SALISBURY, MD. - The Preservation Trust of Wicomico County got approval this month to add a new historical marker to the old courthouse lawn in Salisbury.
The county council approved the new sign, which will commemorate a speech Frederick Douglass gave at the courthouse in 1880.
Douglass gave the speech to raise funds for a nearby church: the church is now the Chipman Cultural Center.
Trust president Aleta Davis says the sign is part of a larger project to preserve local history.
"It is so exciting to be able to be getting ready to get this sign here so that people can actually know that he spoke here in Salisbury," Davis said.
Davis hopes this project will encourage visitors to learn more both about their local history, and Douglass' history in general.
The preservations efforts are not the only ones in town. A mural depicting Douglass at the courthouse was recently finished on a Purdue building across from Brew River.
One of the owners of the restaurant, Leigh Wheatley, says that she loves how the mural adds life to the community.
"Just having that kind of, uh, historical figure kind of is inspirational, you know what i mean? It just makes you feel like 'I can make something of myself'," Wheatley said.
The Preservation Trust says they hope for the sign to be up by the end of the summer. However, the group says the sign will go up when they reach their fundraising goal.
Those interested in learning more or contributing to the non-profit can reach out via the group's Facebook page.