Preserving Harriet Tubmans Legacy
Pending Legislation To Honor Harriet Tubman’s Life On Eastern Shore In Maryland and In New York
Harriet “Minty” Ross Tubman is one of the most well-recognized and admired figures in American history. To commemorate her legacy as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, nurse and spy for the Union Army during the Civil War, and cornerstone of her community, Senator Ben Cardin has introduced the Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks Act (S. 247). The bill would establish two sites honoring Tubman. The first site in Maryland’s Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge would focus on Tubman’s early years, while a second park in Auburn, New York, would commemorate her life after the Civil War. As of October 2011, no companion bill has yet been introduced in the House of Representatives.
New Park Sites To Honor Tubman’s Life
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Maryland would include historically important landscapes in Dorchester, Caroline, and Talbot counties. The new park would include nearly 5,700 acres of historic land and sites, including the Poplar Neck Plantation that Tubman escaped from in 1849, a memorial garden, and walking paths. The site would also be interconnected with Blackwater Wildlife Refuge.
The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park would include important historical sites located in Auburn, New York. This national park site would include Tubman’s home, the elderly home she established for Blacks, the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, and the Fort Hill Cemetery where she is buried.
For More Information
For more information about this legislation, please contact Alan Spears with the National Parks Conservation Association at 202-454-3384 or aspears@npca.org.
Library of Congress photo.
