Prince George’s has been elevated again and again by its African American community members. Still, the history of the region includes a time when these residents were forced into slavery. While Prince George’s was often a place from which enslaved people escaped, rather than ran toward, the region had close and consistent ties to the Underground Railroad system — and the efforts African Americans made to ensure their freedom and safety.

The region continues to share this essential and formidable history through its historic sites. Through the National Park Service Network to Freedom, many of them have been investigated and protected for visitors.

Visit these sites in Prince George’s to learn more about their connection to communities of enslaved people and their efforts toward self-emancipation:

  1. At the Marietta House Museum in Glenn Dale, you’ll find a replica of the home and land where multiple generations of both free and enslaved families lived and labored. The 600-acre property shows how these families lived through the Federal Era, the Antebellum years, the Civil War, Jim Crow, and Reconstruction. The library in the museum holds an extensive collection of county census records, slave statistics, and newspaper archives.

  2. In Bowie, the Belair Mansion offers a look into life in the region from 1747 through 1950. This 18th-century house was once home to two Maryland governors and a noted 20th-century Thoroughbred owner, and it is now home to an array of historic objects. Historians have discovered records of numerous enslaved people who passed through or interacted with the house.

  3. The Sprigg family owned the Northampton Plantation and Slave Quarters in Bowie from 1800 to 1830, and it has since been rebuilt to show the foundations of two slave quarters. Visitors will find detailed information at the site about the lives of the enslaved people who lived on the land for nearly 200 years, the many people who escaped from the plantation, and the free descendants who lived on it through 1940.

  4. A trip to the Riversdale House Museum will transport you back into the daily life of residents in the early 1800s. This Federal-period manor and gardens offer tours to the public, bringing to life the stories of enslaved and free African Americans.

  5. While you’re there, learn about the Plummer Family from the Riversdale Historical Society. Plummer was moved from a plantation in Calvert to the region, and his diaries provide a unique and powerful look into the time.

  6. Darnall’s Chance House Museum was built in 1742 and opened as a museum in 1988. It served as the home for many tobacco merchants, and it now conveys to visitors the details of life for colonial women, including free and enslaved residents. Historians have found records of multiple enslaved people who escaped Darnall’s Chance.

  7. At the Elizabeth Keckly Burial Site, you’ll learn about Keckly’s efforts to support newly emancipated people. A dressmaker and philanthropist, Keckly aided previously enslaved people who sought refuge in the Washington, D.C., area by raising funds and collecting donations to benefit the community.

  8. Enslaved people worked for decades at the plantation that sat on the grounds of the Mount Calvert Historical and Archaeological Park. The owner of the plantation listed advertisements in the local paper for enslaved people who had run away from the land. Today, you’ll find remnants of over 8,000 years of human history at the site.

  9. The Oxon Cove Park and Oxon Hill Farm were once home to the Berry Farm, where enslaved workers were forced into back-breaking labor to cultivate crops. At least one person is known to have escaped from the farm, and the owner placed advertisements to attempt to find the person.

 

Choose one of these sites to dive into for the day or plan a road trip through a few. 

Learn more about historic farm life and cultural heritage in Prince George’s.