Harriet Tubman’s father house excavation site.Photo: MDOT News
Lead archaeologist Julie Schablitsky and her team began searching for evidence linked to Ross on that property in November, according to anews release. This spring, they were able to find artifacts that dated back to the 1800s, including nails, bricks, dish fragments and a button.
Schablitsky said that the findings will help researchers learn more about Tubman and her life.
Harriet Tubman’s father house excavation site findings.Rex/Shutterstock
Harriet Tubman’s father house excavation site finding.Rex/Shutterstock
Harriet Tubman was born Araminta Ross in March 1822 on the Thompson Farm, where her father was enslaved.
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“The importance of discovering Ben Ross' cabin here is the connection to Harriet Tubman. She would’ve spent time here as a child, but also she would’ve come back and been living here with her father in her teenage years, working alongside him,” Schablitsky said in a statement.
Harriet Tubman’s father house excavation site.MDOT News
“This was the opportunity she had to learn about how to navigate and survive in the wetlands and the woods. We believe this experience was able to benefit her when she began to move people to freedom.”
The homesite will become part of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, a 125-mile stretch that includes more than 30 sites related to the abolitionist.
In a news release, Tubman’s ancestor Tina Wyatt said that the discovery “humanized a man responsible for giving us a woman of epic proportions.”
source: people.com
