Exploring Maryland's Eastern Shore, Birthplace of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass

26.02.2024 - 20:03 / matadornetwork.com

Maryland’s Eastern Shore, stretching from the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, is a vast landscape of farmland, tidal wetlands, and small towns, many of which retain their character and architecture of the past, thanks to significant preservation efforts. The Eastern Shore is about an hour and 20 minutes from DC, making it an easy day trip from the nation’s capital.

It’s on the Eastern Shore that Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, two of America’s most famous abolitionists, were born just a few miles apart. Both would become leaders in the US’s movement to end slavery in different ways: Douglass through public speeches and writing, and Tubman through her work with the Underground Railroad.

The Eastern Shore’s large population of free Blacks and vast system of waterways to aid in escape from the south made it an ideal setting for the birthplace of freedom.

“The Eastern Shore’s place in Black history is the greatest story that’s never been told,” says Dion Banks, President of the Eastern Shore Network for Change, a non-profit focused on reclaiming the narrative of African-American representation and revitalization. “From indigenous populations through enslavement through Civil Rights, this area continues to tell the story of Black history in America, and what is most unique about the region is that it has not changed.”

Downtown Easton, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Photo: grandbrothers/Shutterstock

That means that many places on Maryland’s Eastern Shore still stand as they did during the mid-19th century, allowing visitors to see historic sites as they were – something not possible in many other US cities and regions. If a visitor wants to stand on the wharf in Cambridge where slaves were brought to America and sold, it’s still there. They can then walk up the street and see the original courthouse where Tubman arranged the escape of her niece. The footprint of the region remains untouched.

Maryland’s Eastern Shore is not only the birthplace of America’s best-known freedom fighters, but also a region with countless landmarks celebrating African-American heritage. Here’s where to go to experience the most significant sites that commemorate Black History sites important not just to Maryland’s history, but to that of the entire United States.

The center is also  the start of the Harriet Tubman Scenic Byway. Photo: 010110010101101/Shutterstock

One of the Eastern Shore’s most important sites dedicated to Black history is the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and Visitor Center, a 17-acre museum and park celebrating Tubman’s legacy. The interactive exhibits follow her life from childhood through adulthood, and explore her work as a civil rights worker, humanitarian, and suffragist. The museum has