Visiting Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park In Maryland

Although I was busy working for much of our month in Ocean City, one place we knew we wanted to visit was Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park which, as the name suggests, tells the story of Harriet Tubman and her involvement in the Underground Railroad.

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park is in Church Creek, MD, about 90 minutes west of Ocean City and about 15 minutes south of Cambridge, MD. The grounds of the park are pet-friendly and we knew there was more to see in and around Cambridge, so we brought Truffles along with us for the day.

The park was offering timed tickets to manage capacity due to COVID, so we’d booked those online ahead of time. Dogs aren’t allowed inside the visitor center, so I waited outside with Truffles while Shae went inside, then we swapped places.

The visitor center had several COVID-related precautions in place. Mask wearing was required and there was a one-way route around the exhibits.

The museum area has several interactive exhibits. While those haven’t been closed down or removed, there are multiple hand sanitizing stations you’re encouraged to use before and after touching anything.

The hall leading through to the main exhibit areas has information about several women involved in the Underground Railroad, but the main focus is on Harriet Tubman.

There was a movie playing on a loop, then the exhibits continued beyond.

Harriet Tubman is thought to have been born in March 1822, the fifth of nine children. She was born Araminta Ross and also went by the name Minty. Her parents – Harriet Green and Ben Ross – were both enslaved which meant all nine children were also born into slavery.

Tubman, her mother and siblings were moved away from her father when their slaveholder set up his own farm. In order to see his family, Ben Ross was forced to walk more than ten miles.

From the age of six, Tubman was hired out to other people which resulted in her being separated from her family. One of her jobs was to catch muskrats in frozen marshes, something she was forced to do even after contracting measles.

She eventually got so sick that she was sent back to her mother to be nursed back to health. When she was well enough, she was hired out once again.

In addition to all the information you can read in the visitor center, you can also take an audio tour using your phone.

When she was a little older, Tubman was at the local store in Bucktown. An overseer threw a two pound weight at an enslaved young man but missed, hitting Tubman in the head instead.

The weight broke her skull and she was carried unconscious and bleeding to her owner’s house, but was left without any kind of medical attention. Not only did they not call a doctor, but she was put back to work in the field. The head injury was so severe that she suffered from seizures and headaches for the rest of her life.

In her early 20s, Minty Ross (as she was known then) married John Tubman who was a free man and it’s thought that it was at this point that she changed her first name to Harriet.

The fact that her husband was free added complications to already troubled circumstances. Her status as an enslaved person meant that Harriet could be sold by her slaveholder at any time as her marriage wasn’t legally binding. After five years of marriage, Harriet discovered that she was going to be sold and so she decided to flee. Her husband John decided to remain in Maryland, so she had to leave him behind.

Tubman initially fled with her two brothers on September 17, 1849. After a few weeks, the three of them were afraid of being captured and argued as to where to go, with her brothers deciding to return back to their slaveholder, dragging Tubman with them.

A few days later, Tubman decided to escape on her own. As she left, she sang the following “Goodbye” song which she hoped would be passed on to her mother.

When that thar’ ol’ chariot comes,
I’m going to leave you,
I’m bound for the promised land,
I’m going to leave you.

I’m sorry, I’m going to leave you,
Farewell, oh, farewell!
But I’ll meet you in the mornin’
Farewell, oh, farewell!

I’ll meet you in the mornin’
I’m bound for the promised land
On the other side of Jordan
Bound for the promised land.

I’ll meet you in the mornin’,
Safe in the promised land;
On the other side of Jordan
Bound for the promised land.

Tubman managed to escape safely and reached Philadelphia, a city in a free state, where she got involved in the Underground Railroad.

Throughout the 1850s, Tubman risked her own freedom to rescue her family and friends, eventually saving about 70 people.

One of those who didn’t come was her free husband John. She arrived back in Dorchester County, only to discover that he had remarried and wanted to remain where he was. Despite the disappointment, Tubman decided to help free other enslaved people during that trip.

Harriet Tubman was the first woman to lead an armed exhibition in the Civil War, leading the Combahee River Raid in South Carolina. As part of the raid, they dismantled Confederate torpedoes, destroyed plantations and blew up bridges. By the end of the mission, 750 people were freed and evacuated.

Final Thoughts

Growing up in the UK, Harriet Tubman’s life wasn’t something we ever learned at school. Although I’d learned bits and pieces about her over the years, there was still a lot that I didn’t know.

Visiting the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park helped fill in a lot of gaps in my knowledge. I’m sure there’s still much to learn about her life and bravery, but I’m glad to have an even better understanding now about what she achieved during her life, along with everything she risked.

There’s a lot more to see in the local area relating to Tubman’s early life, so it’s worth setting aside some additional time to drive around to those sites. You can read more about the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway here.

Ticket Prices

It’s free to visit the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, although be sure to check if timed tickets are required if you’re visiting during COVID times.

Address

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, 4068 Golden Hill Rd, Church Creek, MD 21622