Program registration is recommended but not required.

Join us for a lecture that explores the intimate relationship between the railroad and the Underground Railroad, with a detailed focus on how the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad supported the movement of freedom seekers before the Civil War. Chartered in Baltimore in 1827 as the first commercial railroad in the United States, the B&O connected key cities along routes to freedom, including DC to Baltimore, a critical passage to the north where slavery was outlawed.

Drawing on original research conducted at the B&O Railroad Museum, Chief Curator Jonathan Goldman examines how freedom seekers interacted with railroads and with the B&O’s historic Mt. Clare site. This lecture will also highlight the stories of notable freedom seekers, including Henry “Box” Brown and Ellen and William Craft, whose journeys intersected with the B&O.

We will also consider how the language and symbolism of railroading influenced the Underground Railroad itself, from “conductors” and “stations” to the idea of a hidden network of routes to freedom. Through these stories, the program reflects on the railroad’s lasting legacy in Black history and the ongoing importance of preserving and interpreting the places where these courageous journeys unfolded.

Jonathan Goldman is Chief Curator at the B&O Railroad Museum, where he has led the museum’s curatorial vision since 2019, overseeing exhibitions, archives, collections, historic grounds, and visitor experience.  Jonathan led the museum team that documented 27 Freedom Seekers who used the B&O Railroad on the Underground Railroad and the museum’s resulting designation as a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site. Previously, he served as Curator at the Inter-American Development Bank Cultural Center and taught exhibition design at George Washington University and Towson University. He holds an MA in Exhibition Design from GW, a BFA in Art Direction and Design for Social Impact from ArtCenter College of Design, and a BA in Asian Studies from Occidental College.

ASL interpretation will be available for attendees.

Presented in partnership with The Maryland State Archives and The Maryland Four Centuries Project.