International Underground Railroad Month is in September and Montgomery County, Maryland is one special pitstop to explore the history of African American life in the county and how they contributed to the Underground Railroad. We’ve rounded up historic sites and events to create your own itinerary to reflect and learn about the Underground Railroad and how the lives of freedom seekers impacted surrounding communities and society.

Historic Sites

Button Farm Living History Center
Address: 16820 Black Rock Road, Germantown, MD

Step back in time at Button Fam Living History Center, Maryland’s only living history center that depicts 19th-century plantation life and the stories of the Underground Railroad. Explore a variety of tours offered each other chronicling different experiences, resilience, and daily lives of enslaved people encountered during the 19^th century.

Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park
Address: 16501 Norwood Road, Sandy Spring, MD

Journey through history to learn about the Sandy Spring Quaker settlement and Underground Railroad experience at Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park.  Take a solo or guided hike on the Underground Railroad Experience Trail, where you can take the journey enslaved freedom seekers took while traveling through Montgomery County, Maryland on their way to safety in the North.

Josiah Henson Museum & Park
Address: 11410 Old Georgetown Road, North Bethesda, MD

Explore the powerful legacy of Josiah Henson at the historic property where he was enslaved. Henson was a famous abolitionist, author, and preacher who was also the inspiration for Harriet Beecher’s famous novel “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. The original home on the property still stands and is accompanied by museum exhibits that tell the story of Josiah Henson’s life including how he escaped to freedom, started a community in Canada, and came back to help others.

Events

Guided Hike on the Underground Railroad Experience Trail
Location: Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park
Date: Saturday September 5; 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Cost: Cost: $10 adults; $8 children ages 6–17

Follow the footsteps of freedom seekers on a guided hike of the Underground Railroad Experience Trail and learn about the challenges faced by 19th-century freedom seekers and Montgomery County residents who supported their perilous journey. Discover the navigation techniques, methods for avoiding detection, and strategies for finding food and shelter along the perilous path to freedom. The two-mile hike follows a natural surface trail. Registration is highly encouraged, there’s limited walk-in availability.

Woodlawn Manor House Tour
Location: Woodlawn Manor Cultural Park
Date: Saturdays at 11:00 am and 2:00 pm, & Sundays at 1:00 pm
Cost: $5 per person

Discover the story of the Palmer family that oversaw the farm at Woodlawn Manor for nearly 100 years. Explore the historic home’s first floor and outbuildings. This tour includes interior and exterior spaces including optional areas. There are areas that are not ADA-accessible.

Harriet Tubman Day
Location: Button Farm Living History Center
Date: September 12, 2026; 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Cost: Free

Honor the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman who emancipated herself from slavery. Not only did she free herself, but she also helped secure the liberation of others, returning a dozen times to Maryland to lead about 70 friends and family members out of bondage. To celebrate Tubman, The Button Farm Almanac Tour offers a hands-on exploration including an interactive exploration of this former plantation landscape. The tour provides a sensory experience using 19th-century artifacts, architecture, agriculture, and historical stories to reveal the experiences of enslaved people and the impact of abolitionism on surrounding communities.

Oakley Cabin AI Guided tour and Open House
Location: Oakley Cabin African Museum and Park
Date: Saturdays 12 & 26 12:00 pm-4:00 pm
Cost: Free

Step inside Oakley Cabin, a living history museum, and learn about the African American roadside community that lived, worked, and built a life on this historic site from emancipation well into the 20^th century. Discover how their traditions, culture, and contributions helped shape the surrounding communities. The cabin is open the 2^nd and 4^th Saturday through October.]

History Hour: Before It Was Leisure World There Was an Edmonson Farm
Location: Josiah Henson Museum & Park
Date: September 10, 2026, 6:00 pm–7:00 pm
Cost: Free

Discover the history of the Edmonson family farm and the community that existed before Leisure World during this engaging History Hour. Learn how the family’s legacy and the area’s agricultural past shaped the landscape and stories of Montgomery County.

Foodie Fridays: Hear the Past: History in the Kitchen, Two Montgomery County Cooks
Location: Josiah Henson Museum & Park
Date: September 18, 2026; 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Cost: $20

Join the Montgomery Parks Community Garden Program for their monthly speaker series about highlighting food-related topics and showing how the food system impacts residents of Montgomery County. Listen to historian, author, and explorer of the American past, Tony Cohen, talk about historical foodways with a focus on the Museum Garden at Button Farm Living History Center and the heirloom varieties being grown there.

Find out more about the county’s history at historic sites, take a visit to a museum, or get outdoors to one of the many parks in Montgomery County, Maryland.