OLNEY, MD—The Montgomery County Department of Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, and its partners will host a variety of activities to honor Maryland Emancipation Day. Maryland Emancipation Day commemorates the historic November 1, 1864 Maryland constitution that freed enslaved persons living in the state. With nine events throughout the weekend, activities for Montgomery Parks Maryland Emancipation Day Celebrations include guided hikes of the Underground Railroad; a special program at the historic Oakley Cabin; and tours of the Josiah Henson Historic Site. This marks the 15th year that the Department has hosted Maryland Emancipation Day Celebrations.
Friday, November 4, 2011
• “Voices of the Underground Railroad” special night hike, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, Underground Railroad Experience Trail at Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park, 16501 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring. Journey back to the 1800s and meet persons of the past on this special night hike. For the first time, this tour will feature re-enactors portraying important characters from the Underground Railroad. Pre-registration is required at www.ParkPASS.org (Course No. 161999). Interpretative materials are appropriate for children ages 10 and up; no dogs (except therapy animals) are allowed on the hike; dress for the weather; and bring a flashlight. Parking is available at Woodlawn Manor. Admission is $5 per person. For more on the Underground Railroad experience in Montgomery County, visit www.HistoryInTheParks.org.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
• FREE Guided Hikes, 9:00 am to 12:00 noon, Underground Railroad Experience Trail at Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park, 16501 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring. Trained volunteer “conductors” will lead one-way, interpretive hikes of this 2 mile natural surface trail from Woodlawn Manor to the Sandy Spring Friends Meeting House. At the end of each hike, shuttle buses will transport hikers from Sandy Spring Friends Meeting House back to the Woodlawn Manor parking lot. Hikes begin at 9:00 am, 9:30 am and 10:00 am and last 90 minutes.
• “Moving Freedom About” Bus Tour. 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Take a bus tour of African American Historic Sites in Montgomery County, exploring the journey to freedom and the right to move about in Maryland since November 1, 1864. Stops include Oakley Cabin African American Museum & Park, Josiah Henson Special Park, Reverend Josiah Henson Place of Baptism at Ken-Gar Palisades Park, Sandy Spring Slavery Museum and African Art Gallery, Button Farm Living History Center and selected sites on the African American Walking Tour. Pre-registration is required; contact 301-251-2747 or 301-674-1644 or lincolnparkhist@aol.com or apowell230@gmail.com. Admission is $25 per person including transportation and snacks. Sponsored by the Lincoln Park Historical Foundation and the Rockville Historic District Commission.
• Open House at the Sandy Spring Slave Museum & African Art Gallery, 11:00 am to 3:00 pm, 18524 Brooke Road, Sandy Spring. The museum and art gallery will be open to visitors FREE of charge for Emancipation Day. Lunch will be available for purchase by Ribs on the Run. For more information call 301-774-0022 or www.SandySpringMuseum.org.
• Tours & Demonstrations, 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm, Button Farm Living History Center, 16820 Black Rock Road, Germantown. Journey to the Historic Button Farm and Living History Center to learn about plantation life in Maryland. Located inside Seneca Creek State Park, visitors engage in a FREE hands-on experience of plantation life. The site features a Civil War-era barn, historic outbuildings, livestock pens, museum garden, and slave cemetery. For more information, contact 301-916-7090 or visit www.Menare.org. This event is sponsored by the Menare Foundation, Inc.
• Maryland Emancipation Day Celebration, 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm, Oakley Cabin, 3610 Brookeville Road, Olney. FREE Maryland Emancipation Day activities will include guided cabin tours; living history demonstrations; refreshments; hands-on crafts and old-fashioned games for children; and an archaeology dig. The 15th annual Emancipation Day program at Oakley Cabin will begin at 1:00 pm and feature “Freedom’s Dream,” a theatrical presentation by the Mount Zion Church Drama Department from Charlottesville, Virginia, a performance by the Washington Revels Jubilee Voices, blues music by The Treatment, and a keynote address by African American history scholar Dr. David T. Terry. Parking is only available at Longwood Recreation Center, 19300 Georgia Avenue with shuttle service to Oakley Cabin.
Sunday, November 6, 2011
• FREE Tours and Children’s Storytime and Book Signing, 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm, Josiah Henson Historic Site, 11420 Old Georgetown Road, N. Bethesda. Take a FREE guided tour of the Josiah Henson site. Visit the plantation where Josiah Henson was enslaved, hear his life story and join Park archaeologists for an on-site dig. At 3:00 pm, join children’s author Rona Arato as she shares Working for Freedom: The Story of Josiah Henson. Purchase signed copies of Working for Freedom following the reading; copies of Reverent Henson’s autobiography will also be available. Parking is only available at the Montgomery County Aquatic Center/Wall Local Park, 5900 Executive Boulevard, North Bethesda.
• Tours & Demonstrations, 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm, Button Farm Living History Center, 16820 Black Rock Road, Germantown. Journey to the Historic Button Farm and Living History Center to learn about plantation life in Maryland. Located inside Seneca Creek State Park, visitors engage in a FREE hands-on experience of plantation life. The site features a Civil War-era barn, historic outbuildings, livestock pens, museum garden, and slave cemetery. For more information, contact 301-916-7090 or visit www.Menare.org. This event is sponsored by the Menare Foundation, Inc.
• Open House at the Sandy Spring Slave Museum, 12:00 noon to 4:00 pm, 18524 Brooke Road, Sandy Spring. The museum and art gallery will be open to visitors FREE of charge for Emancipation Day. See exhibits that chronicle the history of families that lived and grew here on farms and in trades, creating one of the oldest sustained communities of African-American landowners in the nation. Join in a special program from 1:00 pm to 2:00 pm led by the Reverend Dr. Kecia Ford and the Reverend Dr. Donald Kelly. For more information call 301-774-0022 or visit www.SandySpringMuseum.org.
For more information on the Montgomery Parks Maryland Emancipation Day Celebrations visit www.HistoryInTheParks.org or call 301-650-4373.
# # #
Contact:
Abbi Irelan
Marketing and Public Affairs Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-495-2532