OWINGS, Md. – Citizens are invited to celebrate and revel in Calvert County history during Lower Marlboro Freedom Day; a celebration to commemorate freedom of those who escaped slavery with the help of the British during the War of 1812.
The celebration will be held Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. with events at Lower Marlboro United Methodist Church, located at 6519 Lower Marlboro Lane in Owings, and Lower Marlboro Hall, located at 3911 Lower Marlboro Road in Owings. Festivities include a walking tour, speakers, entertainment, food and exhibits.
As the War of 1812 raged into the summer of 1814, British troops sailed up the Patuxent River in a bid to take Washington, D.C. While stopped at the port of Lower Marlboro – modern-day Owings – to commandeer supplies, the British offered freedom to local enslaved men and women in exchange for their service to the British war effort. Fourteen people ultimately won their freedom, which is now commemorated as Lower Marlboro Freedom Day.
Lower Marlboro Freedom Day is sponsored by residents of Lower Marlboro, Calvert County Historical Society, Calvert County Historic District Commission, Calvert County Parks & Recreation Natural Resources Division, Calvert County Library, Calvert County Nature Society, Calvert County NAACP, Gray-Ray American Legion Post #220, Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory, Maryland State Archives and Mt. Harmony-Lower Marlboro United Methodist Church.
For more information visit calvertcounty.gov/Lower-Marlboro-Freedom-Day or contact Natural Resources Division Chief Karyn Molines at 410-535-5327 or by email at Karyn.Molines@calvertcountymd.gov.
Find information on Calvert County Government services online at www.CalvertCountyMd.gov. Stay up to date with Calvert County Government on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CalvertCountyMd and YouTube at www.youtube.com/CalvertCountyGov.
