryland) plundered the town of Benedict on June 15, 1814.

This site on the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail.

7320 Benedict Avenue
Benedict, MD 20612

Stagg Hall

Charles County

Stagg Hall

Stagg Hall is a home dating to 1766 that is in the heart of the Port Tobacco Historic District, a colonial port town. Port Tobacco thrived during the heyday of the tobacco trade in the Chesapeake but waned with the fortunes of its planters and merchants after the American Revolution. Basil Richard Spalding owned this home in 1835 when a 24-year-old enslaved man named Phil Brown escaped from him on May 15. Spalding believed that Brown was headed to Washington, D.C. Spalding offered a $200 reward for Brown’s apprehension and return.

The house now serves as the Charles County Visitor Center and includes a gift shop with period items. Tours are offered on weekends.

8450 Commerce Street
Port Tobacco, MD 20677

More Information

Port Tobacco Courthouse Museum & Jail Site

Charles County

Port Tobacco Courthouse Museum & Jail Site

On July 8, 1845, some 40-70 enslaved residents of the town of Port Tobacco gathered for a coordinated, daylight escape. The group, equipped with weapons, reached Rockville, Maryland, northwest of Washington, D.C., before armed white mobs surrounded and assaulted them, capturing 31 of the freedom seekers. Others continued to flee, reaching Carroll County on the border with Pennsylvania, a free state.

The survivors were distributed to jails across Maryland, and some, including William Wheeler, an enslaved man and freedom seeker from the area, were imprisoned at the Port Tobacco Jail. Both William Wheeler and Mark Caesar, a presumed free man, were tried here in this courthouse in 1845. Caesar was considered an “accomplice of slave flight.” Numerous newspaper accounts described the 1845 escape, which frightened many enslavers. A special law passed to ensure life imprisonment for Wheeler if he were not executed. Wheeler ultimately escaped from the jail and was never recaptured!

These remarkable acts of collective resistance and self-determination resulted in acts of retribution against the entire enslaved population of Charles County.

Two former jails on this site imprisoned enslaved freedom seekers who were captured. This location – including the reconstructed 1819 county courthouse – formed an integral part of Charles County’s infrastructure of oppression during slavery, often described as the “Reverse Underground Railroad.”

The Port Tobacco Courthouse is now a museum operated by the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco and is open seasonally for public tours.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

8430 Commerce Street
Port Tobacco, MD 20677

More Information

St. Thomas Manor at St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church

Charles County

St. Thomas Manor at St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church

In July 1811, thirty-three-year-old John Thomas fled his enslaver, a Jesuit priest named Henry Pile (Pyle), who was living at St. Thomas Manor, a large Jesuit mission in Port Tobacco. Pile posted an advertisem*nt for John Thomas’s capture six months later in the National Intelligencer newspaper on January 16, 1812. It is not known if John was captured or if he remained free. Pile died in 1813, and all his enslaved people passed to his heirs.

Many of the enslaved people at this location were sold in 1838 to slave traders in Louisiana, and the funds were used to support Georgetown University, which now hosts an expansive website detailing the history of the Jesuit Mission in Maryland and slavery.

St. Thomas Manor originally included a total of about 4,400 acres of land on both sides of Port Tobacco Creek. After 1717, St. Thomas Manor frequently served as the home of the Jesuit mission superior. In 1740, the Jesuits built a brick manor house and a small chapel. George Hunter, SJ, was the plantation's longest resident pastor, serving from 1747 to 1779. In 1798, Charles Sewall, SJ built a full church – St. Ignatius - on the property. Father Henry Pile moved to the mission at St. Thomas Manor - St. Ignatius Church in the early 1800s.

The historic St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church is an active parish. The church property upon a hillside offers stunning and beautiful views of the Port Tobacco River.

8855 Chapel Point Road
Port Tobacco, MD 20677

More Information

Chapel Point State Park

Charles County

Chapel Point State Park

The land that is now part of Chapel Point State Park was once part of St. Thomas Manor, a Jesuit mission in Port Tobacco, which enslaved numerous people. At least one man, 33-year-old John Thomas, fled from Father Henry Pile in July, 1811. See the entry for St. Thomas Manor at St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church for details.

St. Thomas Manor originally included a total of around 4,400 acres of land on both sides of Port Tobacco Creek. After 1717, St. Thomas Manor frequently served as the home of the Jesuit mission superior. In 1740, the Jesuits built a brick manor house and a small chapel. In 1798, Charles Sewall, SJ built a full church - St. Ignatius - on the property, which is located nearby. Father Henry Pile moved to the mission at St. Thomas Manor - St. Ignatius Church in the early 1800s.

