November 1, 1864, slaves in Maryland were freed by a new state constitution, making Maryland the first of the Civil War slave states to free, by popular vote, those held in bondage within its boundaries. Before Emancipation Day, Quakers and free blacks in Montgomery County, especially in the Town of Sandy Spring, helped many slaves escape to freedom in the North.
These are photos from a hike jointly sponsored by the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Sierra Club to commemorate Emancipation Day. We met at Woodlawn Manor in Sandy Spring for a short, informative hike through the woods and to the Sandy Spring Slave Museum.
