Near Denton in Caroline County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
William Still Center
Families Divided & United
— Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway —
Photographed By Don Morfe, October 29, 2014
1. William Still Center Marker
William Still’s mother Sidney and several of his siblings lived in a cottage on the plantation where they were enslaved. Sidney escaped with her children to join her husband in New Jersey, but she was soon recaptured and returned to Maryland. Leaving her two boys behind but taking her two daughters, she fled again, this time successfully. As punishment, her angry owner sold her sons Peter and Levin.
Sidney gave birth to her last child, William, in freedom in New Jersey. As an adult living in Philadelphia, William played a critical role as an Underground Railroad agent, helping more than 1,000 freedom seekers in the 1850s. A chance meeting with his long lost brother Peter inspired William to document the experience of freedom seekers who contacted him. In doing so, Still noted the arrival of Harriet Tubman with her three brothers who had escaped slavery on Christmas Day 1854.
[Caption:]
William Still’s careful records, kept secret until after the Civil War, now help scholars reconstruct details of how the Underground Railroad worked and who was involved.
Erected by
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans. In addition, it is included in the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1854.
Location. 38° 49.968′ N, 75° 50.1′ W. Marker is near Denton, Maryland, in Caroline County. Marker is on Detour Road. The marker is located in the Caroline County 4H Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8230 Detour Rd, Denton MD 21629, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Edmondson's Reserve (within shouting distance of this marker); Early Commercial Agriculture (within shouting distance of this marker); White Tenant Farmers (within shouting distance of this marker); The Doncaster Dwelling: A Perfect Substitute (within shouting distance of this marker); Sydney Still: "Sydney's Choice" (within shouting distance of this marker); Peter Still: The Kidnapped and the Ransomed (within shouting distance of this marker); William Still: "Father of the Underground Railroad" (within shouting distance of this marker); The Food Sources of Enslaved Afro-Marylanders (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Denton.
Photographed By Don Morfe, October 29, 2014
3. William Still Center-Families Divided & United Marker
Photographed By Allen C. Browne, January 19, 2018
4. Cottage
This one room cottage (1820) on the 4H R/C Airplane field seems destined to become the William Still Center.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 5, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 1, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 742 times since then and 113 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on December 1, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 2. submitted on September 5, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on December 1, 2014, by Don Morfe of Baltimore, Maryland. 4. submitted on January 29, 2018, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
