Frederick Douglass

Learn more about abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass and his connections to Maryland’s Eastern Shore during walking tours on Oct. 19 and 20. The tours include several stops that are part of the Harriet Tubman Byway.

SATURDAY, OCT. 19

Take a closer look at the lost local history of the Shore through modern and antiquarian perspectives on Saturday, Oct. 19 from 9am to 2pm with local walking tours which include the Dorchester and Caroline County court houses, Long Wharf, Denton Steamboat Wharf, Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church and Waugh Chapel in Cambridge.

The tour of Cambridge will include visit to Harriet Tubman Mural at the Harriet Tubman Museum and Education Center at 424 Race Street downtown.

Tour will include walking tour of Cambridge followed by bus transportation to Denton for a walking tour. Bus will return to Cambridge where late lunch at Snapper’s Waterfront Cafe is voluntary.

Learn connections that Frederick Douglass maintained to communities in Cambridge and Denton throughout his entire life from Wye House playmate Daniel Lloyd to the centuries-long sustained friendship of the Douglass (Bailey) Family to the Waymans of Caroline County to Bishop John Fletcher Hurst, founder of American University, to Rev. Henry Augustus Monroe, drummer boy for the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry.

Start the day at the Heritage Museums & Gardens of Dorchester, 1003 Greenway Dr. in Cambridge, MD. Free parking is available on site.

Total walking is 3 to 4 miles. Not recommended for individuals with mobility issues. Bus will seat total of 15. Waiting list will be generated in event of sellout. Group rates may apply. Rain or shine.

Tickets cost $50 per person. Find details and buy tickets.

SUNDAY, OCT. 20

Following the successful presentation of “Lost History: Frederick Douglass in Caroline County” this past February at the Denton Library, local historian John Muller returns to town to offer a unique walking tour for students and seniors alike interested in learning more.

Join local history enthusiasts and community leaders for a debut waking tour detailing a previously unknown high-profile visit Dr. Douglass made to Denton, Maryland in the fall of 1883. Arriving by train and escorted through town by a brass band from nearby Centerville, Douglass spoke at the old county courthouse in a political rally before departing by steamboat.

Learn more about the many connections Douglass had to Denton and Caroline County from his childhood and through his wife and close friends from Caroline County.

Tour will begin at the Wharves of Choptank Visitor & Heritage Center, 3 Crouse Park Lane in Denton, MD, and conclude outside of the Union Bethel AME Church in Historic Denton.

Total walking is under two miles. If inclement weather, the tour will be re-scheduled. Tickets cost $15 per person; free for students of Caroline County Public Schools. Buy tickets.

The tours will be led by John Muller, who has presented widely throughout the DC-Baltimore metropolitan area at venues including the Library of Congress, Newseum, Politics and Prose, American Library in Paris and local universities. He is currently working on a book about the lost history of Frederick Douglass on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Did you know that Frederick Douglass was born in the next county over from where Harriet Tubman was born on Maryland’s Eastern Shore? Recently some interesting history about Douglass’s visits to Cambridge, MD, has been rediscovered, and on Sept. 21, you can join the Walking Tour of Frederick Douglass in Cambridge. The tour retraces the steps that Douglass took during two visits to Cambridge in 1877 and 1878, and includes two stops along the Tubman Byway (Sites #3 and #4). 2018 marked 200 years since Douglass’s birth.

The tour will begin at Long Wharf, where Douglass arrived in Cambridge, and proceed up High Street past the Courthouse and Christ Episcopal Church. Stopping at Waugh Chapel United Methodist Church and then proceeding down Pine Street to Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where Douglass addressed a multi-racial gathering including members of the Lloyd family.

This tour will also interweave the local history of Patty Cannon, Professor John Mercer Langston, Governor Henry Lloyd, Rev. Henry Augustus Monroe, Bishop John Fletcher Hurst and others.

The tour will formally conclude on Pine Street in front of Bethel AME Church, which is a historic African-American community. Tour goers are encouraged to explore downtown Cambridge following the tour and get lunch at a nearby eatery on the adjacent Race Street. See restaurant options in Downtown Cambridge.

The tour begins at 9am on Sept. 21, and is led by John Muller, historian and author of “Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C.: The Lion of Anacostia.” Tickets cost $20; free for students. Find details and buy tickets.

There is free parking at Long Wharf (near High and Water Streets).

Cambridge is also home to the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center (home of the new Harriet Tubman Mural), and about 20 minutes drive from the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center.

Did you know that famous abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass was born in the next county over from where Harriet Tubman was born on Maryland’s Eastern Shore? Recently some interesting history about Douglass’s visits to Cambridge, MD, has been rediscovered, and on Feb. 9, you can join the Walking Tour of Frederick Douglass in Cambridge. The tour retraces the steps that Douglass took during two visits to Cambridge in 1877 and 1878, and includes two stops along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, a self-guided driving tour of Underground Railroad history: Stop #3, the Dorchester County Courthouse, and Stop #4, Long Wharf. The world is celebrating the bicentennial of Douglass’s birth in 1818 in Talbot County, Maryland.

The tour, which runs from 9am to 10:30pm, is led by John Muller, historian and author of “Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C.: The Lion of Anacostia.” Tickets cost $15. Find details and buy tickets.

Cambridge is also home to the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center (Stop #5 along the Tubman Byway), open 12 to 4pm on Saturdays. Also in the area is the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center (Stop #13 along the Tubman Byway), about a 20-minute drive from downtown Cambridge. Both are sites along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway.

Another interesting event related to Frederick Douglass happens later on Feb 9, when there’s a talk about Douglass’s visit to Denton, Maryland. The talk happens from 1:30 to 3pm at the Caroline County Central Library, 100 Market St., Denton, MD. The talk will be giving by John Muller, who will be leading the walking tour in Cambridge mentioned above. The talk will detail a previously unknown visit that Douglass made to Denton in 1883, when he was welcome by a brass band and spoke at the old county courthouse. Find out more.

Did you know that Frederick Douglass was born in the next county over from where Harriet Tubman was born on Maryland’s Eastern Shore? Recently some interesting history about Douglass’s visits to Cambridge, MD, has been rediscovered, and on Dec. 22, you can join the Walking Tour of Frederick Douglass in Cambridge. The tour retraces the steps that Douglass took during two visits to Cambridge in 1877 and 1878, and includes two stops along the Tubman Byway (Sites #3 and #4). This year marks 200 years since Douglass’s birth.

The tour, which runs from 10:30am to 12pm, is led by John Muller, historian and author of “Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C.: The Lion of Anacostia.” Tickets cost $15. Find details and buy tickets.

Cambridge is also home to the Harriet Tubman Museum & Educational Center, and about 20 minutes drive from the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center.