Maryland Freedom Seekers on the Underground Railroad

Speaker: Jenny Masur

Maryland was the starting point of many unsung heroes of the Underground Railroad. Freedom seekers embarked on the perilous journey from slavery to freedom in whatever way they could. John Thompson signed onto a whaling ship. James Watkins sailed to England and became a lecturer on slavery. Hester Norman fled, was caught and was rescued by the Black community in her husband’s Pennsylvania town. They used ruses and found allies to elude slave catchers but lived in constant fear until they obtained their freedom papers. In their adventures, these freedom seekers used initiative, determination and courage. These qualities served them well as they achieved freedom. In her book, Maryland Freedom Seekers on the Underground Railroad, Jenny Masur tells the tales of these and other freedom seekers. Join Jenny to hear some of their stories. 

Jenny Masur is a native Washingtonian. She worked for 17 years for the National Park Service as national capital region manager for the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Her doctorate is in anthropology, and her interest in individual lives dates from the book Jewish Grandmothers, which she coedited while in graduate school. Her respect for the heroes of the Underground Railroad continues to grow.

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