Bear Me Into Freedom features mural-style prints of photographs from local photographer and historian Jeff McGuiness, including this one of a tall ship on the Miles River. (Photo courtesy Jeff McGuiness)
ST. MICHAELS, MD – During Black History Month amid the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration, the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is pleased to share its latest exhibition, Bear Me Into Freedom: The Talbot County of Frederick Douglass, opening to guests on Friday, Feb. 27.
Located on the second floor of the Changing Exhibitions Building, Bear Me Into Freedom explores Douglass’ early life right here in Maryland’s Talbot County and how those experiences shaped his journey to become a prominent abolitionist, writer, and orator. Guests will trace key moments and locations in Douglass’ life—from his birth and formative years as an enslaved person to his escape to freedom and later returns as a free man—and discover how the Eastern Shore landscape influenced an American icon.
Bear Me Into Freedom will feature mural-style prints of black-and-white photographs from local photographer and historian Jeff McGuiness’ book of the same name as well as historical documents and images, and hands-on activities, plus a closed-loop artificial intelligence interactive, to create an immersive and educational experience.
Bear Me Into Freedom is included with general admission, which is always free for CBMM members. CBMM will host an exclusive opening event for its members on Friday, March 6, to share the exhibition and its impactful storytelling. Learn more and plan your visit at cbmm.org/BearMeIntoFreedom.
“Not far from CBMM, you can see the places and landscapes where Frederick Douglass rose from the depths of enslavement and became determined to seek freedom,” Director of Curatorial Affairs & Exhibitions Jen Dolde said. “Bear Me Into Freedom traces his steps and seeks to connect guests with Douglass’s formative experiences and his humanity. We invite them to gaze at a mural portraying the dark, open waters of the Chesapeake Bay, read Douglass’ words, and ask themselves if they see a barrier or a path to freedom.”
CBMM’s Bear Me Into Freedom special exhibition opens to guests on Friday, Feb. 27, and will run until the end of 2027.
Entering Bear Me Into Freedom, guests will be greeted by a historic map of Talbot County that outlines the places, routes, and timeline of Douglass’ life in the area, while a graphic timeline connects these waypoints and fills in events beyond his time in Maryland.
The exhibition shares a series of stories that are augmented by experiential objects and hands-on activities. These include a haul seine net and net-making activity that represents Douglass’ grandmother’s work and the landscape of Tuckahoe Creek, a caulking interactive that connects guests to his escape out of Baltimore disguised as a free sailor, and a pulpit where guests can deliver a speech as Douglass did during his 1878 return to Talbot County as a celebrated figure.
Blending history with technology, CBMM partnered with interpretive experience design firm TimeLooper to create the Douglass AI interactive. The experience invites guests to ask questions by voice or tablet and receive thoughtfully curated responses delivered in the authentic voice of a digital representation of Douglass. The automated replies draw from an extensive body of primary and secondary sources written by and about Douglass.
CBMM’s Bear Me Into Freedom is inspired by McGuiness’ photography project, which pairs Douglass’ own writing with present-day imagery highlighting the unique Eastern Shore landscape that helped shape him. The book, published in 2022, is available in CBMM’s Museum Store.
The exhibition also serves as a strong companion for McGuiness’ interactive film project “Bear Me Into Freedom: Frederick Douglass and the Struggle for America’s Promise,” which is slated to launch locally later this year.
“The story of Frederick Douglass is inextricably linked with Talbot County, and as we celebrate America250, this is the perfect time to explore those connections through this exhibition,” McGuiness said. “I am grateful to CBMM and its curatorial team for their support, passion, and care in helping amplify this project and share these vital stories about Douglass’ life in such an impactful way.”
Set to run through the end of 2027, Bear Me Into Freedom expands CBMM’s storytelling surrounding freedom seekers in the Chesapeake. Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad continues to run on the first floor of the Changing Exhibitions Building.
Just across the courtyard on Fogg’s Landing is Mitchell House, the historic home of Douglass’ sister Eliza Bailey Mitchell and her family. In CBMM’s Welcome Center, the Water Lines exhibition highlights its small craft collection, featuring the story of Joseph Keene’s journey to freedom in a log canoe.
These stops are featured as part of CBMM’s Seeking Freedom public guided tour, which is available on select weekends and holidays throughout the year.
The Seeking Freedom tour is also available for adult and school groups. Next month, all Talbot County eighth graders will experience the tour as part of an inclusive history grant through the Maryland 250 Commission.
Stay tuned for more planned programming around Bear Me Into Freedom during its run, including a visit later this spring from Dr. Timothy Walker, a historian who edited the “Sailing to Freedom” book that informed that exhibition, to share a snapshot of Douglass’ life in New Bedford, Mass.
Bear Me Into Freedom is funded, in part, through CBMM’s Regional Folklife Center under the Maryland Traditions program of the Maryland State Arts Council and the generosity of Marla & Harold Baines and Charles & Ann Harvey Yonkers. To support this exhibition as a sponsor, please contact CBMM’s Chief Historian Pete Lesher at plesher@cbmm.org.
The Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum is a non-profit educational organization that preserves and explores the history, environment, and culture of the entire Chesapeake Bay region, and makes this resource accessible to all.
Every aspect of fulfilling this mission is driven by CBMM’s values of relevance, authenticity, and stewardship, along with a commitment to providing engaging guest experiences and transformative educational programming, all while serving as a vital community partner. Learn more at cbmm.org.