Many of the enslaved people at this location were sold in 1838 to slave traders in Louisiana, and the funds were used to support Georgetown University, which now hosts an expansive website detailing the history of the Jesuit Mission in Maryland and slavery.

The state park on a portion of the former St. Thomas Manor is a relaxing place to visit for walks on trails with beautiful views and access to the Port Tobacco River. Fishing access and a small boat launch are available.

Chapel Point Road
Port Tobacco, MD 20677

More Information

Rich Hill Farm

Charles County

Rich Hill Farm

The Rich Hill Farm was owned by the Cox family for generations. Samuel Cox, Sr., aided and abetted the escape of John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirator, David Herold after Booth had assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. Cox was a known Confederate sympathizer and was suspected of operating a secret Confederate militia in Charles County.

In July 1852, Samuel Cox offered a reward notice for the return of an enslaved man named Isaac Nelson. Cox also posted a reward for the return of an enslaved man named Dick.

In early 1862, one of his enslaved men escaped to U.S. General Joseph Hooker’s Union encampment on the Potomac. Individual commanders made their own decisions on whether to protect African Americans who fled to the Union. Hooker returned the freedom seeker when Cox came looking for him. Cox severely punished and beat the man. A federal policy was instituted on August 6, 1861, stating that fugitive slaves were declared to be “contraband of war” if their labor had been used to aid the Confederacy. Once found to be “contraband,” they were declared free. Unfortunately, that was not this man’s fate.

Tours of the farm are available by request and focus on several themes: Dr. Gustavus Brown, the builder; Samuel Cox and the role Rich Hill played following the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln; the Enslaved African Americans of Rich Hill: From Slavery’s Shadow to Freedom’s Light; and Architecture and Archaeology at Historic Rich Hill.

9135 Bel Alton Newton Road
Bel Alton, MD 20611

More Information

Bayside History Museum (Research Facility)

Calvert County

War of 1812 Exhibit at Bayside History Museum

The Bayside History Museum includes vital records for documenting freedom seekers from Calvert County during the War of 1812.

During the War of 1812, British ships sailed the waters surrounding Calvert County, and troops invaded the land, destroying or seizing property. British Admiral Alexander Cochrane issued a proclamation promising freedom and relocation to enslaved people. Those who left Calvert County were taken to Nova Scotia, Canada or the Caribbean islands.

The War officially ended in 1815 with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. Hostilities ceased and the British agreed to pay reparations for the damaged property and escaped enslaved people. Official lists were provided and used by Americans as proof of loss. Between 1821 – 1828, 69 property owners in Calvert County made claims for 273 escaped enslaved people. Affidavits were submitted to John Quincy Adams, the Secretary of State under President James Monroe.

The original handwritten claims are housed at the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland. (RG 76, Case Files Ca. 1814-28).

Transcriptions of these claims were made by the Bayside History Museum and are available to view online. The museum database lists the names of the claimants and a transcription of each claim.

The claims often reveal family groups, relationships, and other identifying information such as profession and skills. They also reveal where the self-liberators settled, including locations in Nova Scotia and Trinidad. The transcriptions provide identification of the formerly enslaved men who joined the famous British Colonial Marines, a corps of Black marines who helped the British fight the Americans and other nations.

The Maryland State Archives has also scanned these records as part of their “Legacy of Slavery in Maryland” webpages, however, they are not accessible digitally outside of the archives.

The Bayside History Museum includes exhibits on The War of 1812, describing its influence in this bayside area.

4025 4th Street
North Beach, MD 20714

More Information

Lower Marlboro Town Ravaged / War of 1812

Calvert County

Lower Marlboro Town Ravaged / War of 1812

During the War of 1812, the United States fought to maintain its independence from Great Britain. As a fledgling nation fought for its freedom, its enslaved
individuals fought for their own liberation. The British Navy sailed up the Chesapeake Bay to reach the U.S. Capital in Washington, D.C. attempting to occupy the city. Towns and farms in the Southern Maryland peninsulas experienced war on their doorstep. On their way to Washington, D.C. the British ravaged Lower Marlboro.

