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One hundred years after her death in 1913, Delaware celebrates the Underground Railroad’s most famous conductor

HARRIETTUBMAN

1 0 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y

» New depictionA wax statue of Harriet Tubman was

unveiled last year at The President’sGallery by Madame Tussauds in Wash-ington. Tubman’s great-great-great-grandnephew Charles E.T. Ross and Tub-man’s great-great-grandniece ValeryRoss Manokey visited the museum. SOURCE: thedailyrecord.com

» Thomas Garrett Thomas Garrett (Aug. 21, 1789 – Jan. 25,1871) was an abolitionist and leader inthe Underground Railroad movement.As he toiled in the iron and hardwarebusiness in Wilmington, Garrett openlyworked as a Station Master on the last

stop of the Under-ground Railroadin the state. Onetime, when Wilm-ington authoritieswere watchingfor Tubman and agroup of escapeesat the bridge lead-ing into the city,Thomas Garrettarranged for

some bricklayers to bring them into thecity at the bottom of a wagon, buriedunder a pile of bricks, blankets, andtools. Some wagons had false bottomswhere escaped slaves could hide. Gar-rett is credited with helping 2,700 es-caped slaves reach freedom.SOURCE: history.com

» A different type of railroadThe Underground Railroad was neitherunderground nor a railroad. It got itsname because its activities in freeing

slaves had to becarried out insecret, using dark-ness or disguise,and because rail-way terms wereused by thoseinvolved with thesystem to describehow it worked:

Conductor: Aperson who led es-

caping slaves toward freedom.Station: A safe refuge for escaping

slaves, they were usually about twentymiles apart.

Cargo or freight: The fleeing slaves.Station Master: A person who of-

fered a safe haven for escaping slaves,usually in his or her home.

» Delaware and slavery At the time of the Underground Rail-

road, slavery was legal in Delaware. Thestate’s Constitution of 1776 banned the

importation ofslaves but did notfree those alreadyin bondage. Mostof Delaware’sslaves lived in thesouthern part ofthe state, wherethere were more

large farms and plantations.Because it bordered free states Penn-

sylvania and New Jersey, Delaware be-came an escape route for slaves fleeingfrom Maryland and the south. Delaware’slarge numbers of Friends (Quakers),many of whom strongly opposed slavery,also contributed to the state’s active rolein the Eastern Route of the UndergroundRailroad.

» CelebrationsMarch 1: Governor’s Proclamation

for Harriet Tubman Day on March 10,Old State House, Dover. Time to be de-termined. Contact Beverly Laing, 302-736-7437, bev.laing@state.de.us.

March 9: Guided walking tours inCamden, featuring the Tubman story anda Civil War interpretation, organized byFriends of Historic Camden. For infor-mation, visit www.historiccamdende.org.

For information about activitiesscheduled between March 1 and March10, visit www.harriettubmandelaware.com.

By John Micklos, Jr.SPECIAL TO THE NEWS JOURNAL

n the spring of 1854, Harriet Tub-man led four escaping slavesnorth toward Wilmington, the laststop on the Underground Railroadbefore reaching the free state ofPennsylvania. About 30 milesfrom their destination, a tidal

stream blocked their way. Unsure howdeep the water might be, the men refusedto enter. Tubman, realizing they had tokeep moving or face capture, waded rightin. The men, shamed by her courage, fol-lowed.

Stories like these, recounted in “Boundfor the Promised Land” by historian KateClifford Larson, help explain how Tubmanearned the nickname “Moses” for leadingso many slaves to freedom. Following herown escape in 1849, Tubman led a dozendaring rescues over the next decade. Shebrought some 70 slaves, including many

members of her own family, throughDelaware to freedom.

Born Araminta Harriet Ross around1820 in Dorchester County, Md., Tubmanwas struck in the head as a young teenwith an iron weight thrown by an overseer.She suffered serious side effects for therest of her life. For instance, she fre-quently fell asleep in the middle of activi-ties – a distinct danger when fleeing slavehunters.

During the Civil War, Tubman served asa nurse, scout, spy, and cook for the Union.In 1863, she became the first woman in thewar to lead an armed expedition – a SouthCarolina raid that freed more than 700slaves.

After the war, Tubman settled nearAuburn, N.Y., where she continued toserve others. She spoke out for women’ssuffrage and donated her 25-acre propertyto the AME Zion Church of Auburn so thatthe Harriet Tubman Home for the Agedcould be established. In 1911, wheelchair

bound, Tubman herself entered the home.She died on March 10, 1913, making thisthe centennial year of her death.

Tubman’s Delaware connectionTubman had deep ties to Delaware. All

of her trips came through the state – some-times through Seaford, other times Cam-den, before reaching Wilmington. “Thisstory is multicultural and involves differ-ent religions,” noted Penny Marshall,board president of West End Neighbor-hood House in Wilmington and the organ-izer of several Harriet Tubman commemo-rative activities. “It involves free blackshelping slaves, white people helpingslaves, and Quakers helping slaves, all be-cause they believed that slavery waswrong.”

