
A New Canvas for Extraordinary Stories
This exhibit at the historic Mt. Clare Station in Baltimore, part of the B&O Railroad Museum, examines the role of the physical railroad in the Underground Railroad network and gives an intimate look at the lives and journeys of the brave, ingenious individuals who sought freedom from slavery along the B&O.
Seeking Freedom
An immersive experience that surrounds visitors on three sides with 10 foot high projections and a powerful soundtrack telling the stories of William and Ellen Craft and Henry “Box” Brown. The sound design includes first person narration pulled from the Crafts’ own account and the song ‘Escape From Slavery’ written by Henry Brown. It was arranged and performed especially for the museum by the Howard University’s Afro Blue Jazz Ensemble. The animations fold visitors into the experience of the people who lived these journeys, conveying both the extreme claustrophobia of Henry Brown’s passage north in a freight box – the walls of the theater turning into the box’s planks – and the panic of the disguised Ellen Craft as she is approached by a friend of her enslaver on a railcar headed north.




Freedom Journeys
Visitors can dive into an interactive database and map that highlights the various routes of many others who sought freedom along the B&O Railroad. A custom CMS will allow the museum to add more routes and stories as research continues and more history is uncovered.

We are absolutely thrilled with the exhibit. Your team was incredible. Their commitment and excitement for the project was clear and they handled this sensitive history with great care. I am totally impressed.
Jonathan Goldman | Chief Curator, B&O Railroad Museum