A Historic Home Found

It was the fall of 2020, and archaeologist Julie Schablitsky and her team were frustrated. They had spent two weeks digging in Peters Neck, Maryland. They were looking for the site of a cabin where Harriet Tubman, a famous abolitionist, had lived with her family during the early 1840s. Tubman, who would go on to escape from slavery in 1849, returned to Maryland time and again before the Civil War (1861-1865) to lead about 70 other Black people to freedom by way of the legendary Underground Railroad.

According to land records, the archaeologists were in the right spot. But after digging more than 1,000 pits, they were still empty-handed. 

On a whim, Schablitsky grabbed a metal detector and walked down a nearby road. Suddenly, the machine beeped, alerting her that something was buried beneath her feet. The object she dug from the ground was a coin from 1808—the year Tubman’s parents were married. She also found pieces of broken pottery that dated from the 1820s to the 1840s. 

It was enough evidence to convince the researchers that they had finally found what they were looking for: the spot where the home of Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, once stood.

It was the fall of 2020. Archaeologist Julie Schablitsky and her team were frustrated. They had spent two weeks digging in Peters Neck, Maryland. They were looking for the site of a cabin where Harriet Tubman had lived with her family during the early 1840s. Tubman was a famous abolitionist who would go on to escape from slavery in 1849. She returned to Maryland time and again before the Civil War (1861-1865) to lead about 70 other Black people to freedom. She did so by way of the legendary Underground Railroad.

According to land records, the archaeologists were in the right spot. But after digging more than 1,000 pits, they were still empty-handed.

On a whim, Schablitsky grabbed a metal detector. She walked down a nearby road. Suddenly, the machine beeped. It alerted her that something was buried beneath her feet. The object she dug up was a coin from 1808. That was the year Tubman’s parents were married. She also found pieces of broken pottery. They dated from the 1820s to the 1840s.

It was enough evidence to convince the researchers that they had finally found what they were looking for. They had discovered the spot where the home of Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, once stood.

Tubman was born in Maryland in the early 1820s. Growing up, she didn’t always live with her father because she wasn’t allowed to. Like millions of other Black people in the U.S. at the time, Tubman’s family was enslaved. They had no freedoms or rights and were forced to do backbreaking work without pay. They were treated like property and could be bought and sold. Many enslaved families were forced to live apart. 

For more than a decade, Tubman, her mother, and her siblings had no choice but to live and work on their enslaver’s farm. Though her father lived in the cabin 10 miles away, the family remained close. 

“Her parents played a huge role in her life, even though she couldn’t always be with them,” says Kate Clifford Larson, a historian who wrote a biography about Tubman. 

In 1836, Ross’s enslaver died. He left the land where the cabin was located to Ross, who was freed four years later. Though Tubman was still enslaved, she lived in the cabin from about 1839 to 1844, when she was roughly between the ages of 17 and 22. Like other enslaved people, Tubman was determined to gain her freedom. Her time living in the cabin would help her achieve that goal.

Tubman was born in Maryland in the early 1820s. Growing up, she did not always live with her father. She was not allowed to. Like millions of other Black people in the U.S. at the time, Tubman’s family was enslaved. They had no freedoms or rights. They were forced to do backbreaking work without pay. They were treated like property and could be bought and sold. Many enslaved families were forced to live apart.

For more than a decade, Tubman, her mother, and her siblings had no choice but to live and work on their enslaver’s farm. Her father lived in the cabin 10 miles away. But the family remained close.

“Her parents played a huge role in her life, even though she couldn’t always be with them,” says historian Kate Clifford Larson. Larson wrote a biography about Tubman.

In 1836, Ross’s enslaver died. He left the land where the cabin was located to Ross. Ross was freed four years later. Though Tubman was still enslaved, she lived in the cabin from about 1839 to 1844, when she was roughly between the ages of 17 and 22. Like other enslaved people, Tubman was determined to gain her freedom. Her time living in the cabin would help her achieve that goal.

Tubman’s father was a skilled carpenter and lumberjack. He taught his daughter how to find her way in the woods around his cabin. He showed her where to search for food and which plants could be used to make medicine.

“What she learned there made her the most successful Underground Railroad agent,” Larson says. 

The Underground Railroad wasn’t a train. It was a secret network of people, routes, and safe hiding places called “stations” that enabled thousands of people to escape to freedom (see map, below). In 1849, Tubman used the Underground Railroad to flee from Maryland. 

She had taken a huge risk. Freedom seekers who were captured faced severe punishment and sometimes were killed. Despite the danger, Tubman decided to return to the Underground Railroad as a “conductor.” Over a 10-year period, she led dozens of people, including some of her family, to freedom.

Tubman’s father was a skilled carpenter and lumberjack. He taught his daughter how to find her way in the woods around his cabin. He showed her where to search for food and which plants could be used to make medicine.

“What she learned there made her the most successful Underground Railroad agent,” Larson says.

The Underground Railroad was not a train. It was a secret network of people, routes, and safe hiding places called “stations.” It enabled thousands of people to escape to freedom (see map, below). In 1849, Tubman used the Underground Railroad to flee from Maryland.

She had taken a huge risk. Freedom seekers who were captured faced severe punishment. Sometimes they were killed. Despite the danger, Tubman decided to return to the Underground Railroad as a “conductor.” Over a 10-year period, she led dozens of people to freedom. That included some of her family.

This past March, Schablitsky’s team returned to the site of Tubman’s former home and found more artifacts, including bricks, glass, and buttons. The team will continue to study the area for more clues. 

Larson hopes these artifacts will teach us more about Tubman and the important work she did on the Underground Railroad.

“She’s one of the greatest freedom fighters in our history,” Larson says. “She reminds us that even the most ordinary person can do extraordinary things.”

This past March, Schablitsky’s team returned to the site of Tubman’s former home. The team found more artifacts, including bricks, glass, and buttons. They will continue to study the area for more clues.

Larson hopes these artifacts will teach us more about Tubman and the important work she did on the Underground Railroad.

“She’s one of the greatest freedom fighters in our history,” Larson says. “She reminds us that even the most ordinary person can do extraordinary things.”