Harriet Tubman...The Beacon of Hope
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s birth, “The Beacon of Hope,” by sculpture artist Wesley Wofford, was unveiled in Cambridge, Maryland in 2022. In honor of the bicentennial year of Tubman’s birth, the sculpture has been permanently installed at the Dorchester County Courthouse, a place where enslaved ancestors were auctioned, and Tubman’s niece was rescued.
Born Araminta “Minty” Ross in Dorchester County, Maryland, Harriet was an American abolitionist and social activist. After escaping slavery in 1849, Tubman made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people, including her family and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known collectively as the Underground Railroad. During the American Civil War, she served as an armed scout and spy for the Union Army. In her later years, Tubman was an activist in the movement for women's suffrage.
Widely known and well-respected while she was alive, Tubman became an American icon in the years after she died. By the 1980s, Tubman had become one of American history's most famous figures. She inspired generations of African Americans struggling for equality and civil rights; she was praised by leaders across the political spectrum.
There are National Parks and Monuments related to her from South Carolina to southern Canada. Her life has been portrayed in books, plays and movies and she has twice been featured on postage stamps including being the first African-American woman to be so honored. There have been plans to place her portrait on the twenty-dollar bill in lieu of Andrew Jackson, a slaveholder.
Dorchester County has several historic sites related to Harriet Tubman and is the home of the National Park Service’s Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Site. Please take some time to explore the area and her story.
QUALIFICATIONS TO CLAIM THIS VIRTUAL CACHE:
Quite simply, post a photo with your log of Minty at ground zero along with a personal item, such as your GPS. Selfies are perfectly fine if you wish, but purely optional.
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Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.