Walking on the Path to Freedom
African-American history has gotten some well-deserved attention throughout the region. From Baltimore to the Eastern Shore, look for the places where people struggled for freedom and the museums that highlight their courage and faith.
Day 1: Baltimore Museums -- You can learn the stories of individuals who found freedom on the underground railroad or who made the civil-rights movement their own in three museums here. All eyes are on the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture, the newest jewel in the city's collection of museums, on the east side of the Inner Harbor. Farther east, the Civil War Museum-President Street Station tells the story of the underground railroad -- complete with a box that recalls how one "passenger" was smuggled to freedom. The National Great Blacks in Wax Museum is a bit out of the way for downtown visitors, but the wax figures recall the triumphs and the horrors of slavery in a unique way. The Eubie Blake Cultural Center focuses on musical talents, most notably of this Broadway composer, jazzman Cab Calloway, and others.
Day 2: Annapolis -- Alex Haley, author of Roots, has a permanent seat at City Dock, a place where people were once auctioned off as slaves. The sculpture is only one such tribute. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and North Pole explorer Matthew Henson are honored with statues on the lawn of the State House. Stop in the newly expanded Banneker-Douglass Museum for a look at the lives of other prominent African-American Marylanders. A tour focusing on African-American history is available at the Historic Annapolis museum store.
Day 3: Following the Underground Railroad -- These roads in Dorchester and Caroline counties on the Eastern Shore, which were traveled by underground railroad "conductor" Harriett Tubman, are detailed in the Finding a Way to Freedom driving-tour brochure and map, available at visitor centers on I-95 and in Cambridge. The roads remain, though most of the actual buildings, such as Tubman's home, are gone. The Harriet Tubman Museum, in Cambridge, offers tours to help interpret the places as you go by. The route is about 100 miles long and takes about 4 hours. Most of it goes through farmland, but there are a few places to stop for food and restrooms.
Day 4: Delaware -- If you have only a day, be sure to stop in Newark, Delaware, to see the nationally recognized Paul R. Jones Collection of African American Art -- the largest and most comprehensive collection of 20th-century African-American art in the world. Mr. Jones's collection, which includes Jacob Lawrence, Carrie Mae Weems, and Elizabeth Catlett, is on display at the University of Delaware's Mechanical Hall. Stop in nearby New Castle and visit the old Court House to see exhibits on the underground railroad and the legal history of free and enslaved African Americans. If you have time, visit Wilmington and walk along the Riverfront to see the markers recalling Harriet Tubman's efforts here. The riverside Tubman-Garrett Park is named for her and abolitionist Thomas Garrett.
