Site of Harriet Tubman’s father’s home found by archaeologists in Maryland
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In this image provided by the Maryland Department of Transportation, an 1808 coin is shown that was found at a site on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, is displayed on March, 25, 2021, near Church Creek, Md., where archaeologists believe Harriet Tubman’s father lived.Maryland Department of Transportation via AP
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ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) Archaeologists in Maryland say they believe they have found the homesite of famed Central New York abolitionist Harriet Tubman’s father.
The homesite of Ben Ross was found on property acquired last year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an addition to Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, officials said Tuesday. An archaeology team led by the State Highway Administration conducted research that led to the find.
Harriet Tubman s father s home discovered by archeologists in Maryland
By Elisha Fieldstadt
15 hours ago
The home of Harriet Tubman s father has been discovered by archaeologists in Maryland, state officials announced Tuesday from the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center. The site where Ben Ross once lived dubbed Ben s 10 was unearthed on property acquired last year by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Archaeologists believe they have found the site in Maryland where Harriet Tubman’s father had a cabin, where she once lived. Julie Schablitsky, who works for the state transportation department, used a metal detector to unearth an 1808 coin in a remote section of the eastern shore that led her to dig deeper. Her team then discovered more artifacts from the same time period that convinced them it was the very spot on the Thompson Farm where Ben Ross Sr. had lived while enslaved and after he was freed. The sit
"For several years we believe that Mr. Ross harvested trees on the property and sold the timber, and the timber was then transported to shipyards by free Black mariners to use to make ships in Baltimore," Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford said.
Last modified on Wed 21 Apr 2021 03.31 EDT
Socially distanced archaeologists in masks trudged through the wet forests on Marylandâs eastern shore, searching for signs of a long-abandoned home.
Julie Schablitsky, the chief archeologist for Marylandâs state highway administration, used a metal detector, hoping for nails or other signs of an old building.
Instead, along the roadway, she found an 1808 coin imprinted with the word âlibertyâ.
âWhen this thing came out of the ground, I was shocked,â Schablitsky told the Guardian.
Her discovery in November became a hopeful calling card: she and her team understood they might be getting close to finding the one-time home of Ben Ross, father of the famed Underground Railroad conductor, political activist and abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
The long-lost cabin belonged to Tubman s father.
April 21, 2021
Harriet Tubman (ca. 1860–75). Photo courtesy of Harvey B. Lindsley, courtesy of the Library of Congress
Maryland archaeologists have finally found the one-time home of the great abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
The homestead was found in Peter’s Neck, a new addition to the state’s Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, purchased last year by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Tubman’s parents, Ben Ross and Harriet Green, were married in 1808. Land records showed that Ross was set free and given 10 acres of land in Maryland nicknamed “Ben’s 10″ in his owner’s will. Ross brought his still-enslaved family to live with him, and Tubman is believed to have called the cabin home from 1839 to 1844.