Montgomery Parks will commemorate Maryland Emancipation Day with a series of programs at four historic sites across Montgomery County during weekends in November.
Maryland Emancipation Day marks November 1, 1864, when Maryland adopted a new state constitution that abolished slavery. This year’s local programming includes free museum admission, interactive storytelling, living history programs, a guided Underground Railroad hike and an educational afternoon tea.
The events begin Sunday, November 1, with free admission to the Josiah Henson Museum and Park in North Bethesda from noon to 4pm. Visitors can explore the museum and learn about the life and legacy of Reverend Josiah Henson. No registration is required.
Programming continues Saturday, November 7, at Oakley Cabin African American Museum and Park in Olney. From noon to 4pm, the free event will feature interactive storytelling, living history interpreters, U.S. Colored Troops reenactors, hands-on activities and tours of the historic cabin. Timed cabin tours will be offered at 12:30, 2:15 and 3:15pm, with readings of the Reconstruction Amendments at 1, 2 and 3pm.
Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park in Sandy Spring will also host events November 7, with free admission to the Woodlawn Museum from 10am to 4pm.
From 11am to noon, Juanita Sealy Williams and Dianne Bradley of the Montgomery History Speakers Bureau will present “Before it was Leisure World, it was the Edmonson Farm,” sharing the story of Paul Edmonson, a freedman who fought for the freedom of his wife and 14 children. Admission is $8, with advance registration recommended.
A guided hike along the Underground Railroad Experience Trail will follow from 1 to 2:30pm. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for seniors and children.
On Sunday, November 8, the Thomas Harper Cabin at Brookside Nature Center in Wheaton will host a free Maryland Emancipation Day program from 1 to 4pm. Activities include interactive storytelling, U.S. Colored Troops reenactors, hands-on activities and cabin tours. Timed tours will take place at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:30pm, with readings of the Reconstruction Amendments at 1, 2 and 3pm.
The commemoration concludes Saturday, November 14, with Tea at Woodlawn Manor from 2 to 4pm. The afternoon tea will feature sandwiches, pastries, fresh fruit and locally sourced tea, along with a lecture examining the aftermath of the Civil War and what freedom meant for formerly enslaved people in Montgomery County after 1864.
Admission for the tea is $55 per person and advance registration is required. Registration closes Friday, October 30, at 5pm. Additional information can be found on the Montgomery Parks website.
