Today is dedicated to Frederick Douglass—and more specifically his return, as a free individual and widely influential orator, back to the area where he’d been enslaved throughout childhood and early adulthood. We’ll spend the morning in Easton visiting The Hill Community, a neighborhood and haven for free Black individuals. Founded in the 1780s, more than 80 years before the end of the Civil War, the community was a neighborhood in which formerly enslaved people owned land, built businesses, and purchased the freedom of family members. Descendants of The Hill Community’s first residents still live here today, though their stories have largely been omitted from mainstream education, historical research, and media. During this morning’s tour, we’ll learn about The Hill Community Project, the Talbot Historical Society, and the Housing on The Hill initiative—all of which have collaborated over the past decade to research the rich history and significance of this neighborhood, investing in historic preservation while also providing affordable housing for its citizens.

Frederick Douglass’s early interactions with free Black individuals here in Talbot County, and later in Baltimore, influenced his own path forward. We’ll spend the afternoon learning about his escape from slavery; his journey to becoming a prominent orator, writer, and leader of the abolitionist movement; and his relationship to the region. Though he lived in the north following his escape, and later traveled abroad, he eventually returned to the area, this time to D.C., where he spent his final years in his Anacostia home.

As we walk through Easton, we’ll have the chance to see several still-standing historical institutions central to Douglass’s life, from the Talbot County Jail, where he was briefly incarcerated, to the courthouse, where he returned to deliver his “Self-Made Men” lecture later in life. We’ll also visit two historic Black Methodist congregations, Asbury United Methodist Church and Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church, which took strong abolitionist stances throughout the 19th century. We’ll say our goodbyes around 4 p.m. and head homeward. Alternatively, stick around for a few more days. These streets are steeped in stories, and while we’re only able to share some of them over the course of these two days, we hope your time here inspires you to dig deeper yet into this history.