Reliance in Dorchester County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Nearby Stood Patty Cannon's House
Erected 1939 by State Roads Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Roads & Vehicles.
Location. 38° 38.122′ N, 75° 42.476′ W. Marker is in Reliance, Maryland, in Dorchester County. Marker is at the intersection of Finchville Reliance Road (Maryland Route 392) and Reliance Road (Maryland Route 577), on the left when traveling east on Finchville Reliance Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Rhodesdale MD 21659, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Cannon / Johnson Kidnapping Gang (within shouting distance of this marker in Delaware); Oak Grove Crownstone (approx. 2.9 miles away in Delaware); Bethel Church (approx. 3.4 miles away in Delaware); The Tina Fallon (approx. 3.6 miles away in Delaware); Woodland United Methodist Church (approx. 3.6 miles away in Delaware); Woodland Ferry (approx. 3.8 miles away in Delaware); Stein Highway (approx. 4.3 miles away in Delaware); Ladies' Auxiliary of the Seaford Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. (LASVFD) (approx. 4.3 miles away in Delaware).
More about this marker. The location of the marker implies that the house behind it is the Patty Cannon house. However, a PBS TV Show "History Detectives" determined that this house was built some time after Patty Cannon's death in 1829, and that the real Cannon house was located maybe a few hundred yards away and demolished in 1948. According to Charles Adams "Roadside Markers in Maryland", 2002, the marker was erected by the State Roads Commission in 1939 at which time the real Patty Cannon house would have been standing nearby.
Regarding Nearby Stood Patty Cannon's House. The marker only hints at the sinister activities of Patty Cannon and her gang of kidnappers. She and her accomplices (and no doubt many others) would kidnap slaves and free blacks and transport them to the deep south where they would be sold for a high profit. Cannon's prey were imprisoned, tortured, and occasionally killed at her home in the attic, basement, and hidden rooms. Cannon was eventually arrested and died in jail, supposedly by suicide.
An 1884 book, "The Entailed Hat" by George Alfred Townsend, describes the activities of Patty Cannon and her gang. For more information, see the Wikipedia and PBS pages on Patty Cannon.
Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia entry for Patty Cannon. (Submitted on December 26, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.)
2. Transcript of PBS TV Show "History Detectives" on Patty Cannon's House. (Submitted on December 26, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.)
Additional keywords. Human trafficking
Credits. This page was last revised on November 22, 2019. It was originally submitted on December 26, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 7,327 times since then and 103 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on February 11, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 2. submitted on December 26, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. 3. submitted on February 11, 2014, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 4. submitted on December 26, 2007, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland.