Harriet Tubman [1820-1913]

N.B.: This is one of more than 60 web pages presenting -- in chronological order -- physical monuments & selected events related to one or more famous peacemakers. For others in the series, see names in red on web page for Famous Peacemakers.

Harriet Tubman [1820-1913] -- born Araminta Harriet Ross -- "was an African-American abolitionist, humanitarian & Union spy during the American Civil War [1861-1865]. After escaping from slavery, into which she was born, she made 13 missions to rescue more than 70 slaves using the network of antislavery activists & safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. She helped John Brown [1800-1859] recruit men for his raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. In the post-war era, she struggled for women's suffrage."

Right click image to enlarge.

B I R T H

1820 - Birth of Araminta Green Ross [1820-1913], Bestpitch Ferry Road, Bucktown, Dorchester County, Maryland (USA). Her father is Benjamin Ross, & her mother's maiden name is Harriet Green. "This area has been historically recognized as Harriet Tubman’s birthplace even though there is no conclusive evidence as to the exact birth site of 1822 [sic]. Tubman did spend her early years working here & on nearby farms, some of which are much the same today. Tubman made her escape from the Thompson farm. Image shows the Bucktown Store, a key site. As a 13-year-old girl visiting the store, Tubman blocked an overseer’s effort to discipline a fellow slave. In his frustration, the overseer struck Tubman in the head with a 2-pound block of iron. She nearly died from the injury, & it left her prone to sudden seizures & spiritual visions the rest of her long life."

1842 - Harriet is 22 years old when she marries John Tubman, a freed slave.

1849 - Harriet is 29 years old when she heard rumors that she is about to be sold. Using the Underground Railroad for the first time, she flees to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1851 - Harriet Tubman settles near St. Catherines, Ontario (Canada).

H O U S E

1857 - Harriet Tubman House, Auburn, New York (USA). "In 1857, Harriet Tubman relocates her parents from St. Catharines, Ontario (Canada) to Auburn. She is provided a two story brick home on the outskirts of Auburn, by her friend William H. Seward [1801-1872]. A short time, later he sells the property to Tubman for a modest sum, an illegal transaction at the time. Seward is a US Senator from New York."

G R A V E

1913 - Death of Harriet Tubman Davis [1820-1913], Auburn, New York (USA). Buried in Fort Hill Cemetery. "In 1937 the gravestone for Harriet Tubman Davis was erected by the Empire State Federation of Women's Clubs; it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999."

S H I P

June 3, 1944 - South Portland Shipbuilding Corporation, South Portland, Maine (USA). "The US Maritime Commission launched the SS Harriet Tubman, its first Liberty ship ever named for a black woman."

S T A M P

February 1, 1978 - The US Postal Service issues a stamp in honor of Tubman as the first in a series honoring African Americans.

M U S E U M

1985 - Tubman African American Museum, 340 Walnut Street, Macon, Georgia (USA). Named in honor of Harriet Tubman [c1820-1913], "the courageous African American woman, known as the 'Black Moses,' who led hundreds of other slaves to freedom and served as Union spy, scout, and nurse during the Civil War." Formerly named "Harriet Tubman Center for Spiritual & Cultural Awareness." Mentioned by Tom Flores (2008).

S T A T U E

1994 - Underground Railroad Memorial, near W.K. Kellogg Manor House, off of West Van Buren Street, Battle Creek, Michigan (USA). "The nation's largest monument to the Underground Railroad. The 28 foot long & 14 foot high bronze statue was made possible by the generosity of the WK Kellogg Foundation & Glenn A. Cross Estate. The lovely park like setting with flower-lined pathways showcases the beauty of the statue. A information kiosk is on site to provide information. Honors the men & women who operated the Underground Railroad. Foremost figures are Harriet Tubman [1822-1913] & Erastus Hussey [1800-1889], a local "conductor" of the Underground Railroad. (Sarah Hussey is one of the figures on the side of the memorial.) Harriet Tubman never came to Battle Creek." /// See paper by Anthony Patrick Glesner (1995).

