B&O Railroad Museum Recognized As Underground Railroad Site
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The B&O Railroad Museum has been recognized by the National Parks Service as a Network to Freedom Underground Railroad Site, the museum announced on Tuesday.
The museum also received a $200,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to create a permanent exhibit on the enslaved people who traveled through the railroad's Mt. Clare Station on their way to freedom.
At least eight people seeking their freedom are known to have gone through the station on their way north, the museum said.
One, Henry "Box" Brown, endured a 27-hour journey in a box marked as "dry goods" with holes cut for air.
In another widely publicized escape, Ellen Craft dressed as a white male planter and had her husband, William, pose as a servant, the museum said.
"We are deeply honored to receive this designation from the National Park Service and for our site to be officially accepted as part of the National Network to Freedom Sites, it is a responsibility we take seriously," said Kris Hoellen, Executive Director the B&O Railroad Museum.
The permanent exhibit, sharing the stories of freedom seekers and the role the physical railroad played in the Underground Railroad, is set to open in spring 2022, Hoellen added. Grant funds will also allow staff to conduct more research on other enslaved people who may have traveled through Baltimore on their way to freedom.
