A view of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park Visitor Center.
(National Park Service photo/Beth Parnicza)
National Park Service photo/Beth Parnicza
The front of the visitor center, the National Park Service said, is oriented to take visitors from the red timber of Harriet Tubman’s youth on the southern end of the building to the possibilities of freedom offered in the North.
(National Park Service photo/Beth Parnicza)
National Park Service photo/Beth Parnicza
“The sun rises in the northern section of the visitor center, reflecting the glowing promise of freedom in northern territories,” the National Park Service said.
(National Park Service photo/Beth Parnicza)
National Park Service photo/Beth Parnicza
In addition to the facility, the Eastern Shore is the site of Stewart’s Canal, which was dug by black people, probably including Harriet Tubman and her father.
(National Park Service photo/Beth Parnicza)
WASHINGTON — Work is nearly complete on a new joint state and national park on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that will honor one of the country’s champions of freedom and human rights.
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park, in Dorchester County, is scheduled to open to the public the weekend of March 11. Federal and state officials are expected to gather at the 17-acre park for an opening ceremony on March 10 — the anniversary of Tubman’s death.
The park includes a visitor center, garden and picnic pavilion.
Harriet Tubman was born a slave in Dorchester County. She risked her life leading escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad, a secret network of routes and safe houses that ushered slaves from bondage to freedom in the North.
As the finishing touches are being put in place at the park, U.S. Sens. Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin, both of Maryland, have introduced a bill seeking to bring a statue of Harriet Tubman to the U.S. Capitol.
Whether anchoring the news inside the Glass-Enclosed Nerve Center or reporting from the scene in Maryland, Virginia or the District, Dick Uliano is always looking for the stories that really impact people's lives.