Formerly enslaved individuals fought on both sides during the war. Many enslaved men fled to the British Navy as they were promised freedom. Thirteen enslaved men fled from Lower Marlboro to join the British Colonial Marines. These men were eventually evacuated to Canada and other locations. Charles Ball was the exception. He posed as a free man and chose to enlist with U.S. Commodore Joshua Barney and supported the United States here in Lower Marlboro.

This site is on the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail.

Lower Marlboro celebrates Freedom Day in October each year, a day-long celebration to commemorate the enslaved people who gained their freedom by joining British forces during the War of 1812. Descendant communities honor their ancestors through a day of entertainment, food, exhibits, walking tours and talks.

3941 Lower Marlboro Road
Owings, MD 20736

More Information

Panic in Prince Frederick / War of 1812

Calvert County

Panic in Prince Frederick / War of 1812

During the War of 1812, the United States fought to maintain its independence from
Great Britain. The British Navy sailed up the Chesapeake Bay to reach the U.S. Capital in Washington, D.C. attempting to raid and occupy the city. Towns and farms in the Southern Maryland peninsulas had war on their doorstep.

After raiding Lower Marlboro, the British headed to Prince Frederick. As they torched the Calvert County Courthouse and Jail, they released one enslaved man who was imprisoned for attempting to escape to the British Navy. Formerly enslaved people were promised freedom if they joined the British Colonial Marines. This man was saved by the British.

This site is on the Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail.

Calvert County Historical Society
70 Church Street
Prince Frederick, MD 20678

More Information

Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum

Calvert County

Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum

A formerly enslaved man and freedom seeker, Charles Ball, repeatedly fought for his freedom and reunification with his family. One of those battles took place here off the shores of Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in St. Leonard Creek.

Ball wrote his biography, Slavery in the United States: A Narrative of the Life and Adventures of Charles Ball. He describes his life being enslaved, his escape to freedom in the North and the Battle of St. Leonard Creek during the War of 1812. It is clear that he eventually found lasting freedom near Philadelphia but was never able to reunite with his beloved family.

Ball was born into slavery on a Maryland tobacco plantation in Calvert County around 1781. When he was about 20 years old, around 1800, Ball’s master hired him out to the Navy at the Washington Navy Yard where he worked as a cook aboard the USS Congress. Ball met a free man of color and sailor from Philadelphia. They devised a plan to smuggle Ball to freedom in the North, but as soon as they did, his former enslaver returned to claim him and sold him away from his family to a plantation in South Carolina.

After seven years enslaved in South Carolina, Ball escaped back to Maryland and once again was close to his family. Declaring himself to be a free man, he worked small farms until the War of 1812 broke out on the Chesapeake. Instead of securing his freedom by joining the British Navy and leaving the United States, as many other enslaved men had done, he chose to stay in Maryland and enlist under Commodore Joshua Barney as a free man. Ball attempted to convince other freedom seekers to stay in the U.S. and fight rather than defect to the British. Ball served as a seaman and cook in the Chesapeake flotilla and served in the Battles of St. Leonard Creek and Bladensburg.

After the war, Ball lived as a free man in Baltimore and eventually purchased land for a home, but his freedom was short-lived. In 1830 he was seized as a fugitive slave and sold to a plantation in Georgia. Once again, he eventually escaped and returned north, this time to the Philadelphia area, but he never found and reunited with his family.

In addition to Charles Ball, at least two other freedom seekers were liberated from this site. A large portion of the property that is now the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum was owned by George Peterson at the beginning of the Civil War. According to the 1850 census, Peterson enslaved 16 people. Two of them, William Coates and William Jones, enlisted in the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.) during the Civil War and were freed.

Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum provides 560 scenic acres to explore on the Patuxent River and more than 65 archaeological sites. The park offers trails, interactive exhibits, and educational programs. Exhibits inside the museum describe the Battle of St. Leonard Creek and the War of 1812 that transpired within view of this former plantation.

Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum is also home for the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory (MAC Lab) with more than 8 million artifacts.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

10515 Mackall Road
St. Leonard, MD 20685

More Information

Historic Sotterley

St. Mary's County

Slave Quarters interior at Historic Sotterley

Historic Sotterley is a 94-acre farm established in 1706 by James Bowles, a plantation owner, merchant, and slave trader. The site sits on a hill with gorgeous, sweeping views of the Patuxent River and includes over 20 authentic structures, such as the expansive Manor House and original slave dwelling, that are the backdrop for tours, programs and special events that reveal stories of Sotterley’s enslaved workers.

