Rivers, creeks, bays, and other waterways played an important role on the Underground Railroad, providing a means of escape and a communications network among Black sailors and enslaved people. Learn more at four upcoming talks planned in conjunction with Water/Ways, a traveling exhibit that the Smithsonian is bringing to Cambridge, right along the Tubman Byway, which is a road trip to 30+ places related to Harriet Tubman or the Underground Railroad.

Chesapeake Underground: Charting a Course Toward Freedom

Oct. 19, Nov. 2 and Nov. 23
Vince Leggett, founder of the Blacks of the Chesapeake Foundation, will present “Chesapeake Underground: Charting a Course Toward Freedom.” He will highlight how Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and other men and women’s lives were shaped by the rivers, creeks and tributaries in this region. He’ll give the talk three times:
  • 2pm on Oct. 19 at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center (Stop #13 along the Tubman Byway), 4068 Golden Hill Rd., Church  Creek, MD.
  • 2pm on Nov. 2 at the Harriet Tubman Museum and Educational Center (Stop #5 along the Tubman Byway), 424 Race St., Cambridge, MD
  • 1pm on Nov. 23 at the Dorchester Center for the Arts, 321 High St. in Cambridge, MD. This is also the site of the Water/Ways exhibit.

The Underground Railroad in Dorchester County: Community & Communication on the Water

Oct. 26 and Nov. 9
Join Ranger Angela Crenshaw and learn about the important role that water, communication and community played on the Underground Railroad in Maryland and participate in a lively discussion and family-friendly activity. The program will be held two times:
  • 2pm on Oct. 26 at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center (in Church Creek, MD, Stop #13 along the byway),  4068 Golden Hill Rd., Church  Creek, MD.
  • 2pm on Nov. 9 at the Water/Ways exhibit at the Dorchester Center for the Arts, 321 High St. in Cambridge, MD. This is also the site of the Water/Ways exhibit.
>>For more about the Water/Ways exhibit, go to VisitDorchester.org/WaterWays.
>>Photo here by Kate Clifford Larson.