Underground Railroad
Block #2: Underground Railroad
Sponsored by: Mariclaire Fleming
To be installed at the Jacob Leverton Dwelling, a private residence.
3531 Seaman Rd. Preston, MD 21655
Painted by Bayside Art Quilt Bee
The Unveiling
To Be Announced
The Story
The Underground Railroad was a secret network of people and places that provided assistance to freedom seekers on their journey. In the post-Civil War period, the underground network became common knowledge with the publication of personal accounts and books such as The Underground Railroad by William Still. This book, published in 1871, recalled the escape of more than one thousand people including the author’s own brother and various family members.
Named after the steam locomotive that was an early 19th century invention, the network adopted railroad terms – conductor, agent, station, and passenger. Several sites in Caroline County that have been authenticated as stations along the road are now preserved as a part of the Harriet Tubman Byway. Exact numbers of freedom seekers, agents, and stations on the Underground Railroad will never be known due to the great importance of secrecy for the entire network.
