September is Marylands second year celebrating International Underground Railroad Month. The statewide commemoration salutes all who worked to end slavery and pave the way for the more comprehensive civil rights movement that followed in the United States. Annapolis and Anne Arundel county attractions and historical sites are among many across the state that helped earn Maryland the designation of being the most potent Underground Railroad storytelling destination. Several historical events are happening around the county, including an online lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday on slavery and servitude in early Annapolis. The lecture explains how Annapoliss Georgian mansions, colonial furnishings, and artworks as well as the Maryland State House are stunning examples of the skill and expertise of enslaved artisans and convict servants, Historic Annapolis organizers said. Although these artisans worked for and with the citys most famous free white artisans, including Charles Willson Peale, William Buckland, John Shaw, and William Faris, enslaved and indentured artisans are often left out of studies addressing craft in early Annapolis.

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Guide to the weekend: First Sunday Arts Festival, free outdoor yoga class, history lectures and more this Labo - Capital Gazette