Divided Voices: Maryland in the Civil War

The Maryland Center for History and Culture opened the permanent exhibition Divided Voices: Maryland in the Civil War in 2011 to tell the story of how Maryland, as a slave-holding border state, was caught between North and South, divided between slavery and freedom, the Union and the Confederacy.

In 2018, MCHC’s museum, library, and education staff collaborated to refresh Divided Voices and reveal new stories about the African American experience before, during, and after the war. The exhibition includes a number of new museum acquisitions, as well as reinterpretations of existing objects in MCHC’s collection. New interactive elements—including a 12-minute film and an iPad used for visitor feedback—offer engaging new touch-points and ask all of us to wonder, “Are we still divided?”