CAMBRIDGE, Md. (WJZ) — She’s one of the most famous slaves in American history. Now–100 years after her death–Harriet Tubman is finally getting the honor she deserves.

Adam May reports.

In the mid 1800s, Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and then rescued her family and others from a plantation on Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Saturday a groundbreaking for the new Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park was held in Cambridge. On hand were ancestors of the famous abolitionist.

“Great things take time. I’m glad the powers that be have made this day possible. It means a lot to my family,” Patricia Ross Hawkins, Tubman relative.

The new facility will be built on the same land Tubman was forced to work.

“This is the beginning. It’s funded, it’s going to be built and it will be up very soon,” a park official said.

“This is going to be a tremendous trail, and teach a lot of kids about this courageous woman,” said Governor O’Malley.

Tubman also helped spy for the Union during the Civil War–stories her family has handed down for generations.

“I think Harriet is smiling down on me for sure,” said Hawkins.

The new visitor center is set to open in 2014.