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Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm
Jacob Shaw
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Courtesy of the Maryland State Archives. |
Ad for "runaway" Jacob Shaw published in the National Intelligencer, September 12, 1840. |
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In 2005, Oxon Cove Park was accepted as a member of the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom for the discovery of the Jacob Shaw story. Jacob Shaw was enslaved on the Berry Plantation, which today comprises the southern most part of the park. Although there are no structures left from this period, there is a compelling story to be told. Programs about Jacob Shaw and his struggle for freedom will be presented by park staff in the coming year.
Thomas Berry owned a sizable slave labor force for much of the Ante-bellum Era. With other slaves toiling close to the Berry Plantation, particularly those on Dr. John Bayne's Salubria Plantation, cross-plantation communities among the enslaved peoples developed. These connections were important in escape attempts because blacks from neighboring plantations often sought freedom together. Indeed, when Bayne's slave Sam Tyler fled Salubria in December 1840, his owner suspected that he had run off with one of Berry's slave, a man named Jacob Shaw. Because Washington, D.C., a city that promised slaves who served in the army freedom, was close by, runaway slaves from these nearby plantations faced fewer obstacles than others from more distant areas.
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| ![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090509175618im_/http://www.nps.gov/commonspot/images/clear.gif) | ![](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090509175618im_/http://www.nps.gov/commonspot/images/clear.gif) |
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![arrowhead arrowhead](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090509175618im_/http://www.nps.gov/ncr/customcf/apps/CMS_HandF/Pictures/OXHI_gc3wokqx_small-ah-for-highlight.jpg) National UGRR Network to Freedom Program Oxon Cove Park is a member of the network more... | | ![maryland logo maryland logo](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090509175618im_/http://www.nps.gov/ncr/customcf/apps/CMS_HandF/Pictures/OXHI_5feh7xf4_md_logo_newweb.jpg) Maryland's UGRR Network to Freedom Program links to the website more... | | ![maryland logo maryland logo](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090509175618im_/http://www.nps.gov/ncr/customcf/apps/CMS_HandF/Pictures/OXHI_bn2eonbk_md_logo_newweb.jpg) Flight to Freedom, Maryland State Archives Find out more about the Underground Railroad in Maryland more... | |
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![cider press cider press](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090509175618im_/http://www.nps.gov/ncr/customcf/apps/CMS_HandF/Pictures/OXHI_cider-press.jpg) |
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Did You Know?
The oldest fruit tree in the National Park Service can be found at Oxon Hill Farm. For centuries the making of cider from apples has been more than just pressing fruit to provide a delicious drink. Cider making was a social event for family and neighbors.
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Last Updated: September 03, 2006 at 09:22 EST |