On November 1, 1864, Maryland freed by a new state constitution all those held in bondage within its boundaries. Please join us in celebration of Maryland Emancipation Day in our parks.
Free events to celebrate Emancipation Day!
Celebrate freedom from enslavement in Maryland with a hike on the Underground Railroad, a tour of a slave cabin and a museum on slavery, living history demonstrations and great food! Events held Saturday and Sunday are FREE, unless otherwise noted, and open to the public. Check out our event Schedule and Google.com Event Map
Let our 2011 Event Passport be your guide!
Over the weekend, pick up an EVENT PASSPORT at any of these special event locations: Underground Railroad Trail (Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park), Oakley Cabin, Button Farm, Sandy Spring Slave Museum, Sandy Spring Museum or the Josiah Henson Park. Collect a stamp when you visit each site on Saturday and Sunday. Earn a prize from Parks when you visit (5) of the (7) sites throughout the weekend.
On Saturday, pick up your prize at Oakley Cabin. On Sunday, pick up your prize at the Josiah Henson Park. We hope you enjoy this cultural tour of your county historic sites!
Weekend Schedule
Friday, November 4
"Voices of the Underground Railroad"
Special Night Hike on the Underground Railroad Experience Trail
Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park
16501 Norwood Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860 | UndergroundRRexperience.org
Cost: $5 per person - ParkPass.org course # 161999 Registration is required for this event, tickets will NOT be available onsite. Parking is available at Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park.
The Maryland Emancipation Celebration weekend begins with this special night hike on the Underground Railroad Experience Trail. Journey back to the 1800s during this special night hike and meet persons of the past: the brave fugitive Ann Maria Weems (portrayed by Tomika Hughey Monterville, shown above); owners of Woodlawn Plantation, Dr. and Mrs. William Palmer (portrayed by Ellen Danus and Fred Swan) ; freedman and minister, Reverend Samuel Green (portrayed by Karl Smith - center); founding member of Sandy Spring's African American community, Enoch Howard (portrayed by Christophe Beard - far right) ; and Maryland Governor Thomas Hicks (portrayed by Michael Robinson - left). Each of the re-enactors portrayed here are Montgomery Parks Underground Railroad volunteer conductors.
Because of the late hour of this special hike and the interpretative content, this event is appropriate for children ages 10 and up. A few reminders: This is a round-trip hike; no animals will be allowed along this guided hike except for therapy animals; dress for the weather; and, bring your flashlight.
Saturday, November 5
9:00 am – 12:00 noon
Underground Railroad Experience Hikes at
Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park
16501 Norwood Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860 | UndergroundRRexperience.org
Tours begin: 9:00 am, 9:30 am and 10:00 am
Trained Underground Railroad Trail volunteer "conductors" will lead one-way, 90-min interpretive hikes of the 2 mile trail from Woodlawn Manor to the historic Sandy Spring Friends Meeting House.
Parking: Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park. At the end of each hike, shuttle vans will transport hikers from historic Sandy Spring Friends Meeting House back to the Woodlawn Manor parking lot between 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Emancipation Day in Montgomery County: “Moving Freedom About…” Bus Tour
Cost: $25 per person (Includes transportation, educational materials and snacks.) | Registration: Contact 301-251-2747 or 301-674-1644
Depart from: Carver Educational Services Center | 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, MD 20850
Spend the day touring the county on this educational mobile workshop tour of African American historic sites.
Moving freedom about in Montgomery County, Maryland from slave ships to dirt roads and plantations to the movement of civil rights will be discussed and historical sites will be visited throughout the day. Join us in Montgomery County, Maryland on the journey to freedom and the right to move about in Maryland since November 1, 1864. Our journey will include:
- Selected sites on the African American Walking Tour – Rockville
- Button Farm Living History Center – Germantown
- Rev. Josiah Henson Place of Baptism, Ken-Gar Palisades Park – Kensington
- Josiah Henson Special Park – North Bethesda
- Sandy Spring Slavery Museum and African Art Gallery – Sandy Spring
- Oakley Cabin African American Museum & Park – Olney
Organized by the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation
and the Rockville Historic District Commission.
To register for the bus tour and receive tour details, contact the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation, Anita Neal Powell, Email: lincolnparkhist@aol.com or apowell230@gmail.com
11:00 am – 3:00 pm
Sandy Spring Slave Museum and African Art Gallery Open House
18524 Brooke Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860 | SandySpringSlaveMuseum.org
The museum and art gallery will be open to visitors FREE of charge for Emancipation Day. Lunch will be available for purchase by
Making it Happen Caterers.
Directions: From the I-495, exit New Hampshire Avenue north. Continue 11.5 miles on New Hampshire Avenue crossing Routes 198 and 108. Go 1 mile. SLOW DOWN. Make a LEFT onto Brooke Road. Go 1 mile. The museum is on the right, across the street from the Ross Boddy Community Center. Parking is also available at the Ross Boddy Community Center. For more information email museum staff at SlaveMuseum@yahoo.com.
