This special exhibition is set to open on the second floor of the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum’s Changing Exhibitions Gallery on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026.

Bear Me Into Freedom: The Talbot County of Frederick Douglass explores how Frederick Douglass’ early life in Talbot County, Maryland, shaped his journey to become a prominent abolitionist, writer, and orator. The exhibition is organized around a series of waypoints that guide visitors through key moments and locations from his life, from birth to his later returns as a free man, and how the landscape shaped these experiences.