Harriet Tubman's childhood home found at expanded Md. refuge

摘要

The Fish and Wildlife Service got more than it bargained for last year when it added 2,600 acres to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Maryland. The agency got a piece of Underground Railroad history. Today, delighted state and federal officials joined in revealing the discovery on the expanded refuge of a homesite owned by the father of famed abolitionist and freedom guide Harriet Tubman. "When we protect vulnerable habitats, we help preserve the stories of those who came before us, like Harriet Tubman's father, Ben Ross," said National Wildlife Refuge System Chief Cynthia Martinez. The Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1933, and the nearby Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center are located on Maryland's rural Eastern Shore. The visitor center opened in 2017, after Congress in 2014 created the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park.