Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Center Epitomizes Resilience During Abolitionist Movement
BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- It took 5 years from when ground was broken until the new Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Center opened on the Eastern Shore.
"Her resilience she always got knocked down so many times but she always got back up," says Angela Crenshaw with the Harriett Tubman Underground Railroad Visitors Center. "So she had to know outdoor survival."
Tubman was born into slavery, as a child and worked in brutal conditions. That became a life saver at 27 when she escaped slavery and
sneaked into Pennsylvania and freedom.
Over the next 10 years, more than a dozen times, she risked her life and freedom by coming back to Maryland to rescue 70 friends and family. She guided them north on what was called the Underground Railroad, a secret network of trails, waterways, and safe houses.
Tina Wyatt, a direct descendant of Tubman, brought her grandchildren to the new center.
"Well, it's really exciting," says Maddison Lewis, a descendant of Tubman.
Tubman's life changed at the nearby Bucktown Villiage store, in her first act of public defiance, a slave owner fractured her skull.
"Almost killed her," says Jay Meredith, who's a descendant of slave owners, has turned the store into a museum. "When you think about Tubman and the adversities she overcame, it's phenomenal."
The new Harriet Tubman Center is about 100 miles and 2 hours away. It's open daily from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. except major holidays and it's free.
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