Church Creek in Dorchester County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Harriet Tubman
Born into slavery, Harriet Tubman did not submit to bondage. She witnessed the horrifying sale of her three sisters to slave traders. The likelihood of her meeting a similar fate was frightfully real. In 1849, she escaped with her two brothers. Fearing the risk of capture and separation from family, the brothers convinced Harriet to turn back. Later that same year, she made a daring solo escape to Pennsylvania.
Freedom she said, "felt like I was in Heaven." The initial euphoria was short lived. The loneliness saddened her, and hardened her resolve to rescue those left behind. Tubman returned to Maryland more than a dozen times. Over the course of a decade, she rescued at least 70 family members and friends from enslavement.
Whether by self-liberation, or emancipation, formerly enslaved people reconstructed their lives in other places. Harriet Tubman and members of her family first settled in St. Catharines, Ontario. In 1859, she purchased a property in Auburn, NY. There she cared for family members and previously enslaved people. The house is preserved as part of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park.
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Tubman's legacy is illustrated by the diverse group she guided to freedom over the years. The identity of many individuals is well documented. Even those who remain nameless, bear witness to her extraordinary accomplishment.
Harriet Tubman Nelson Davis (husband, and 8th Regiment Infantry US Colored Troops veteran) "Pop" John Alexander (boarder in Tubman's house) Sarah Parker (boarder) Dora Stewart (great-niece) Gertie Davis (Watson) (adopted daughter) Lee Chaney (neighbor's child) Walter Green (neighbor's child)
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior; Maryland Park Service; Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Abolition & Underground RR • African Americans • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1849.
Location. 38° 26.93′ N, 76° 8.3′ W. Marker is in Church Creek, Maryland, in Dorchester County. Marker can be reached from Golden Hill Road (Maryland Route 335) south of Key Wallace Drive, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4030 Golden Hill Rd, Woolford MD 21677, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Underground Railroad (here, next to this marker); The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway
Credits. This page was last revised on August 30, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 30, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 177 times since then and 136 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 30, 2022, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.