Sotterley Unveils Middle Passage Marker

(Photo by Ceandra B. Scott of Sole Scott Photography)

At Historic Sotterley’s Day of Unity and Healing event August 24, the new Middle Passage Marker was unveiled. The marker commemorates the lives of all who were impacted by the transatlantic slave trade, and in particular the enslaved who came directly to Sotterley aboard the Generous Jenny.

Speaking at the unveiling were Gwen Bankins, Historic Sotterley Board of Trustees vice president and Sotterley descendant; Nancy Easterling, executive director of Historic Sotterley; Aaron Levinthal, senior archaeologist of the Maryland Department of Transportation, and Jeanne Pirtle, Historic Sotterley’s former director of programming and partnerships.

The marker commemorates the lives of all who were forced to come to the Americas through the slave trade, and in particular the enslaved who came directly to Sotterley aboard the Generous Jenny.

The Middle Passage was the middle leg of the triangular trade route in the enslaved trade industry, connecting Europe, Africa, and the Americas. Slave ships transported goods to the African coast in exchange for enslaved Africans, who were then delivered to American ports. Goods from America were transported back to Europe, completing the triangle.

In 1720, the ship Generous Jenny carried 260 enslaved Africans to Sotterley.

Tragically, 29 individuals died during the voyage. Some of the survivors were enslaved at Sotterley by owner James Bowles, while others were sold to enslavers in Virginia. Historic Sotterley has been recognized as a Middle Passage Site by the Middle Passage Ceremony and Port Markers Project since 2012 when Historic Sotterley held a remembrance ceremony for the community, and then was the first site in Maryland to install its own Middle Passage Marker on site in 2014.

This new marker by the Maryland Department of Transportation represents a new level of acknowledgement by the state of Maryland and helps to boost Historic Sotterley’s visibility in our greater community and show its dedication to telling a transparent and inclusive history.

“The Sotterley Historical Roadside Marker highlights one of Maryland’s untold stories and honors the lives impacted by the Middle Passage,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld. “This historical marker stands in support of the community and descendants of enslaved people while also helping to inform generations to come. The Maryland Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Maryland Historical Trust, is working to increase the number of historical markers like this one to feature more stories from our shared history.”

The marker will be permanently placed on Sotterley Road, near the intersection of Route 235 in Hollywood.