12:00 noon – 4:00 pm
Sandy Spring Museum Open House
17901 Bentley Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860 | SandySpringMuseum.org
Celebrate the day that Maryland abolished slavery in 1864 at the Sandy Spring Museum. The Museum chronicles the history of the Quaker and African American families that lived worked here. Sandy Spring is one of the oldest sustained communities of African American landowners in the nation. For more information, contact 301-774-0022.
Button Farm Living History Center
Tours & Demonstrations
16820 Black Rock Rd., Germantown, MD 20874 | Menare.org
Journey to the Historic Button Farm and Living History Center to learn about plantation life in Maryland. Located inside Seneca Creek State Park, visitors engage in a hands-on experience of plantation life. The site features a Civil War-era barn, historic outbuildings, livestock pens, museum garden, and slave cemetery.
Directions: From I-270 take Exit 15B (Rt.118 South/Germantown). Continue on Rt.118/Germantown Road south 3.5 miles. Make a RIGHT onto Black Rock Road. Continue on Black Rock Road for 1.5 miles. The farm entrance is on the right. For more information, contact 301-916-7090. This event is sponsored by the Menare Foundation, Inc.
Oakley Cabin African American Museum & Park
12:00 noon – 4:00 pm
Tours & Demonstrations
3610 Brookeville Rd., Olney, MD 20832 | OakleyCabin.org
The Maryland Emancipation Day program at Oakley Cabin includes: guided cabin tours, living history demonstrations by African American foodways historian, Michael Twitty; refreshments, hands-on crafts and old-fashioned games for children; and an archaeology dig by Parks Archaeology department.
Parking: Available only at the Longwood Local Park, 19300 Georgia Avenue, Olney. Shuttle vans will provided on-going transporation from the Longwood Park to Oakley Cabin from 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm.
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm
Emancipation Day Celebration Program
- Keynote address by Dr. David T. Terry, scholar of African American history
- Performance by the Washington Revels Jubilee Voices
- Special theatrical presentation, "Freedom's Dream" by Mount Zion First African Baptist Church Drama Dept., Charlottesville , Va.
Sunday, November 6
12:00 noon – 4:00 pm
Josiah Henson Special Park
11420 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda, MD 20852 | JosiahHensonSite.org
12:00 noon - 3:00 pm: Guided Tours
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm: "Children's Storytime" & Booksigning
Meet Rona Arato, author of the children's book Working for Freedom: The Story of Josiah Henson. Ms. Arato joins us from Canada to share her very special story of Reverend Henson and his extraordinary life.
Ms. Arato is a children’s author with a strong interest in human rights. As a writer and editor for over twenty years, she has written on a wide variety of subjects including education, business, travel, fashion and Internet technology. Working for Freedom is the story of a man who proved that one person can make a difference in defending and promoting human rights. Working for Freedom is written for children ages 10 and up. This book and copies of Reverend Henson's autobiographies will be available for purchase throughout the afternoon.
Enjoy guided tours of the Josiah Henson Park and join Park archaeologists at the archaeology dig on site.
Parking: Available ONLY at the Montgomery County Aquatic Center/Wall Local Park, located two blocks away at 5900 Executive Blvd., North Bethesda.
12:00 noon – 4:00 pm
Button Farm Living History Center
16820 Black Rock Road, Germantown, MD 20874 | Menare.org
Journey to the historic Button Farm and Living History Center to learn about plantation life in Maryland. Located inside Seneca Creek State Park, visitors engage in a hands-on experience of plantation life. The site features a Civil War-era barn, historic outbuildings, livestock pens, museum garden, and slave cemetery.
Directions: From I-270 take Exit 15B (Rte 118 South/Germantown). Continue on Rt.118/Germantown Road south 3.5 miles. Make a RIGHT onto Black Rock Road. Continue on Black Rock Road for 1.5 miles. The farm entrance is on the right. For more information, contact 301-916-7090. This event is sponsored by the Menare Foundation, Inc.
Sandy Spring Museum Open House
17901 Bentley Rd., Sandy Spring, MD 20860 | SandySpringMuseum.org
Program: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
The Museum chronicles the history of the families that lived and grew here on farms and in trades, creating one of the oldest sustained communities of African American landowners in the nation. Special Emancipation Day Program: "Gathering for Remembrance & Thanksgiving" We have invited two local clergy, Rev. Dr. Kecia Ford (Sharp Street United Methodist Church) and Rev. Dr. Donald Kelly (Olive Branch Community Church) to lead a public gathering for reflection and thanksgiving. Please make plans to join us. For more information, contact 301-774-0022.
Contact Us
HistoryInTheParks.org | 301-650-4384
back to top - Last update: November 4, 2011
Montgomery County Department of Parks
9500 Brunett Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20901
www.montgomeryparks.org
Contact us
Privacy
Accessibility
Terms of Use