Mark this national celebration of emancipation with a visit to view the Peerless Rockville exhibit “Forging Freedom: Endurance, Escape and Rockville’s Underground Railroad” about self-emancipation efforts in Rockville. At 10 am, join us for a conversation with local historians about Freedmen’s dedication to education and the important role of Rockville’s oldest Black church, now Jerusalem-Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church.

Forging Freedom: Endurance, Escape, and Rockville’s Underground Railroad is an exhibit on the story of Rockville in the era of the Underground Railroad, when slavery cast a shadow over life in this farming town, and separatist tensions steadily propelled the nation towards war. Come learn about the brave fugitives who fled slavery in Rockville, the abolitionist network that helped, and the endurance of the enslaved community.