Black History Month: New Underground Railroad Historic Designation Hidden In Plain Sight
BALTIMORE (CBSMiami) -- The National Park Service recently discovered something that was hidden in plain sight. A train station deep in the southwest side of Baltimore, Maryland, is now being recognized for playing a major role in the Underground Railroad, which helped dozens of enslaved men, women, and children reach freedom.
"We like to say at the B&O, that we tell the story of America because every car we're building is connected to a famous person, place, or significant event in American history," said Kris Hoellen, Executive Director of the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore.
That includes the steam locomotive Abraham Lincoln used to sneak into Washington for his inauguration after assassination threats, the segregated rail cars with "White Only" signs, and now, a connection to the Underground Railroad.
Hoellen says she feels a responsibility to tell the station's story. She says her team has learned the Mount Clare station was used by at least 20 confirmed freedom-seekers and likely more heading north to escape slavery.
That includes people like Henry "Box" Brown, who stowed away in a wooden container for 27 hours surviving solely on water stored in an animal bladder and a hole drilled into the box to breathe.
"Here's a gentleman actually was shipped in a three-foot box, making his way from Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D.C., all the way up to the Mount Clare station," explained Ka'mal McClarin, Program Coordinator for National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom in the northeast U.S.
The organization recognizes nearly 700 sites in 39 states including Florida.
Network to Freedom Underground Railroad locations in Florida include Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park on Key Biscayne, the Fort Jefferson National Monument located in the Dry Tortugas National Park off Key West. Other Florida locations include Tampa, St. Augustine, Pensacola and Eastpoint in the Panhandle
The Mount Clare station is one of the latest designations.
"It's really a plan of action on the part of the government that works to discover and rediscover many untold shared stories," McClarin said.
Hoellen says it's equally important to give those stories a home. The museum was granted $200,000 to build out a permanent exhibit highlighting the journeys to freedom.
"I really honestly had no idea what hallowed grounds we are on. I mean, it's truly a treasure," Hoellen said.
The B&O Railroad Museum sees more than 150,000 people a year.
Hoellen says, like many other places, the museum saw a major dip in foot traffic due to the pandemic, but the downtime gave archivists more time to research the Underground Railroad discoveries.
The full exhibit is expected to be open to the public in late spring.