Frederick Douglass was born a slave on Maryland's Eastern Shore, but was sent to Baltimore work for a shipbuilder when he was still a child. He lived and worked in the Baltimore docks for seven years, learned to read and bought his first book here, met the women who would become his first wife, and began planning his way to freedom. "Going to live in Baltimore," Douglass later said, "laid the foundation , and opened the gateway, to all my prosperity."
Issac Myers, on the other hand, was born a free man, and found his way into the shipbuilding trade, popular among both blacks and whites. Myers went on to supervise one of the largest shipyards in Baltimore and eventually formed the nation's first African American-owned shipyard, the Chesapeake Marine Railway and Dry Dock Company, which was located at the site.
This impressive bust of Frederick Douglass and other displays can be seen at the park. Visitors can also learn and take part in shipbuilding activities.