Historian
by Tamela Baker, Herald Mail Media / The path to freedom for enslaved people before — and during — the Civil War was an arduous one. The goal for many was to reach the organized Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania. While the …
Continue Reading about For Many Escaping Slavery, Hagerstown Was a Connection Point
Tamela Baker/The Herald-Mail/HALFWAY — For decades, the resting place of scores — perhaps hundreds — of Black residents lay overgrown and unnoticed as a residential neighborhood developed around it. Those interred there …
Continue Reading about Local Historian and Concerned Neighbor Lead Effort at Black Cemetery
On a very cold day in January, WBAL-TV (Baltimore) reporter Kim Dacey came out to Hagerstown to talk with Convention and Visitors Bureau president Dan Spedden and with me, about Hagerstown's Underground Railroad …
Continue Reading about WBAL covers Hagerstown’s Underground Railroad trail
Common Power is a wonderful social justice organization that includes history among its activities. In December I sat down with A.J. Musewe and Dr. Terry Scott to talk about the Underground Railroad for one of their "History …
In November, WDVM reporter Katie Rhee covered the ground-penetrating radar survey at Halfway Cemetery. Watch her story here. For more about Halfway African American Cemetery, read my earlier blog post. I've also written …
Slave names are a topic that most people seem to know something about. It’s common knowledge that enslaved people frequently had the same family names (surnames) as their enslavers. Not all the time, of course… but fairly …
