Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument
| Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument | |
|---|---|
|
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape) | |
  | |
| Location | Dorchester County, Maryland, United States |
| Nearest city | Church Creek, Maryland |
| Coordinates | 38°26′54″N 76°08′19″W / 38.4483°N 76.1387°WCoordinates: 38°26′54″N 76°08′19″W / 38.4483°N 76.1387°W[1] |
| Area | 11,750 acres (4,760 ha) |
| Established | 2013 |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| http://www.nps.gov/hatu/index.htm | |
Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument is an 11,750-acre (4,760 ha) National Park Service unit in the U.S. state of Maryland. It commemorates the life of former slave Harriet Tubman, who became an activist in the Underground Railroad prior to the American Civil War. The monument was created by President Barack Obama under the Antiquities Act on March 25, 2013.[2]
Description
The national monument includes sites near Cambridge, Maryland in Dorchester County that were significant in Tubman's life. A large proportion of the designated area is included within Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and will be managed cooperatively between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service. 17 acres (6.9 ha) of this area are presently being developed by the state of Maryland as Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park, with a jointly-operated visitor center shared by the Maryland Park Service and the National Park Service. The Park Service will also manage the Jacob Jackson Home site, a 480-acre (190 ha) farm that acted as a station on the Underground Railroad. The Jackson site was donated to the federal government for incorporation into the monument.[2]
Legislation has been passed and signed into law (on December 19, 2014) to create Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park to encompass the monument and other properties in Dorchester, Talbot, and Caroline counties. The same legislation authorizes creation of the separate Harriet Tubman National Historical Park at several Tubman-related places in Auburn, New York.[3] The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 provided for the expansion of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park.[4]
References
- ↑ "Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway".
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Presidential Proclamation -- Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument". The White House. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ↑ "National Monument". Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park. Maryland Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
- ↑ Mascaro, Lisa (December 4, 2014) "Federal land deals full of thorny trade-offs" Los Angeles Times
External links
- Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park
- National Park Service Special Resource Study for the proposed Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Maryland and Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in New York
- Official website National Park Service