Historic London Town and Gardens Middle Passage Port Marker Ceremony

Emancipation Day, Wednesday, November 1, 2023 11:00 a.m. Music, speakers, ceremony. Lunch and tours will be offered. Please RSVP to Developmentdirector@historiclondontown.org or call 410-222-1919 x 205 The Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project was established in 2011 to honor the two million captive Africans who perished during the transatlantic crossing known as the Middle Passage and the ten million who survived to build the Americas.

In 2019, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) designated Historic London Town as a Routes of Enslaved Peoples Project Site of Memory.

It was here that at least four ships brought chained and shackled Africans to its port on the South River: the Margaret (1718), the Elizabeth (1719), the Clapham (1729), and the Jenny (1760). It is estimated that several more vessels arrived at the shores of this colonial town, where captives were unloaded and prepared for sale to the highest bidder. Some were bought and sold from the property of William Brown, tavern keeper and ferry master. Thousands of people in bondage lived, worked, and died in this colonial seaport and its surroundings. Others, sold here, were enslaved elsewhere. By 1776, more than half the people living in and around London Town were enslaved. You are welcome to join us in commemoration of the lives of those who perished, those who endured the Middle Passage, those who were enslaved, and their descendants as we honor the spirit of resilience and hope. 11:00 am: Ceremony begins Mid-day: Lunch Beginning at 1:00: Optional tours Please RSVP to Developmentdirector@historiclondontown.org or call 410-222-1919 x 205 Sankofa is a Twi word from the Akan tribe of Ghana that loosely translates from a proverb to “go back and get it.” This phrase encourages learning from the past to inform the future, reaching back to move forward, and lifting as we climb.