Maryland's Department of Transportation (MDOT) unveiled a new virtual museum displaying artifacts unearthed from the former home of Ben Ross, the father of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Located in the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge in Dorchester County, the site provides insights into Tubman's early life and the environment in which she was raised.
Archaeologists discovered the site in 2021 after a search utilizing historic documents to pinpoint the location. According to CBS News, they excavated 1,000 holes along a historic road before unearthing an 1808 coin and fragments of 19th-century ceramics. Further digging revealed outlines of bricks, window glass, and nails, confirming the remnants of Ben Ross's home.
"The Maryland Department of Transportation is proud to highlight the state's untold stories from Ben Ross' home and share these artifacts with the world through our new virtual museum," said Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld, according to a report by The BayNet. The virtual museum allows the public to explore artifacts such as buttons, spoons, dishes, and remnants of meals, providing a tangible connection to the Ross family's daily life two centuries ago.
"This virtual museum is an interactive and educational tool that teaches the public about the archaeological discoveries from Ben Ross' homeplace," said Dr. Julie Schablitsky, MDOT's Chief Archaeologist. "The webpage is very visual and accessible, and would make an excellent addition to school curricula," she added, as noted by The BayNet.
Over the past four years, MDOT archaeologists meticulously processed hundreds of artifacts recovered from the marshy soils surrounding the homestead. The Maryland Department of Transportation stated that these findings help deepen the understanding of life 200 years ago.
Harriet Tubman, born into slavery, spent her teenage years living with and working alongside her father at the very site. After gaining his freedom in 1840, Ben Ross became a timber foreman, overseeing the cutting and hauling of trees. Tubman self-liberated in 1849 and famously returned to Maryland's Eastern Shore approximately 13 times, leading around 70 enslaved individuals to freedom along the Underground Railroad. She also returned to escort her parents north when Ben Ross fell under suspicion for his involvement in liberation efforts.
The virtual museum doesn't only focus on the Ross family. It also features photographs, 3D models, and intact examples of certain artifacts with detailed descriptions. Notably, pre-contact artifacts associated with the Nanticoke Indians are displayed, illustrating the region's Native American history.
MDOT designed the virtual experience in collaboration with Tubman descendants and the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians. "Pieces of plates, pitchers, bowls, and more found at the site of Harriet Tubman's father's home give us more insight into how the family lived two hundred years ago," Secretary Wiedefeld remarked.
The location of Ben Ross's home is within the wetlands of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and is not open to the public. Rising sea levels are projected to permanently inundate the site in the coming years.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
