At their regular meeting on September 15, 2020, the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County proclaimed September 2020 as International Underground Railroad Month in St. Mary’s County, following the lead of Governor Larry Hogan, who proclaimed the same for the State of Maryland.
For the second year in a row, Governor Hogan declared September as International Underground Railroad Month, which recognizes Maryland as the most powerful Underground Railroad storytelling destination in the world. It also commemorates all those involved in the Underground Railroad, including Maryland’s courageous Harriet Tubman, the brilliant orator Frederick Douglass and thousands of freedom seekers.
In St. Mary’s County, the Old Jail Museum in Leonardtown, Historic Sotterley in Hollywood and Point Lookout State Park all interpret fascinating and powerful stories relating to the Underground Railroad and the plight of local freedom seekers as they undertook the dangerous journey to freedom. These locations throughout the county are officially sites on the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, a national byway.
“International Underground Railroad Month is a significant opportunity to draw attention to the role the jails in Leonardtown played in the lives of both the freedom seekers and those local abolitionists who helped them,” says Karen Stone, Manager of the St. Mary’s County Museum Division who oversees the Old Jail Museum in Leonardtown. “We hope to highlight these important stories here at the Old Jail Museum, so visitors get a sense of what it really was like during that period in our state’s history.”
Residents and visitors are encouraged to take part in events and other happenings at these sites during International Underground Railroad month by checking out the official landing page at www.VisitStMarysMD.com. For more information and Underground Railroad travel resources, check out www.VisitMaryland.org.
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