Cambridge in Dorchester County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Abolitionist, Scout, Spy, and Nurse
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 27, 2022
1. Abolitionist, Scout, Spy, and Nurse Marker
A year after her escape, Harriet made it her mission to, with the help of God, free her family from slavery. In December 1850, she secretly planned her first rescue.
Harriet Tubman's niece, Kessiah Bowley, and her two children were to be auctioned at the Dorchester County Courthouse. Kessiah's husband John, a free carpenter, was the highest bidder. While the auctioneer was at lunch, John slipped away with his family. They sailed to Baltimore, Maryland, where they caught up with Harriet, who guided them all the way to Canada.
Harriet Tubman returned to Maryland's Eastern Shore more than a dozen times to rescue 70-80 enslaved people. She also inspired many others to follow in her footsteps.
A Pioneer in the Civil War
When the Civil War began, Harriet Tubman volunteered for the Union Army and worked as a nurse, a scout, and a spy. Her most notable military campaign was a raid in South Carolina, where she led nearly 800 slaves to the Union side. By the end of the war in 1865, she returned to her home in Auburn, New York, where she cared for her elderly parents and other former slaves.
Topics. This historical
this page online
Location. 38° 33.592′ N, 76° 3.816′ W. Marker is in Cambridge, Maryland, in Dorchester County. It is at the intersection of Washington Street (Maryland Route 343) and Ocean Gateway (U.S. 50), on the right when traveling west on Washington Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8 Washington St, Cambridge MD 21613, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Eastern Shore. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic, on the Delmarva Peninsula, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Agents on the Underground Railroad (within shouting distance of this marker);
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), August 27, 2022
2. Abolitionist, Scout, Spy, and Nurse Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. Station Stops: The Underground Railroad (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Born To Be Free (was here, next to this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); The Post War Years (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Civil War: Abolitionist, Scout, Spy and Nurse (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Joe Bailey Shakes the Lion's Paw (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Goldsborough Stable
Internet Archive
3. Harriet Tubman
From Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman by Sarah H. Bradford, 1869.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced the linked marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 11, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 28, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 388 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 28, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on October 9, 2022, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.
