The life of Harriet Tubman, made vivid on the Eastern Shore

Over a century after her death, the landscape of Maryland’s Eastern Shore still bears the memories of Harriet Tubman.

Visitors to Dorchester County can stand at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and imagine a young Tubman (born Araminta Ross) trapping muskrats in the frigid water. They can visit the Bucktown Village store where as an adolescent she was struck in the head by a two-pound weight and nearly killed. And they can drive along flat farm fields and imagine her repeated journeys through the countryside as she freed dozens of other enslaved Americans.

These landmarks are part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, which spans 125 miles and 36 historical sites. At the byway’s trailhead, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center offers a museum experience dedicated to the life story of the abolitionist.

The visitor center, which is shared by the National Park Service and the Maryland Park Service, is part of the 17-acre Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park, and is just barely over a mile from the visitor center at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. The two visitor centers are linked by both trails and programming, so visiting the two together provides a strong overview of the area’s natural and historical legacy.