Tubman’s Delaware Underground Rail-road connections included free blacksWilliam Brinkley and Abraham Gibbs inthe Camden-Dover area. In helping escap-ing slaves, they risked prison or even thepossibility of being sold into slavery them-selves.

Another trusted friend was ThomasGarrett, a Wilmington Quaker who helped2,700 slaves escape over 40 years. “Theyhad a great relationship and partnership,”said Larson, a consultant to Delaware’sHarriet Tubman Underground RailroadByway project. “He helped restore herfaith in humanity.” Successfully suedby two slave owners from Mary-land for property loss, Garrett

had to pay a judgment of $5,400 in 1848 – ahuge sum in those days. Still he continuedto aid runaway slaves. “His consciencetold him it was the right thing to do,” saidCynthia Synder, site manager for the NewCastle Court House Museum.

Garrett’s funeral in 1871 drew thou-sands of mourners. His black friends car-ried his body on their shoulders to its rest-ing place at Friends Meeting House. “Itwas the funeral of the decade,” saidPaulette de la Veaux, secretary of Wilm-ington Friends Meeting.

The Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park,just steps from the bridge where many es-caping slaves entered Wilmington, honorsthe collaboration between these Under-ground Railroad titans. The park’s center-piece is a dramatic statue depictingthe two of them helping escap-ing slaves.

Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad BywayTo experience a bit of Delaware’s Underground Railroad history, travel the 97-mile HarrietTubman Underground Railroad Byway. Conceived by the Underground Railroad Coalition ofDelaware and administered by DelDOT, thebyway winds from Sandtown on the Mary-land/Delaware border to the Pennsylvaniaborder north of Wilmington.

Tubman escape warrantSlave owners often offered rewards for the return ofrunaways. An ad posted in the Delaware Gazette (left)offered $300 for the return of Minty (as Harriet Tubman wasknown in her younger years) when she fled to freedom.

A courageous life• Tubman was born a slave in Dorchester

County, Md., around 1820. .Fearing she might besold to another master, Tubman escaped to freedom

through Delaware when she was 25 years old.

• 1From 1850-1860 Tubman conducted roughly a dozenrescue missions to Maryland, bringing relatives, includingher 70-year-old parents, and roughly 70 others to freedomthrough on her eastern route through Delaware.

• She boasted that in all of her journeys “I never lost a passenger.”

• She carried a gun which sheused to threaten the fugitives ifthey became too tired ordecided to turn back, tellingthem, “You'll be free or die.”

• By 1856, Tubman’s capturewould have brought a $40,000reward from the South.

• Once she overheard somemen reading her wanted

poster, which stated that she was illiterate. She pulledout a book and feigned reading it. The ploy was enoughto fool the men.

• After the war she settled in Auburn, N.Y., where shespent the rest of her long life. She died in 1913.

• A joint resolution of the U.S. Congress designated March10, 1990, as “Harriet Tubman Day.”

New statueWilmington’sstatue “UnwaveringCourage in the Pursuit of Freedom” in Tubman-GarrettPark honors HarrietTubman and ThomasGarrett

(9) Tubman-GarrettRiverfront Park

The park was dedi-cated in 1998 to thework of ThomasGarrett and Tubman.Garrett lived in thenearby Quaker Hill

neighborhood whererunaway slaves often

found refuge.

(5) Corbit-SharpHouse

The house was uiltin Odessa in the1770s. OwnerDaniel Corbitwas active in theUnderground

Railroad andknown for hiding

fugitives in his attic.

(8) WilmingtonOld Town Hall

Abolitionist meet-ings were heldhere and cap-tured freedomseekers were

jailed here beforebeing returned to

enslavement.

(2) CamdenFriends Meeting

HouseBuilt in 1804, itserved as theregional hub ofQuaker worshipas a meeting-place for Quakers

who were activein the Underground

Railroad.

Sites along the byway• (1) Del. 10 agricultural landscape• (2) Camden Friends Meeting House• (3) Delaware Old State House• (4) Blackbird State Forest• (5) Corbit-Sharp House• (6) New Castle Courthouse • (7) Quaker Hill Historic District• (8) Wilmington Old Town Hall• (9) Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park

To learn more, visit www.harriettubmandelaware.com.

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Tubman leads slaves through aswamp. COURTESY OF “HARRIETTUBMAN: A PASSAGE TO FREEDOM”

Online: Test howwell you’ve learnedabout HarrietTubman at delaware-online.com/quiz

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HARRIET TUBMAN

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DESIGN, GRAPHICS AND ILLUSTRATION BY DAN GARROW

“I NEVER LOST A PASSENGER”