Upcoming Events
Escaping from Enslavement by Water - The Other Underground Railroad
Sunday, February 9, 2025 - 2 pm
Via Zoom at https://tinyurl.com/EscapeByWater
The Trent House Association hosts a talk by Dr. Timothy Walker, professor of history at University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, based on his edited volume, Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad.
Sailing to Freedom highlights little-known stories of freedom-seeking by sea and describes the less-understood maritime side of the Underground Railroad. While research on the Underground Railroad has focused almost exclusively on overland escape routes from the antebellum South, Sailing to Freedom expands our understanding of how freedom was achieved by sea and what this journey looked like for untold numbers of African Americans.
This talk will describe the importance of enslaved African Americans’ maritime and waterfront labor in southern ports, and how escapes were managed along the East Coast, moving from the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland to safe harbor in northern cities such as Philadelphia, New York, New Bedford, and Boston. With few exceptions, successful escapes from enslavement in the Deep South were achieved not overland, but by water.
Sailing to Freedom highlights little-known stories of freedom-seeking by sea and describes the less-understood maritime side of the Underground Railroad. While research on the Underground Railroad has focused almost exclusively on overland escape routes from the antebellum South, Sailing to Freedom expands our understanding of how freedom was achieved by sea and what this journey looked like for untold numbers of African Americans.
This talk will describe the importance of enslaved African Americans’ maritime and waterfront labor in southern ports, and how escapes were managed along the East Coast, moving from the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland to safe harbor in northern cities such as Philadelphia, New York, New Bedford, and Boston. With few exceptions, successful escapes from enslavement in the Deep South were achieved not overland, but by water.
Dr. Timothy Walker is a scholar of maritime history, colonial overseas expansion, and trans-oceanic slave trading. He directs the National Endowment for the Humanities “Landmarks in American History” workshops series for middle- and high school teachers, titled “Sailing to Freedom: New Bedford and the Underground Railroad” (2011–2025).
Four Centuries of African American Soldiers
Saturday, February 22, 2025 - 10 am to 4 pm
In the William Trent House Museum
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The Trent House Association will host Four Centuries of African American Soldiers, a living history program, on Saturday, February 22, 2025, from 10 am to 4 pm. This free family-friendly drop-in program will take place in the historic William Trent House Museum, located at 15 Market Street, Trenton, with free parking behind the museum property off William Trent Place. Four Centuries of African American Soldiers is a living history program that tells the heroic stories of America’s black warriors spanning four hundred years until today. The program includes authentic military artifacts, re-enactors, and military veterans sharing their own personal stories. As visitors move from room to room in the historic house, they will be able to interact with the re-enactors, hear stories of actual soldiers who served, and examine items of military life from each period of military history. |
Four Centuries of African American Soldiers is an unforgettable experience
that is both informative and inspiring. |
