Hillsboro in Caroline County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Frederick Douglass
Tales of Horror
Many of Douglass' best known and most notorious descriptions of slave life were based on events in and around Hillsboro. His separation from his mother in 1824 and the division of his family among slaveholders in 1828 occurred 1.5 miles south of Hillsboro on the west side of the Tuckahoe River. Other events occurred just south of Hillsboro on the east side of the Tuckahoe, including the "murder" of his wife's cousin. The brutal beating of Douglass' brother Perry in 1828 by a drunken slaveholder may have occurred in the village of Hillsboro.
These experiences, which Douglass called his "tales of horror," were graphically related in his 1845 and 1855 autobiographies as well as in his prolific essays and speeches. Doubtless, the residents of Douglass' sleepy home town (population 180) would have been shocked to know that the local experiences of a slave child would eventually be related to a worldwide audience and thereby help increase the sectional passions that resulted in the Civil War.
[On left, image of Frederick Douglass, and text:] Frederick Douglass began his first autobiography in 1845: "I was born in Tuckahoe, near Hillsborough..."
[On right, image of Anne Murray Douglass, and text:] Douglass' wife Anne Murray Douglass and her family were from "Tuckahoe Neck" just south of Hillsboro.
Erected by Maryland Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Maryland Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1818.
Location. 38° 55.023′ N, 75° 56.685′ W. Marker is in Hillsboro, Maryland, in Caroline County. Marker is on Main Street (Alternate Maryland Route 404) 0.4 miles west of Ridgely Road (Maryland Route 480), on the left when traveling west. Marker is next to a public boat ramp. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Hillsboro MD 21641, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Forging Freedom from Places of Bondage (approx. half a mile away); A Champion for Equality (approx. half a mile away); The Beloved Tuckahoe Home of Frederick Douglass (approx. half a mile away); Honoring an American Hero (approx. half a mile away); Wood Ducks (approx. 2.6 miles away); Adkins Arboretum (approx. 2.6 miles away); Ridgely, MD 1888 - 1917 (approx. 3.6 miles away).
Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2020. It was originally submitted on September 6, 2013, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. This page has been viewed 901 times since then and 18 times this year. Last updated on August 7, 2020, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 6, 2013, by F. Robby of Baltimore, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.