Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway
un jour / 103 miles / 3 heures 26 minutes
This byway brings to life the stories of the Underground Railroad, a secret network of roads, waterways, trails, and hiding places along which enslaved African-Americans were helped to freedom before the Civil War.
Jour 1
9:00 - 2.2 miles / 4 minutes - 9:04
Harriet Tubman Organization Museum
The Harriet Tubman Organization is recognized as the “keeper of the flame” for
Tubman’s legacy. The organization's museum is staffed by dedicated volunteers who
answer questions and oversee the exhibits and resource materials.9:34 - 26.9 miles / 53 minutes - 10:28
It was in Bucktown, MD, around 1835, that Harriet Tubman committed her first act of defiance by refusing to assist an overseer subdue
another slave. In the melee that ensued, Tubman received a blow to her head that fractured her skull. As a
result of the injury, she experienced lifelong health problems and “visions” that clarified her beliefs and guided
her actions.
Only the Bucktown Store remains from what was during Tubman's time, but it has been lovingly restored to represent that
seminal point in Tubman’s life. Today you can rent bicycles and kayaks and enjoy guided tours of the historic landscapes around
Tubman’s birthplace.10:58 - 15.0 miles / 29 minutes - 11:28
East New Market National Historic District
Founded in 1673, East New Market (ENM) was a thriving center of commerce, including slave traders, for
nearly three centuries before it was eclipsed by larger markets. Today, ENM boasts numerous fine examples of
18th, 19th, and 20th century architecture, best viewed on a self-guided walking tour.
Also in the district stands the Mt. Zion United Methodist Church, which was founded in 1843 by free blacks, including Rev. Samuel Greene, who was arrested in 1857
for owning a copy of the popular book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin.12:13 - 0.5 miles / - 12:13
Historic Denton's Courthouse Square
Offering excellent views of the
Choptank River and Historic Denton, Courthouse Square was the site of the slave market and jail where captured freedom seekers and Underground
Railroad conductors, including Hugh Hazlett, were held. The Museum of Rural Life, home to an exhibit about the
Underground Railroad in Caroline County, is also located on the square.12:13 - 7.7 miles / 15 minutes - 12:29
Jacob and Hannah Leverton, white Quaker abolitionists, owned the brick house and farm described as “the main stopping place for the Underground Railroad in the region.” Their son, Aurthur Leverton and a free black neighbor, Daniel Hubbard, were exposed in 1858. When a mob to catch them assembled, they fled to Philadelphia. Soon after, Leverton’s mother, widowed some ten years earlier, sold this house and joined him there.
13:29 - 5.2 miles / 10 minutes - 13:39
This tiny river town, known as Leonard’s Wharf in 1855, was a port and steamboat landing for the town of Preston.
Little changed from the 19th century – the landing and harbor are still in use today.
In Tubman's day, the Choptank village was the scene of at least one documented
escape, where freedom seekers, possibly the Dover Eight, were escorted upriver to Tubman’s parents’ home on Poplar
Neck. The village affords the best view of the Choptank River this far north, until Denton. The Choptank River is included in the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program for
the many stories of escapes across and on its waters; a water trail allows for exploration by boat. Comfort facilities may be open at the public boat landing.14:09 - 0.1 miles / - 14:10
Originally marking the boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland, the Mason and Dixon Line might be better known as the division between the north and south. Crossing the Mason and Dixon line into the north was an important part of an escaping slave’s journey - both
emotionally and legally.14:10 - 3.9 miles / 7 minutes - 14:17
Poplar Neck is a typical mid-19th-century farmstead that was home to the Thompson family and their slaves, including Ben Ross, Harriet Tubman’s father. Tubman's parents moved here in 1847. Evidence points to this being the location where Tubman may have liberated herself in 1849. On Christmas Day in 1854, Harriet returned to the plantation to help her brothers escape. Later, when Tubman's parents were exposed for being a part of the Underground Railroad in 1857, she helped them make a dramatic escape to Canada.
Today, you can see the privately owned farmstead from the access road or from the seat of a kayak on the Choptank River.14:47 - 5.8 miles / 11 minutes - 14:59
This cabin (c.1852) is the only surviving log dwelling on the Eastern Shore known to have been built by a free
black man, James Webb. With its wooden shingle, A-frame roof, hand-hewn logs held together with whitish mortar, center front door and small window in the eaves, the structure is typical of the housing of most African Americans at that time. Built
on ballast stones from ships, it stands on what was likely an Underground Railroad Route including one used
by Harriet Tubman escaping Poplar Neck with her parents.
Today the Webb Cabin is owned by the Caroline County Historical Society and is undergoing restoration. The cabin
stands on an open parcel and can be viewed and explored daily.15:14 - 35.9 miles / une heure 11 minutes - 16:26