Bowles and generations of white owners depended upon enslaved and indentured labor for more than 150 years to acquire and maintain their great wealth and status. One of the largest communities of enslaved African Americans in Southern Maryland lived here from 1717 into the 1800s.

The unjust and harsh conditions incited some of the plantation’s enslaved people to take their freedom. In 1784 Clem fled from Sotterley. In 1786 Towerhill escaped. George Plater III, Maryland's 6th Governor, advertised runaway ads in the Maryland Gazette in hopes of retrieving them. During the War of 1812, nearly 50 of Sotterley’s enslaved people escaped to the protection of the British. In the 1860s, George Briscoe escaped servitude at Sotterley to join the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War.

Today the historic farm is maintained as an example of a tidewater plantation. Remarkably, thanks to descendant Agnes Kane Callum, documented information is available on her enslaved family members, as well as on the plantation's owners. Visitors can meet some of them during the Day of Unity and Healing in late August, where descendant communities work collaboratively to transparently interpret their history. The event includes a Sotterley Descendants Portrait Project Unveiling, a Middle Passage Marker Unveiling, tours, displays, and living history demonstrations.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

44300 Sotterley Lane
Hollywood, MD 20636

More Information

The Old Jail Museum & Leonardtown Visitor Center

St. Mary's County

The Old Jail Museum & Leonardtown Visitor Center

The Jail plays a central role in the history of slavery and the flight to freedom in St. Mary's County, a peninsula bordered by the Potomac and Patuxent rivers and the Chesapeake Bay. Not every flight to freedom was successful. When freedom seekers were caught by the authorities, it was common for them to be held in a public jail until their owner retrieved them, or sometimes they were sold for cost of care.

In St. Mary’s County, Confederate sympathies ran deep. Freedom seekers and their accomplices risked their lives in pursuit of freedom. At least five courageous freedom seekers were captured and held in the jail, according to notices found in the local newspaper, The St. Mary's Beacon. Four abolitionists were also arrested and jailed at this site.

Two women were convicted of harboring a runaway slave. Milly Cooper, a free Black woman was convicted in September 1828 and served four years at the Old Jail. In contrast, Sarah McHanon, a white woman was charged in November 1860 and was pardoned in December of that year. Milly was previously enslaved but gained her freedom through the will of her enslaver, Eleanor Cooper. After serving her jail time, she lived on her own and worked as a cook. Milly Cooper’s story is incredible, because she obtained her own freedom, then risked her safety and security to aid freedom seekers within St. Mary’s County, and finally lived as a free woman in a southern-sympathizing part of the state prior to the Civil War.

Some imprisoned freedom seekers escaped from the jail. In April of 1858, the Beacon reported an escape from the jail of a “runaway negro belonging to William B. Hill, Esq of Prince George’s County” by the name of either Rimus or George.

On August 2, 1860, a second freedom seeker named Alonzo was held in jail. Alonzo belonged to the enslaver H. G. S. Key of Leonardtown and made the daring decision to flee north and wait until he found a vessel he thought would provide safe passage to Pennsylvania. Alonzo hailed Captain Tucker’s vessel as it headed up the Patuxent River, stating he wished to go to Philadelphia. When Captain Tucker asked Alonzo for his official papers showing he was a free man, Alonzo could not provide them. Captain Tucker arrested Alonzo.

On August 22, 1861, 25 - 30-year-old George Scriber was lodged in the jail. George had escaped from Mr. John A. Burroughs of Charles County and was arrested by R. J. Marshall.

In May of 1862, a freedom seeker named John was locked in the Old Jail in Leonardtown. He was about 21 years old and had escaped from J. W. Raley and Margaret E. Raley of Washington, D.C, although he was originally enslaved in St. George’s. Sheriff Thomas L. Davis contacted John’s enslaver to come forward and “pay charges and take him away.”

A 34-year-old man named Tom escaped from Dr. Henry A. Ford, of Leonardtown. He and a free black man named Randolf Taylor were arrested. Both men were charged with the crime of stealing a horse and cart belonging to the estate of the late George C. Morgan, and with “enticing away a negro woman and children belonging to said estate.” However, in January 1864, the men broke free from the jail. Sheriff Philip H. Dorsey searched for Tom and Randolf and promised a reward of $25 for delivering both men to him.

Another free Black man named Randolph Aaron was lodged in the county jail in January 1864 for the same crimes. He was charged with stealing a horse and cart and enticing an enslaved woman away from George C. Morgan’s plantation. Randolph Aaron came to the area with the U.S. military during the Civil War.

