The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
Cordially invites you to the unveiling of a marker commemorating a significant event in Montgomery County’s history:

The Arrest of William Chaplin for his involvement in the Underground Railroad

William Chaplin’s story. . .
On the night of August 8th, 1850, William Chaplin – an underground railroad operative – was driving a carriage with two freedom seekers in it when he was forcibly stopped by a sheriff’s posse from Washington, D.C right at the border of Maryland. There was a shoot-out and the two slaves being transported were wounded and recaptured. These slaves were the valets of Senator Robert Toombs and Senator Alexander Stephens. Chaplin was arrested and imprisoned first in the District, then in Rockville, Maryland. He had come to the District of Columbia from New York in 1845 to help African Americans, both free and enslaved, in court cases and became involved in helping them escape. He was the mastermind behind the ill-fated attempt of 77 slaves to escape aboard the ship, “the Pearl” in 1848. A total of $25,000 was raised by abolitionists for his bond, depriving the movement of much needed funds for the purchase of slaves in order to free them. When he was freed on bond in March, 1851, Chaplin left for New York and never again ventured south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

The date and time . . .
Saturday, September 16, 2006
10 o’clock in the morning(rain date Saturday, September 23)

The location . . .
Jesup Blair Park
Georgia Avenue and Jesup Blair Avenues
Silver Spring, Maryland
RSVP . . .Susan Soderberg 301/563-3405
Historic Preservation and Outreach Planner