Underground Railroad Network to Freedom

The Old Jail Museum is one of 4 sites in St. Mary’s County on the National Parks Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. Learn about the plight of freedom seekers and their sometimes unsuccessful efforts to escape bondage.

Benjamin Hance Lynching Memorial Marker

Benjamin Hance was a young Black man who was killed by a white mob in Leonardtown before having the chance to stand trial for an alleged crime he was never convicted of. He is the only documented lynching victim in St. Mary’s County history. An exhibit about his account can be seen inside the museum in the very cell he was held before being killed, and a memorial marker stands on the ground outside of the jail memorializes his story and life.