B&O Railroad Museum Hosting Roundtable Discussion on the Production and Research Behind Underground Railroad Exhibit
BALTIMORE, MD – March 24, 2023 – As part of monthly programming for the B&O Railroad Museum’s newest exhibit, The Underground Railroad: Freedom Seekers on the B&O Railroad, the museum’s chief curator Jonathan Goldman will be moderating an academic roundtable on Saturday, March 25, from 1-3 PM with advisors who assisted in the production and research of the exhibit. The discussion will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the exhibit and focus on how it was developed, designed, as well as challenges and opportunities it presented.
Panelists include Teisha Dupree-Wilson, PhD, Professor of African American History at Coppin State University; Chris Haley, Director of the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland at the Maryland State Archives Department; and Paula Phillips, Director of Community Arts at MICA.
The Underground Railroad: Freedom Seekers on the B&O Railroad examines the role of the physical railroad in the Underground Railroad network and gives an intimate look at the lives and journeys of 27 individuals who sought freedom from slavery along the B&O. The exhibit is located in the museum’s oldest building, the historic Mt. Clare Station – a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site and the exact location through which eight Freedom Seekers, including Henry “Box” Brown and William and Ellen Craft, traveled. The B&O Railroad Museum’s exhibit is the only exhibit in the National Underground Railroad Network to focus on the role of the physical railroad in the Underground Railroad.
One of the exhibit’s highlights includes an immersive 180-degree multimedia experience. The videos are narrated using the words of the Freedom Seekers themselves. In the case of Henry “Box” Brown, the museum located the words and tune of a song he wrote about his journey and asked Howard University’s Afro Blue Ensemble to record it, serving as narration for the video. The museum believes it is the first time the song has been recorded since Henry “Box” Brown performed it. Howard University’s Afro Blue Ensemble will perform it live at the B&O Railroad Museum next month on April 21.
For more information on the B&O’s Underground Railroad Exhibit Roundtable Discussion, visit https://www.borail.org/events/roundtable-discussion/.
For a complete list of activities being held at the B&O throughout 2023 related to The Underground Railroad: Freedom Seekers on the B&O Railroad, visit https://www.borail.org/underground-railroad-2023-programming/.
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About the B&O Railroad Museum
The B&O Railroad Museum, the birthplace of American railroading, located in Baltimore, Maryland is a full affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, and a National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Site. It is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American railroading and its impact on American society, culture, and economy. The museum is home to the oldest, most comprehensive collection of railroad artifacts in the Western Hemisphere including an unparalleled roster of 19th and 20th century railroad equipment, the 1851 Mt. Clare Station, the 1884 Baldwin Roundhouse and first mile of commercial railroad track in America. For further information on the B&O Railroad Museum, please call 410-752-2490 or visit www.borail.org.
