Dorchester County Courthouse - The Auction That Failed

A stop on Harriet Tubman, a free self-guided tour.

Look at the brick courthouse, built in 1854, and then at the tall bronze figure on its grounds. The courthouse that stood here before this one is where, in December 1850, Tubman's niece Kessiah and her two young children were put up for sale on the steps.

Kessiah's husband, John Bowley, was a free Black ship carpenter. His was the winning bid, but when the auctioneer turned to settle the sale, the family had vanished, hidden in town until they could be sailed up the Chesapeake to Baltimore. Tubman, free herself for barely a year, met them there and guided them to Philadelphia. It is her first known rescue.

That earlier courthouse burned in 1852. In this one, in 1857, Samuel Green, a free Black farmer and Methodist preacher, was sentenced to ten years in prison for owning a copy of Uncle Tom's Cabin. A year later, Irish laborer Hugh Hazlett was jailed here for guiding freedom seekers.

Today Wesley Wofford's 12-foot sculpture Beacon of Hope, dedicated in 2022, stands outside. Read the wayside exhibit, then look up at her face.

Getting here: Walk about five minutes north from the museum to High Street; the courthouse is at 206 High Street. Parking is on the street.

Did you know?: Many of Dorchester County's slavery-era records survived the 1852 fire and are now held by the Maryland State Archives in Annapolis, where historians used them to reconstruct Tubman's family.

Photo op: Frame Beacon of Hope with the courthouse behind her from the High Street sidewalk; late afternoon light falls on her face.

Nearby: Shops and restaurants line nearby Race and Poplar streets; no restrooms at the courthouse grounds.

More on Wikipedia: Dorchester County Courthouse and Jail · Harriet Tubman's family · Uncle Tom's Cabin

Dorchester County Courthouse - The Auction That Failed

Stops on this tour