Harriet Tubman Centennial 2013 - Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway

2013 Centennial

Centennial Events in Harriet Tubman's Homeland

Throughout 2013, special events on Maryland's Eastern Shore -- the place where Tubman grew up, labored, and worshipped -- are honoring her life and legacy. In March, we dedicated a weekend to Harriet Tubman's legacy through the opening of an art exhibit, a groundbreaking for a state park in her honor, a banquet, a concert, and more.

Sharing Stories Along the Tubman Byway

For the Tubman Centennial year, more than 20 new wayside signs will be installed to better tell the stories of Tubman and the Underground Railroad along the 125-mile self-guided driving tour in Dorchester and Caroline Counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Also in the works is a new audio guide (with commentary featuring Tubman relatives and historians) and an updated map and guide for visitors along the Byway. Learn more about the Byway.

Planning for the Tubman Visitor Center and State Park
Plans are under way to create the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center and State Park near Cambridge, Maryland, not far from where Tubman grew up. Ground was broken on March 9, 2013 for the state park, which will include a 15,000 square foot Visitor Center, exhibit hall and theater, memorial garden and trails, a picnic pavilion and restroom and administrative offices. The park’s 17 acres adjacent to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge will offer a distinctive landscape of marshes, woodlands and fields that are reminiscent of the backdrop for Harriet Tubman’s early life on the Eastern Shore.