On the Trail of Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman, born Araminta Ross in 1822, was a fugitive slave who escaped from slavery to the north via the Underground Railroad in 1849 and led more than 300 slaves. In 2014, an organization called Harriet’s Heritage Trail began building a series of informational markers along Maryland’s Eastern Shore that reflect Tubman’s life and work. These panels provide fascinating insight into Tubman’s career as an Underground Railroad conductor and feature information that has been gathered about her travels through this area of Maryland.

Early Life in Dorchester County

She spent her childhood working on the Brodess farm, where she was regularly beaten and mistreated. In 1849, she escaped to Philadelphia, where she began working for the Underground Railroad. For the next ten years, she made more than thirteen trips back to Maryland to help other slaves escape.

Runaway Slave to Underground Railroad Conductor

In 1849, she escaped from a plantation in nearby Caroline County. For the next eleven years, she helped hundreds of other slaves escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad. During the Civil War, she served as a Union spy. After the war, she settled in Auburn, New York, where she died in 1913.

Before Her Death in 1913

Harriet Tubman was an escaped slave who became a leading abolitionist before the American Civil War. After she died in 1913, her legacy lived on. Today, there are many places on Maryland’s Eastern Shore that are associated with her life and work.

Learn More Today

Maryland’s Eastern Shore is rich in history, and that includes the story of Harriet Tubman. Born a slave in Dorchester County, Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849 and went on to become one of the most famous abolitionists in American history. Today, visitors to the Eastern Shore can learn more about Tubman’s life and legacy at several different sites.

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