Patty Cannon, notorious slave catcher

Preston

February 1, 1829

Categories: African American, Legal, Women
Tags: 1817 – 1860, Caroline County

The notorious Patty Cannon (ca 1760-1829), leader of the Eastern Shore Cannon-Johnson gang of slave catchers, is indicted for the murder of four Black people.

Cannon’s gang, which includes Black members, operates for a decade in Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania in the 1820s, kidnapping hundreds of Blacks, free and enslaved, and selling them south as part of the reverse underground railroad. Cannon is also a serial killer, admitting to at least two dozen murders. Attempts by Pennsylvanians to recapture those kidnapped and stop the gang lead finally to Cannon’s arrest in 1829 after human remains are found on her property. She dies in jail, possibly by suicide, while awaiting trial. Her house, near Preston in Caroline County, has been demolished.

For More Information

Patty Cannon House Marker

Dorchester County Historical Society

View Other Mosaic Pieces

Marylander Roger B. Taney hands down the Dred Scott decision.

Roger Taney, Maryland native and Supreme Court Chief Justice, delivers 7-2 opinion in 1857, in the Dred Scott case, declaring that Blacks in the US are not considered citizens nor entitled to government protection, and that Congress cannot prohibit slavery. The decision becomes a major factor leading to the Civil War.

Entrepreneur Reginald F. Lewis creates foundation

Baltimore native Reginald Lewis, first African American to build a $1 billion corporation, creates a foundation in 1987. In 2002 it provides major support in creating the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of African American History and Culture.

American Visionary Art Musuem

The American Visionary Art Museum opens its doors in 1995. It is unique, the first of its kind, bringing work from untrained artists to the public in a new an engaging way.