Maryland History Area
Civil War Trails
In Maryland, the Civil War is best explored in the footsteps of generals, on the heels of an assassin and by understanding the stories of the citizens who survived the conflict.
Four carefully mapped driving tours link together a collection of both well-known and less-known sites from Baltimore City, throughout the Chesapeake Region and into Western Maryland. Along the way to Antietam, Monocacy and Gettysburg National Battlefields, uncover what it was like for General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia to cross the Potomac River in both the dreadful heat of September 1862 and the pouring rain of June 1863. Stand near the spot in Baltimore where President Abraham Lincoln boarded the train for his 1861 inauguration and where shortly after, first blood was shed. Visit St. Mary's Church where, in November 1864, Southern Maryland doctor Samuel A. Mudd first met a young actor named John Wilkes Booth.
From the Kennedy Farm, where John Brown stages his 1859 attack on Harpers Ferry to Abraham Lincoln's 1865 funeral train, there's no better way to uncover the story than on a Maryland Civil War Trail.
Civil War Trails in Maryland are:
To explore Virginia and North Carolina Civil War Trails, click here.
Historic National Road: The Road That Built the Nation
In Maryland, the gateway to the West was literally paved along our main streets from Baltimore to the Mason Dixon line at Western Maryland's Keyser's Ridge.
Dubbed the "Road that Built the Nation" and designated as one of America's Byways in 2003, the Historic National Road is the most historic transportation corridor in the nation. This early 19th century road opened a trade and communication corridor between the port of Baltimore and new territory in "the Ohio Country."There is no other place in America where in one journey, you can visit the last all-sail warship built by the U.S. Navy, witness the birth of American railroading, paddle rivers with names like Monocacy, Antietam, and Potomac and stand at the absolute beginning of the first federally funded road in America. In between, cross the "fall line" that inspired Baltimore's beer-brewing industry, shop in New Market, a "typical pike town", walk the "golden age of railroading" along Hagerstown's South Prospect Street Historic District, view the "mighty Alleghenies" from atop Town Hill and gaze at the road's first "noble arch of stone", the Cassleman River Bridge.
After Lewis and Clark Expedition and before Route 66, there is the Historic National Road.
For more information:
Historic National Road
The Star-Spangled Banner Trail & The War of 1812
In Maryland, our national anthem, the Star-Spangled Banner, was born during the War of 1812.
The Star-Spangled Banner, our country's flag, symbolizes courage and freedom. Drive the 100-mile scenic and historic trail and experience the route taken by the British Marines as they invaded the Chesapeake Bay region during the summer of 1814. The Star-Spangled Banner Trail, War of 1812 Chesapeake Campaign contains a driving trail that highlights the events leading up to the Battle for Baltimore, which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the words that would become our National Anthem. Many of the sites along this trail within the Chesapeake Bay region are part of the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Network.
For more information: Visit www.baygateways.net or call 866-229-9297.
Journey through four centuries of American history along
Baltimore’s Star-Spangled Trails
. The story of Baltimore is an American story, at the center of pivotal conflicts, movements for freedom, and the rise of a national identity. As a port city and a gateway to the continent for millions of Americans, Baltimore provided a starting point for the nation, taking full advantage of its Chesapeake location.
Maryland's Network to Freedom on the Underground Railroad
In Maryland, a state rich with African-American heritage, where you can learn more about freedom-seekers - their trials, tribulations and triumphs.
Harriet Tubman's legacy as a conductor on the Underground Railroad is a story of great importance to Maryland. Take the 64-mile long "Finding a Way to Freedom Driving Tour" and see the places where she lived and worked during her enslavement. Discover the stories of how she became determined and able to pursue her own freedom and assist others to find theirs. There are numerous sites throughout the state relevant to slavery and early African-American history. Some of these sites are included in the Network to Freedom, a National Park Service initiative that recognizes places relevant to the resistance to slavery through flight on the Underground Railroad. Throughout the state, you will learn the important struggles and subsequent triumphs that are remembered and celebrated on their path to freedom. For more information about the Network To Freedom, visit www.cr.nps.gov/ugrr.
For more information on African-American Heritage in Maryland: African-American and the Underground Railroad
Back to Maryland Heritage
