Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway
Dorchester County Courthouse, MD

The Dorchester County Courthouse, built in 1854, replaced an earlier one destroyed by fire. At that time, it was acceptable to hold slave auctions on the courthouse steps, and this was the scene of some daring escapes. In 1850, Harriet Tubman devised the rescue of her niece with two children, and in 1857, Rev. Samuel Greene, a free black suspected of helping fugitive slaves, was jailed for owning the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.