John Legend’s 2016 television series Underground dealt with the harsh
realities of slavery, the courage required to become a freedom seeker and those
who operated the Underground Railroad (UGRR) at incredible risks to themselves
and their families. The series revolves around the escape of the fictional
Georgia Macon 7 but seeks to tell a larger story by injecting real life
characters and incidents into the narrative. Over its two seasons many of the
depicted occurrences actually took place along the Eastern Shore and sites are
open to visitors and indicated with interpretive markers.
Harriet Tubman supplied a route for eight Bucktown-area
slaves to follow north in March of 1857. They were to contact a free black man,
Thomas Otwell, to lead them to their next stop. Instead Otwell guided them to
the Dover jail for the $3,000 reward. Eventually they all escaped and the
“Dover Eight” reached freedom.
Their
route may have included the cabin of Tubman’s parents in Poplar Neck. The cabin
is no longer standing but the similar James H. Webb log cabin is on view in
Maryland. The one-room cabin was built in 1852 in Caroline County by a Webb, a
free African American, on his 54-acres a few miles from the Tubmans. The
fully-restored cabin has a brick food pit that may have been used to hide
fugitives. As free people the Webbs would have been in constant danger. www.harriettubmanbyway.org/webb-cabin
Upon reaching Philadelphia freedom seekers were
often met by abolitionist William Still. Still’s father purchased his freedom
and moved to New Jersey, followed by his wife Charity who escaped from Delmarva
after her second attempt. Still was born free in NJ and moved to Philadelphia
to work with the PA Anti-slavery Society. The William Still Interpretive Center
features their relocated one-room cabin, furnished to replicate a slave cabin
that the elder Still’s would have lived in.
www.harriettubmanbyway.org/william-still-interpretive-center
Seaford’s 20-acre Governor Ross Plantation affords
visitors an opportunity to take a guided tour of a restored 1850s mansion and
Delaware’s sole authenticated slave cabin. Ross was governor from 1851-55. At
the outbreak of the Civil War Lincoln sent troops to Delaware and Ross fled to
England. He owned 1,398-acres of land and held the 2nd highest
number of enslaved in the region. www.seafordhistoricalsociety.com
One of the most compelling characters in Underground is Patty Cannon, portrayed
by Sadie Stratton. The real Patty has come to be known as America’s first
serial killer, a slave stealer, a she-devil and in modern parlance, a
psychopath. Visitors can follow her trail along the 40-mile Nanticoke Heritage
Byway and 64-mile Nanticoke River. www.nanticokeheritagebyway.org
Myths have shrouded the facts of her life but there
are a few things we can prove. Martha
"Patty" Hanly Cannon was born around 1760 and after her
father was hanged for murder her mother ran a tavern. While working in the
tavern she met and wed Jesse Cannon in 1790 and moved to the Delmarva
peninsula. Three years and two children later
he died and Patty later confessed to poisoning him. Left to her own devices she
formed a gang of robbers, thieves and murderers who kidnapped free and enslaved
blacks and sold them.
When
her daughter wed Joe Johnson he and Patty were headquartered out of Johnson’s
tavern and a house nearby. The house was situated on the Delaware-Maryland
State Line where three counties met allowing her to move between jurisdictions.
The
Cannon-Johnson Gang robbed and murdered travelers but their interstate crimes
involved stealing African Americans. The gang, including blacks, quickly
learned that capturing freedmen was less dangerous than taking slaves because
their owners would pursue them. Freedmen were on their own and the gang
captured them from as far away as Baltimore, New Jersey and Philadelphia. Both
male and female slaves were kidnapped and any babies or small children were
killed.
In
the early 1820s a gang member was captured and the handwriting was on the wall.
Johnson fled and Patty retired. In 1829 bones were found by a tenant on Patty’s
farm. Soon after, at Patty’s Johnson’s crossroads property, a man inquired
about the state line. Patty walked him to it where she was arrested by a
Delaware sheriff and taken to the Georgetown jail. Cyrus James, a black boy she
had raised, was arrested and took them to where bodies were buried and told on
the gang. Accounts given by victims were published in the abolitionist African Observer.
Patty confessed to personally
murdering eleven people. On May 11, 1829 she died from a dose of arsenic and
was buried in Sussex County jail yard. Later the body was relocated and her
skull became separated. It is now in the Smithsonian.
The Patty Cannon House was torn
down in 1948 but a marker indicates the area. There were 3 rooms over 3 and it
is said that captives were chained in the house awaiting transport south.
Cannon House at Johnson’s Corners
on Maryland 392 and Delaware 20 was once a tavern but it was extensively
renovated in 1977. The 2-story tavern was their headquarters and the attic and
basement were used to hold captives.
Cannon
Ferry, now Woodland Ferry, began as an Indian crossing. The ferry started operation
in the 1760s. It was used to transport captives across the Nanticoke. Several
small islands are visible, most notably Tick and Pickle Pear Islands. They were
used to hold captives who were chained to trees until Patty had enough people
for a shipment.
Harriet
Tubman was about 4-years old when Patty died, turning a page of African
American history and opening up a new chapter.
If you do not feel confident in your ability
to navigate the area there are two tour companies that offer outstanding tours
that are informative, comprehensive and enjoyable. Call for availability,
itineraries and pricing. Relaxing Tours, www.relaxingtours.net and Sun Otter
Tours, www.SunOtter.com
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