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State Park & Local Exhibit Honor Centennial Of Harriet Tubman's Death

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—This coming weekend marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Harriet Tubman.

She was born into slavery in Maryland, and as Alex DeMetrick reports, the state will use the date to celebrate Tubman's life and accomplishments.

The marshes and wetlands of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County aren't much different than they were in 1820, when Tubman was born and raised a slave.

"The landscapes that are evocative of the times she was alive are still protected and intact," said Kristen Saunders, DNR assistant secretary.

And Maryland will break ground there Saturday, on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park--100 years after her death March 10, 1913.

"We wanted people to stand there and see what she saw and understand what the natural environment looked like, in addition to the stories of the Underground Railroad and her bravery," Saunders said.

The centennial of Tubman's death also extends to the great indoors.

"Harriet Tubman is really an iconic figure, and she's a Marylander," said Skip Sanders, Reginald F. Lewis Museum.

The Reginald F. Lewis Museum asked artists to tell her story in a new exhibit about the woman who escaped slavery and then went back to free others.

"And you can imagine the conditions then: going through the swampy land in the county and crossing rivers and the danger. She came back time after time to free others, which says something about her spirit," Sanders said.

Her strong spiritual beliefs are captured in a work by a descendant, with a simple phrase: "Servant of God. Well done."

Weather willing, the Tubman exhibit at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum opens Wednesday.

At Saturday's groundbreaking for the park, a descendent of Tubman will be the featured speaker.

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