Those who took risks to be free, sacrificed their own safety to aid others, and put their own freedom at risk must be remembered and celebrated. Discover these stories of freedom seeking and more through a tour at the Old Jail Museum of St. Mary’s County.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

41625 Court House Drive
Leonardtown, MD 20650

More information

Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland/ St. Mary’s College of Maryland

St. Mary's County

Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland/
St. Mary’s College of Maryland

St. Mary’s College of Maryland recognizes those who were enslaved and worked the land on which the college is now built. To acknowledge and honor them, The College has erected a “Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland.” A reverent and moving tribute, the immersive memorial consists of a “ghost frame” structure that represents an incomplete building, serving as a placeholder and evoking a feeling of being caught in between time and space.

The structure includes erasure poetry to inspire dialogue around slavery in Southern Maryland and provide a vehicle for visitors to reflect on the past, present and future. The Commemorative was designed to allow an individualized experience. Through reflecting on the structure’s symbolism and its poetry, visitors contemplate the effects of slavery on the individual, the local community and the nation and its influence on current social justice issues.

The Commemorative is located near the field where archaeological investigations revealed slave quarters dating from the mid-1700s and early 1800s. Three or four enslaved households lived in this field between 1750 and 1815, laboring for John Hicks and later John Mackall, planters whose wealth was built upon slave labor.

The Mackall Plantation is now part of the footprint of St. Mary’s College of Maryland. Nineteen enslaved men, women, and children escaped from this site by joining the British fleet during the War of 1812. Several formerly enslaved men joined the newly founded Corps of Colonial Marines. Once the war ended, all 19 freedom seekers settled in Trinidad and Nova Scotia.

Annually, St. Mary’s College of Maryland observes the anniversary of the installation of the Commemorative to Enslaved Peoples of Southern Maryland through Walking the Procession of Dignity. The procession is an opportunity to walk the roads the enslaved walked, contemplate their lives and proclaim the unity of the community and a commitment to treat each other with dignity.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

St. Mary’s College of Maryland
47777 Mattapany Road
Lexington Park, MD 20653

More Information

Point Lookout State Park & Civil War Museum

St. Mary's County

Point Lookout Barracks

Point Lookout State Park is located at the mouth of the Potomac River as it meets the Chesapeake Bay, forming a peninsula across from Virginia. These peaceful surroundings belie its vivid history during the Civil War that played a pivotal role in securing freedom for enslaved people.

The landscape of Southern Maryland is surrounded by rivers and streams, and fleeing via waterways was a common means of escape. Seventy-seven freedom seekers hid aboard a schooner named The Pearl that sailed from the Wharf in Washington, D.C. down the Potomac River to the Chesapeake, hoping to reach free lands. As they approached Point Lookout, a storm forced the ship’s Captain Daniel Drayton to seek safety and wait for better sailing weather. The Pearl sought shelter in Point Lookout Creek, but unfortunately was caught on April 15, 1848, and the freedom seekers were returned to their enslavers.

This location served as a significant military site for the United States during the Civil War and facilitated the freedom of numerous enslaved people. Point Lookout is the former site of a Union hospital (Hammond Hospital), a prisoner of war camp, and contraband camp. While doctors and nurses treated Union soldiers at Hammond Hospital, some also assisted with the flight of freedom seekers from Maryland. Abolitionist Abigail Hopper Gibbons protected and smuggled several enslaved people to freedom from here.

Thousands of fleeing captives from Confederate Virginia crossed the Potomac River and took refuge in Maryland under the protection of federal authorities. The freedom seekers were housed at a contraband camp. Federal officials were not required to return enslaved people to their former masters. President Lincoln had declared freed enslaved people as contraband of war.

At the Prisoner of War Camp (Camp Hoffman), more than 50,000 Confederate soldiers and officers were detained, and units of the United States Colored Troops (U.S.C.T.), such as the 36th U.S. Colored Infantry served as guards. The irony of formerly enslaved men guarding their former masters caused much animosity and unrest in the prison. The isolated site on a peninsula was easily protected by Union ships and made escape from the prison difficult. The U.S.C.T. lived in barracks on the site.

Today the Point Lookout serves as a state park, a popular recreation site that offers historical programs, a Civil War Museum that recounts these events, a lighthouse, swimming beach, fishing pier, campground and water trails.

This site is a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

11175 Point Lookout Road
Scotland, MD 20636

More Information