Harriet Tubman
Sculpture in Exhibit
(New York Times Feb. 24, 2017)
“God’s time is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens. He
gave me the strength in my limbs. He meant I should be free.”
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center
(Above and Below)
State of Maryland
The public is invited to the grand opening of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center March 11 and 12. The National Park Service and the Maryland Park Service have
teamed up to provide special family-friendly Grand Opening events and
activities at the site and a first look at the new visitor center. It is
located at: 4068 Golden Hill Road, Church Creek, Maryland. All events
are free.
The
Visitor Center is the premier feature of the national and state park
and includes state-of-the-art, green elements such as bio-retention
ponds, rain barrels, and vegetative roofs. It houses an exhibit hall,
museum store, information desk, research library, and restrooms. The
exhibit features information about Harriet Tubman’s role as a conductor
on the Underground Railroad and her work as a freedom fighter,
humanitarian, leader and liberator.
Events
on Saturday and Sunday will include programs with Harriet Tubman
Re-enactor Millicent Sparks; Harriet Haikus & Creative Writing
Workshops with National Park Service Centennial Poet Laureate Dr. Sonia
Sanchez; Historian Tony Cohen of the Menare Foundation leading simulated
Underground Railroad journeys around the legacy garden that reveal
escape secrets used by Tubman and other freedom seekers.
Park
Rangers will provide talks on topics such as why Araminta Ross changed
her name to Harriet Tubman, what skills made her a successful
Underground Railroad conductor and the importance of community to
enslaved people.
Children’s
activities will be offered from noon to 4 p.m. both days including
“Games Enslaved Children Played,” about the significance and history of
games that enslaved children played and create their own piece of art to
remember the park’s inaugural weekend. Junior Ranger activities are
also available. Participants get a souvenir hat while supplies last.
On
Sunday, Tubman biographer, Dr. Kate Clifford Larson, the visitor
center’s historical consultant, will present a talk and book signing for
Bound for the Promised Land: Portrait of an American Hero. In addition,
architect Chris Elcock, of GWWO, Inc., Architects, will present a talk
about the hidden symbolism in the Visitor Center building and
surrounding landscape.
“The
story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad is one that
captivates people of all ages and backgrounds,” said Josie Fernandez,
acting superintendent of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad
National Historical Park.
“Harriet
Tubman is a true Maryland treasure and who remains relevant to this
very day,” said Maryland Park Service Manager Dana Paterra. “Her path to
freedom was wrought with peril but she persevered and overcame many
struggles to become an American icon.”
Free Shuttles from Cambridge: For
visitors coming to the site through Cambridge, Maryland, free parking
and a shuttle system is available at 410 Academy Street. From Route 50
take Maryland Avenue to Academy Street following signs for “Shuttle
Parking.” The shuttle will operate from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday,
March 11 only. The City of Cambridge is running these free shuttles to
the Visitor Center.
The Partnership: The
Maryland Park Service and the National Park Service have partnered to
manage the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center. The new
visitor center, recreational pavilion, and legacy garden are located
within the 17-acre Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park and
the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park.
Located along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, this
location was chosen for the park because the view is preserved by the
surrounding Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. With few remaining
structures from Tubman’s time in the Choptank River Region, the
landscape is a large part of the visitor experience.
For information on how to visit go to nps,gov/hatu or dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/pages/eastern/tubman.aspx.
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