The Beneath the Underground project makes some rare texts in the Maryland State Archives' collection available in an electronic format. These texts include rare books and reprinted archival material.


icon A Guide to the History of Slavery in Maryland

Overview: Aimed primarily at students and their teachers, the 40-page booklet provides an overview of slavery and its legacy in Maryland from its beginnings in the 17th century to the present day.

icon William Still's Underground Railroad

Overview: Still recorded the stories of large numbers of escaped slaves in his classic text. Many of them escaped from Maryland.

icon Searching for Ancestors who were Slaves

Overview: An Index to the Freedom Records of Prince George's County, Maryland, 1808-1869

icon History & Roster of Maryland Volunteers War of 1861-5

Overview: The three-hundred and sixty-sixth volume of the Archives of Maryland series was prepared under the authority of the General Assembly by L. Allison Wilmer, J. H. Jarrett and Geo. W. F. Vernon in 1899. The Archives of Maryland edition was published in 2001 by the Maryland State Archives. This volume covers sailors and marines as well as the Colored Troops.

icon Slave Statistics of St. Mary's County Maryland 1864

Overview: The Slave Statistics consist of lists of slaves owned as of 1 November 1864, the date when the Constitution of 1864, which abolished slavery in Maryland, took effect. In the hope that the federal government would compensate former slaveholders, the General Assembly in 1867 authorized the compilation of records to establish slave ownership and the value of slave property.