N.B.: Ed Dwight [b.1933] also sculpted the Alex Haley-Kunta Kinte Memorial, City Dock, Annapolis, Maryland, in 1981, "Gateway to Freedom," Hart Plaza, Detroit, Michigan, in 2001, & "Tower of Freedom," 100 Pitt Street East, Windsor, Ontario (Canada) in 2001.

B O O K

February 1994 - "Hippocrene Guide to the Underground Railroad" by Charles L. Blockson. "A collection of letters, diaries & narratives of slaves who found freedom, including Henry 'Box' Brown, who nailed himself into a box & had it shipped to Phildelphia; William & Ellen Craft, who posed as master & slave & traveled openly out of the South; & a young woman who escaped with the help of Union soldiers by dressing as one of them. With accompanying historical notes & 16 pages of photographs." /// "Arranged like a travel guide. Provides historic reference to over 200 landmark homes, institutions, buildings & markers relating to the Underground Railroad." /// Charles L. Blockson is founder & curator of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection of rare texts, slave narratives, art & a host of other artifacts significant in African-American history at Temple University. /// Image on cover is detail of Harriet Tubman [1822-1913] from the Underground Railroad Memorial in Battle Creek, Michigan.

C H A P E L

1999 - Salem Chapel, British Methodist Episcopal Church, St. Catharines, Ontario (Canada). "Harriet Tubman lived near here from 1851 to 1858 & is traditionally associated with Salem Chapel." /// "In 1999, the Canadian government designates the chapel as a National Historic Site of Canada due to its association with Tubman."

M U S E U M

August 2004 - National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, 50 East Freedom Way, Cincinnati, Ohio (USA). Interprets the Underground Railroad and "pays tribute to all efforts to abolish human enslavement and secure freedom for all people." Described on pages 348-349 of "A Traveller's Guide to the Civil Rights Movement" by Jim Carrier (2004). One of 27 US museums in "Museums for Peace Worldwide" edited by Kazuyo Yamane (2008). to see Wikipedia article.

M U S E U M

Date? - Harriet Tubman Organization & Education Center, 424 Race Street, Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland (USA). "At this small museum, learn of the strength of character & determination it took this remarkable woman to achieve her many accomplishments." /// "Tubman was 29 when she escaped to freedom in the North. She never learned to read but became famous in her time through her strength of will & service to others. Free herself, she returned to Maryland as many as 19 times to rescue an estimated 70 people from slavery, including her parents & many friends & family members. We were lucky in our visit, as the very knowledgeable Donald Pinder was staffing the museum. Pinder, head of the Harriet Tubman Organization, which runs the museum, told us much of what we learned about Harriet Tubman & her life in Dorchester County." NB: Images don't match.

2002 - Scholar Molefi Kete Asante includes Harriet Tubman on his list of the 100 Greatest African Americans.

June 24, 2006 - Harriet Tubman Memorial, Lions Park, Bristol, Bucks County, Pensylvania (USA). - On bank of Delaware River. Depicts a 6-1/2 foot Tubman pointing toward the North Star [direction slaves walked]. Molded from solid bronze. Designed by William Smith Bristol. Sculpted by James Gafgen of Morrisville. Initiated & advanced by African American Historical & Cultural Society of Bucks County with financial assistance from the Bristol Lions Club.

S T A T U E

2008 - Harriet Tubman statue, 122nd Street & Frederick Douglas Boulevard, Harlem, New York City, New York (USA).

H A L L

2008 - Tubman House, West Village development, Towson University, Towson, Maryland (USA). The university names a new residence hall after Tubman.

March 25, 2013 - Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument, Eastern Shore, Maryland (USA). Established by proclamation signed by President Barack Obama. Image shows Harriet Tubman historical marker at Brodess Farm near Cambridge, Maryland.

Dozens of schools have been named in her honor.

Year? - Tubman is commemorated together with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Amelia Bloomer & Sojourner Truth in the calendar of saints of the Episcopal Church on July 20.