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Secretary
Jewell Formally Establishes
Harriet
Tubman National Historical Park
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New park unit
commemorates work of fearless Underground Railroad
conductor
during her later years in life
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Washington,
DC – January 2017 / Newsmaker Alert / U.S.
Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell joined U.S. Senators Charles Schumer,
Kristen Gillibrand and U.S. Congressman John Katko as well as community
and park partners Tuesday (January 10) at a signing ceremony formally establishing
the Harriet Tubman National
Historical Park (NHP), in Auburn, New York as the 414th unit of the
National Park System.
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The
new park commemorates the work of the fearless Underground Railroad conductor
during her later years in life, when she was an active proponent of womens’
suffrage and other causes. The park is located at the site where Tubman
lived and worshiped in Auburn, New York, caring for family members and
other formerly enslaved people seeking safe haven in the North.
“It
is our great privilege to share in the stewardship of two national historical
parks devoted to commemorating the life and work of Harriet Tubman,” said
Secretary Jewell. “These two parks preserve and showcase a more complete
history of one of America’s pivotal humanitarians who, at great personal
risk, did so much to secure the freedom of hundreds of formerly enslaved
people. Her selfless commitment to a more perfect union is testament that
one determined person – no matter her station in life or the odds against
her – can make a tremendous difference.”
Also
recognized for their foresight in protecting the Tubman Residence, the
Thompson Memorial African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church and the
Tubman Home for the Aged in the wake of Tubman’s passing in 1913, Bishops
and Church Leaders were thanked for their important and historic role in
the preservation of important sites in the life of Harriet Tubman.
“The
establishment of this park symbolizes our country honoring Harriet Tubman
for her entire life of service as a soldier for God and country,” said
Bishop Dennis Proctor, Chairman, Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. and Presiding
Prelate of the North Eastern District, AME Zion Church. “As a partnership
park it represents the best of the National Park Service to ensure the
duality of its resiliency and the goal of diversity. For the Harriet Tubman
Home and her beloved AME Zion Church, the park ensures our ability to continue
to lift up more dynamically Tubman’s core values of freedom, family, faith,
community, justice, self-determination and equality. Lastly, the park designation
will spur economic engines of progress for Central New York.”
U.S.
Senator Schumer, who initiated a study process and championed legislation
to establish the park, expressed his gratitude to all involved in the formal
establishment of the park unit. “As a New Yorker and an American, I’m deeply
proud to see Tubman Park finally become a reality,” said Senator Schumer.
“The Tubman Historical Park in Auburn, New York will be a magnet for visitors
that will tell the amazing story of Harriet Tubman’s life, an extraordinary
American whose story deserves to be shared with our children and grandchildren.
This park will serve that solemn purpose and preserve her legacy for countless
generations to come.”
“I’m
very pleased that the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park has been
officially established today and can now move forward as planned,” said
Senator Gillibrand. “The Harriet Tubman National Historical Park will bring
families from all over New York and around the world to Central New York
to learn about the extraordinary life and legacy of one of the great icons
of American history. I was proud to fight for this park in the Senate,
and I hope to see more of New York’s rich history recognized by the National
Park Service going forward.”
Representative
Katko, also a strong and long standing advocate for the Tubman National
Historical Park, remarked on the formal establishment of the park unit
and the great opportunity it offers to illuminate the Tubman story for
a global audience. “I am thrilled that the Harriet Tubman home in Auburn
will formally be established as a National Historical Park, and am happy
to join Secretary Jewell to celebrate this occasion. After years of hard
work by local advocates, community members in Auburn, and members of the
AME Zion Church, this project is finally becoming a reality. Auburn is
a place that Harriet Tubman once called home, and we are proud to preserve
and highlight her extraordinary legacy and life’s work. With the official
designation of this site as a National Historical Park, Harriet Tubman’s
home will become a valuable public resource for Central New Yorkers and
tourists to learn about her heroic contributions to our nation. This is
truly an incredible tribute to Harriet Tubman’s remarkable legacy.”
The
National Park Foundation (NPF), the official charity of America’s national
parks, was also instrumental in the effort to establish the park. Through
a grant to the National Park Service, NPF provided the funds necessary
to acquire the Parker Street property which will be managed and operated
by the National Park Service. The Parker Street property is home to two
structures including the Thompson Memorial AME Zion Church and Rectory
which will now be managed by the NPS.
The
historic Thompson Memorial AME Zion Church, a modest, two-story, frame
structure constructed in 1891 is directly associated with Harriet Tubman,
her family, many of her supporters and the African American community of
the time. The two-story Rectory is adjacent to the Church and both structures
are located across the street from the For Hill Cemetery, the location
of Tubman’s grave.
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Harriet
Tubman National Historical Park
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The
historic church and rectory and other structures within the boundary of
Harriet Tubman National Historical Park are largely intact from the time
Harriet Tubman lived and worked in Auburn. They provide a strong physical
basis for telling the story of Tubman’s years following the Civil War when
she was active in the women’s suffrage movement, in the AME Zion Church
and in the establishment of a home for elderly, indigent African Americans.
“Telling
a more complete story of our country’s rich history is a huge part of our
mission,” said Will Shafroth, President of the National Park Foundation.
“By providing the necessary funding to establish this park, we are preserving
important places and artifacts related to abolitionist and humanitarian
Harriet Tubman. A central purpose of our work is helping more people discover
how their unique experiences connect to her life and legacy.”
The
National Park Service is planning to host a celebratory event this coming
spring in Auburn, New York to mark the establishment of Harriet Tubman
National Historical Park with the greater park community.
A sister
site, Harriet Tubman Underground
Railroad National Historical Park in Cambridge, Maryland, was created
as a national monument by Presidential proclamation in March 2013. Congress
designated it as a national historical park in December 2014 in the same
legislation that created the Auburn unit.
About
the National Park Service
More
than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 414 national
parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local
history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at
www.NPS.gov,
on Facebook Facebook.com/nationalparkservice,
Twitter Twitter.com/natlparkservice,
and YouTube YouTube.com/nationalparkservice.
Media
Contact:
Ellen
Carlson (NPS)
617-223-5048 |