Talbot County joins with destinations across Maryland to celebrate the inspiring efforts of people who fought for freedom during International Underground Railroad Month.
International Underground Railroad Month Events
Souls at Sea Ceremony
The celebration kicks-off in late August with the Souls at Sea Ceremony at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum on Saturday, August 24 from 1 – 2 p.m. Drawing on African traditions, this is an on-water remembrance and libation ceremony honoring ancestors lost during the Middle Passage. The public is invited to join the land-based portion of the ceremony, which will be held on the Fogg’s Landing side of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s campus next to the Welcome Center.
Constitution Day
The Mid-Shore Constitution Alliance will host “Our Journey to Liberty and Freedom,” their annual celebration of Constitution Day and Citizenship Week on Tuesday, September 17 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Academy Art Museum. Renowned actors Darius Wallace as Frederick Douglas and Kurt Smith as Thomas Jefferson will be featured, performing a conversation between the two. There will be educational exhibits, constitution giveaways and red, white & blue Rita’s Ice. The event “Proclamation” will include a “Welcome” to new U.S. Citizens in Talbot County who have achieved citizenship credentials.
“Sailing to Freedom” exhibit opens at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum will open “Sailing to Freedom: The Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad,” on Friday, Sept. 27 in the Changing Exhibitions Gallery. This special exhibition explores the lesser-known maritime aspects of the Underground Railroad while highlighting stories of enslaved African Americans’ journeys to freedom along Atlantic Coast water routes, including the Chesapeake Bay. Based upon the 2021 book “Sailing to Freedom,” the exhibition expands the understanding of how freedom was achieved by sea and what the journey looked like for many African Americans. Self-emancipation along the Underground Railroad was not entirely by overland routes. Many enslaved persons made their way to freedom using the Bay and other coastal water routes along the Atlantic seaboard.
Frederick Douglass Day
A full-day celebration for Frederick Douglass Day is scheduled for September 28, 2024 in downtown Easton. A parade, welcome ceremony, children’s village, marketplace, exhibits, and book signings will be held in honor of Douglass, who was born into slavery in Talbot County and escaped during the month of September.
Explore Talbot County
Talbot County is one of the best places in the United States to take a deep dive into African American history. It is the birthplace of Frederick Douglass, home to one of the longest running Emancipation Day celebrations on the Eastern Shore, and the resting place for 18 Black Union soldiers. It also once served as a recruitment center for United State Colored Troops. Read more here.
