Path to freedom

The Little Blackwater River bridge on the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway Driving Tour. Tubman trapped muskrats in the river.

Cotton bolls hang in the window of the Bucktown Village Store.

A mural of Harriet Tubman painted by one of her descendants, Charles E.T. Ross, is the centerpiece of the Harriet Tubman Memorial Garden alongside U.S. 50 in Cambridge.

A marker on the historic Brodess Farm in Bucktown where Harriet Tubman grew up in slavery with her mother, Harriet "Rit" Green, and siblings.

Scott's Chapel was founded in 1812, though this structure was built in 1891. Tubman's owner, Edward Brodess, worshipped here.

The Bucktown VIllage Store, built in the 1860s, is at the crossroads where a 13-year-old Harriet Tubman was hit in the head with a weight.

After the announcement last month that Harriett Tubman will replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill, “Who is Harriet Tubman?” was a top-searched question on Google.

Born into slavery in Dorchester County around 1820, Araminta “Minty” Ross escaped in 1849 and returned to Maryland over 11 years to lead 70 slaves, including family members, to freedom. (She changed her name to Harriet after marrying John Tubman.)

The life of the abolitionist, Union spy, nurse and suffragist has long been celebrated on the Eastern Shore. The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway driving tour connects us to the life of this remarkable woman and to the region. There are 125 miles to explore on this self-guided tour that take you to places Tubman traveled, landscapes she would recognize and places that honor her legacy. Next year there will be another place to visit. The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park, just outside the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, will open in March.