Archaeologists in Maryland say they believe they found the home of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman’s father.
Ben Ross’s home site was found on land purchased by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last year to supplement Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, officials said Tuesday. An archaeological team led by the State Highway Administration conducted research that led to the find.
Archaeologist Julie Schablitsky described the find as a connection to Tubman.
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“She would have spent time here as a child, but she would also have come back and lived here with her father in her teens and worked alongside him,” Schablitsky said in a press release. “This was the opportunity she had to learn to navigate and survive in the wetlands and forests. We believe this experience benefited her as she began to lead people to freedom.”
Tubman was born Araminta Ross in March 1822 at Thompson Farm near Cambridge, Maryland, on Maryland’s east coast. She escaped slavery to become a leading abolitionist who helped slaves escape via the Underground Railroad.
“This discovery adds another piece of the puzzle to the story of Harriet Tubman, the State of Maryland and our nation,” said Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford, who attended a news conference at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek, Maryland. .
The archeology team began searching for evidence related to her father in November. When they returned in March to continue their search, Schablitsky and her team found artifacts from the 1800s, including nails, glass, saucer fragments, and even a button. On Tuesday, they announced confirmation that the artifacts were evidence of Ross’s cabin.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service purchased the 2,600-acre Peter’s Neck site for $ 6 million last year. The property spans 10 acres bequeathed to Ross by Anthony Thompson in the 19th century. As outlined in Thompson’s will, Ross would be released five years after Thompson’s death in 1836. Ben Ross was freed from slavery and received the land in the early 1840s.
“When we protect vulnerable habitats, we help preserve the stories of those who came before us, such as Harriet Tubman’s father Ben Ross,” said USFWS head of the National Wildlife Refuge System Cynthia Martinez. “The acquisition of Peter’s Neck last year was a critical addition to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge as it is predicted that the area will naturally turn to swamp by 2100 due to sea level rise.”
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Ben Ross’s home site will be highlighted at the historic Thompson Farm, where Ross and his family were enslaved. It will be added as a new landmark to the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. The side road is a 125-mile self-guided scenic drive that includes more than 30 sites related to Harriet Tubman’s life and legacy.