Bessie Bordenave and her cousin Melvin Kelly

This month for the first time in the few years I have been doing this program, I had a return appearance by a guest, Bessie Bordenave, who was my interviewee a few months ago.  This month Bessie was joined by her cousin, Melvin Kelly, who has his own very distinct memories of growing up here as an African American boy in our community. Among other memories, Melvin spoke of a cave near the Middle Patuxent River where he used to play with his friends.  We went to see the cave that is formed by an opening in the rock formations about five feet from the ground.  There has been mention of the possibility that this cave served as part of Harriett Tubman’s “Underground Railroad.”