RAIlROad ByWAy Having escaped slavery in 1849, Harriet Tubman became a celebrated “conductor” on the Underground Railroad, which was a secret network of trails, waterways and sanctuaries used by enslaved people seeking freedom. Today, you can experience this landscape by traveling the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. The byway provides many opportunities to bike, get out on the water, or stop in towns that o er ample opportunities to shop and dine along the 125-mile long, self-guided driving tour with a downloadable audio guide and mobile app. Be sure not to miss these places along the way. HARRIET TUBMAN MUSEUM IN CAMBRIDGE Tour the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cambridge, an Arts & Entertainment District known today for its vibrant downtown. Before venturing inside the museum, snap a picture of the stunning Harriet Tubman mural outside the building, painted by local artist Michael Rosato. Then explore the town’s restored buildings and homes, including Cambridge House, a bed and breakfast in an 1840s sea captain’s manor. CHOPTANK LANDING AND WEBB CABIN In Preston, explore Choptank Landing, near the plantation from which Tubman escaped and then risked capture by returning to fi rst lead her brothers to freedom and later to rescue her parents. Be sure to visit the Webb Cabin, which was built in 1852 by James Webb, a free African-American farmer. The cabin depicts the living conditions of both free and enslaved blacks on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. SITES IN DENTON Visit Courthouse Square in Denton, where slave auctions were held. People were jailed here when captured while fl eeing the bonds of slavery. Nearby, don’t miss the Adkins Arboretum’s program “A Journey Begins: Nature’s Role in the Flight to Freedom,” an audio tour of the arboretum’s 400 acres of forests and wetlands. So set aside an afternoon or an entire weekend and let these historically and culturally rich landscapes transport you back to an Eastern Shore of the past. HARRIET TUBMAN UNDERGROUND There was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death. If I could not have one, I would have the other. — Harriet Tubman HARRIET TUBMAN UNDERGROUND RAILROAD STATE PARK Discover landscapes in the area where Harriet Tubman was born and labored in slavery. The park’s visitor center, which houses exhibits about Tubman’s life and legacy, is the best place to begin your journey along the byway. Adjacent is the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, where vast watery landscapes and deep forests are evocative of those of Tubman’s time and provide context for the environs in which she lived her life. BRODESS FARM AND BUCKTOWN VILLAGE STORE Drive down Greenbrier Road in Cambridge for a glimpse of the privately owned Brodess Farm, Tubman’s childhood homesite. Along the way, stop in the Bucktown Village Store where Tubman took a nearly fatal blow to the head while assisting an enslaved man. Nearby, Blackwater Adventures rents kayaks, canoes and bikes to explore the byway and water trails. To explore the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, a self-guided driving tour map and guide and audio tour are available by calling 1-800-522-TOUR (8686) or going online to www.harriettubmanbyway.org 10 Maryland’s Underground Railroad & African-American Heritage Travel Guide
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