Milt Diggins

Milt Diggins is an independent scholar, public historian, and lecturer. After retiring from teaching, his enthusiasm for researching and conveying the lessons of history remained strong. Part of that interest was channeled through writing articles, blog posts, and books.

Diggins credits Frederick Douglass for setting in motion his most recent book, Stealing Freedom Along the Mason-Dixon Line: Thomas McCreary, the Notorious Slave Catcher from Maryland. While a volunteer editor at the Historical Society of Cecil County, Maryland, Diggins came across an 1851 news article in which Frederick Douglass referred to Thomas McCreary as the "Notorious Elkton Kidnapper." No one at the county historical society in Elkton had ever heard of Thomas McCreary, and records at the society, at first glance, yielded nothing on McCreary. This sparked his curiosity even further. For seven years, he researched multiple sources, organized the story to place it within the context of larger events, and established its significance for regional and national history in the run up to Civil War.

Check out his website for more information about Stealing Freedom Along the Mason-Dixon Line: Thomas McCreary, the Notorious Slave Catcher from Maryland: www.mdiggins.com