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CHURCH CREEK Archaeologists in Maryland discovered the historic homesite once owned by the father of Harriet Tubman, state officials announced Tuesday.
The former home of Tubman s father, Ben Ross, was discovered on property acquired in 2020 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an addition to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County. I am excited to announce our archaeologists have confirmed that this site was once the home of Ben Ross, and may have been where Harriet Tubman spent her early years, Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford said. A breakthrough occurred in March, Rutherford said. Archaeologists uncovered evidence of a homesite and historic artifacts dating back to the early to mid 1800s.
Lt. Governor Boyd K. Rutherford joined archeologists, historians and officials Tuesday to announce the major historic find.
The 10-acre home site is located in a 2,500-acre parcel of land called Peter’s Neck that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased for $6 million last year.
Ross was given the land and granted his own freedom five years after slaveholder Anthony Thompson’s death in 1836.
Tubman, born Araminta Ross in March 1822, would have spent time at this home site.
“The importance of discovering Ben Ross’ cabin here is the connection to Harriet Tubman. She would’ve spent time here as a child, but also she would’ve come back and been living here with her father in her teenage years, working alongside him,” said MDOT SHA chief archeologist Julie Schablitsky.
47abc
April 20, 2021
Image: MDOT News/Flickr
DORCHESTER CO., Md. – Maryland Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford, along with federal and state officials, announced an archaeological discovery linked to Harriet Tubman.
We’re told the former home of Harriet Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, was discovered on property acquired in 2020 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an addition to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County.
“This discovery adds another puzzle piece to the story of Harriet Tubman, the state of Maryland, and our nation,” said Lieutenant Governor Rutherford. “It is important that we continue to uncover parts of our history that we can learn from, especially when they can be lost to time, and other forces. I hope that this latest success story can inspire similar efforts and help strengthen our partnerships in the future.”
Officials announced they have uncovered the site of Harriet Tubman s home
Tubman is famous for orchestrating the Underground Railroad in the 1800s
It was a system that help bring slaves from the south up into the relative safety of the north
The cabin, which has since disappeared, belonged to her father, Ben Ross, during the early 1800s
The site was uncovered last November but artifacts help confirm the speculation
Pieces of 19th-century pottery, a button, a drawer pull, a pipe stem and old records helped experts locate the historical location
Harriet Tubman’s Family Home Located in Dorchester County
The historic homesite of the father of abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor Harriet Tubman has been located, according to a press release Tuesday from Maryland Lieutenant Governor Boyd K. Rutherford and federal partners at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center.
The home of Ben Ross, Tubman’s father, was discovered on U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service land that was acquired in 2020 so it could be added to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County. An archeology team led by the state Department of Transportation State Highway Administration conducted research that resulted in finding the Ross home.