‘DGS Delivers’ History. . . Harriett Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center

Born a slave on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Harriett Tubman became famous as a “conductor” on the Underground Railroad during the 1850s. She fled north from Maryland in 1849 to escape a harsh existence as a field hand who endured brutal beatings. Armed with determination, fearlessness, the pistol at her side and her faith in God, she returned south at least nineteen times to lead her family and hundreds of other slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

Today, Harriett Tubman’s remarkable and inspiring life is being recreated and celebrated with the construction, overseen by DGS, of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center south of Cambridge on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. DGS staff have been on site regularly to ensure that work progresses and the final product meets, if not exceeds, expectations. Indeed, this significant cultural addition to the Eastern Shore will be completed in time for its grand opening the weekend of March 11-12, 2017, with special public programs and activities.

The project evokes the traditional agricultural architecture of the area re-interpreted for a 21^st century learning environment, along with a sustainable design in keeping with the natural environment. The park will tell Tubman’s life story through exhibits and programs exploring her childhood, her time as a conductor of the Underground Railroad, and her advocacy for justice. It will also serve as a welcome and orientation point along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway and within the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument. Located next to the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, the project also includes a memorial garden, picnic pavilion and walking paths.

Last summer, DGS bid the exhibit artwork contract for the visitor center. The team developed a plan to create, fabricate and install a variety of media that tells Harriet Tubman’s inspiring story. The media includes, among other attractions, two and three-dimensional exhibits and an interpretive video, “The Life and Legacy of Harriet Tubman,” that compliments the exhibits by providing an overview about the history of the Underground Railroad and Tubman’s connections to it.