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Dossier 3673Historic SiteMedium 68

Dugan’s Wharf Site: Tillly’s Escape

Denton, Maryland1 min readFile amended Directions

A historic site in Denton, Maryland, an NPS Network to Freedom, Dugan’s Wharf Site: Tillly’s Escape is filed here for what the record attaches to it. The wharf—where Tilly escaped by boat. It sits in the archive under the Underground Railroad, African American history and dark history. The dossier holds 2 documented facts — a documented spine with no haunting reports attached. The site is open to visitors.

Status
Operating
Designation
NPS Network to Freedom
Coordinates
38.879, -75.824 · Approximate (city centroid)

Is Dugan’s Wharf Site: Tillly’s Escape haunted?

No claims are filed here — the record keeps this place for its documented history, not for a haunting on file.

The record — long form

Dugan's Wharf is the launched — the '1856' that's the Tilly boarded, the 'south sailed' that's the trick played. The 'down not up' is the fooled — the 'Choptank south' that's the route ran, the 'pursuers watched north' that's the bait took. The 'Tubman led' is the guided — the 'Tilly carried' that's the woman freed, the 'remarkable trip' that's the Garrett's praise.

The 'steamer caught' is the caught — the 'Baltimore bound' that's the river boat, the 'bridge burned' that's the papers passed. The 'wharf gone' is the marked — the 'site stands' that's the memory kept, the 'water stays' that's the launch's trace. Dugan's is the reversed — the 'south first' that's the counter move, the 'freedom north' that's the end won.

The file keeps Dugan's Wharf: the southward trick, the guided Tilly, the fooled pursuers, and the marked site.

Dugan's Wharf is the archive's Maryland file — where Tubman sailed south to go north.

Why this file matters

Dugan's Wharf is the archive's Maryland file — the launch where Tubman fooled pursuers by going south.

A wharf keeps its reversal — the file's suggestion being that Dugan's hold is the tricked: the 'south sailed' that's the bait laid, the 'Tubman led' that's the guide trusted, and the 'marked site' that's the river's memory.

Documented history

  • Dugan’s Wharf Site: Tillly’s Escape is documented on the National Park Service Network to Freedom for its role in the Underground Railroad. The site's documented history is the record the rest of the file stands on. The fact is historically verified — the part of the file that doesn't need hedging. Sources including 'NPS Network to Freedom listing' carry the record. Documented ground is what separates this file from pure legend — this is part of it.

    Verified historyNational Park Service
  • Tilly’s escape is documented. A documented site gives the file real substance; this entry is part of that record. This belongs to the verified spine of the entry, the layer everything else is measured against. Sources including 'NPS Network to Freedom listing' carry the record. The entry's timeline holds it; the lore holds the rest.

    Verified historyNational Park Service

Sources on file

Field notes & open questions

UGRR enrichment wave 1; VERIFY task auto-queued.

"Dugan’s Wharf Site: Tillly’s Escape." HauntHunt dossier 3673, https://haunthunt.com/place/dugans-wharf-site-tilllys-escape-denton-maryland/ (file amended October 2, 2026).

Within ~50 miles

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