Finding Freedom

Finding Freedom (HM229)

Location: Cambridge, MD 21613 Dorchester County
Buy Maryland State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 38° 34.32', W 76° 4.586'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 700 views
Inscription
The Call of Freedom
Dorchester County occupies a central place in the story of the Underground Railroad, the secret network of "stations" and "conductors" that sheltered and shepherded hundreds of enslave African Americans to freedom in the mid-1800s. This county courthouse was the site of two famous Underground Railroad trials. An earlier courthouse her was the site of a dramatic escape engineered by the famed Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman, a Dorchester native.

Kessiah's Flight
In December 1850, Kessiah Bowley and her two young children went up on the slave auction block at this site. John Bowley, a free black ship carpenter, outbid everyone for the right to buy his wife and children. By the time the auctioneer called for payment, John, Kessiah, and the children were nowhere to be found.

That night, the Bowleys made their way out of hiding to a waiting boat and sailed up the Chesapeake Bay to Baltimore. Kessiah's aunt, Harriet Tubman, anticipated their arrival. She had helped John plan this escape by communicating through the Underground Railroad. She then took them farther north to freedom.

Justice in Slavery Times
In April 1857, the county sheriff raided the East New Market home of Reverend Samuel Green, a free black man and a Methodist minister suspected of Underground Railroad activity, and found a copy of the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. Green was convicted at this courthouse and sentenced to 10 years in prison under a law that made it a felony to own antislavery publications. He was pardoned in 1862.

In 1858, a group of slaves fleeing Dorchester County with "conductor" Hugh Hazlett was arrested in neighboring Caroline County. Hazlett, a 27-year-old immigrant laborer from Ireland, made a dramatic escape from the county jail, only to be recaptured. He was tried here and sentenced to a prison term of 44 years, six months, and nine days. He was pardoned in 1864, after Maryland freed its slaves.
Details
HM NumberHM229
Tags
Placed ByChesapeake Bay Gateways Network
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Friday, October 17th, 2014 at 4:10am PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 406229 N 4269831
Decimal Degrees38.57200000, -76.07643333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 34.32', W 76° 4.586'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 34' 19.20" N, 76° 4' 35.16" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)410, 443
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 206 High St, Cambridge MD 21613, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. This marker needs at least one picture.
  10. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  11. Is the marker in the median?