NEWS

Climate change threatens new Tubman park

Jeremy Cox
jcox6@dmg.gannett.com

In southern Dorchester County lies a ground consecrated by one woman's suffering as a slave, her escape to freedom and her daring missions to rescue others from bondage.

A previously unrecorded photo of Harriet Tubman, circa 1860s, sold Thursday at auction for $161,000.

At first glance, the landscape seems to have changed little since Harriet Tubman's day. The pine forests, marshes and farm fields she once traversed as a conductor on the Underground Railroad have remained largely untouched over the past 160 years. Even the country store that was the setting of her earliest known defiance against slavery still stands along a sleepy ribbon of road. 

But this sacred land is changing, its permanence imperiled by the unholy forces of climate change. By the end of this century, much of land so recently designated as the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park and the area around it could be underwater, researchers say.

That dire forecast takes on fresh significance as park officials mark the grand opening of the site's $22 million visitor center Saturday, March 11. Beyond its weighty cultural and historical importance — never has Tubman's legacy been celebrated so grandly in her native state — the center is expected to generate millions of dollars a year in economic impact.

A view of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center in Church Creek on Tuesday, March 7, 2017.

The new park is designed as a starting place for people to explore her role in the Underground Railroad, a secret network of routes used by African Americans fleeing slavery and the people who aided them along the way. It rests in the heart of the Tubman Byway, a 125-mile driving tour that stretches through Delaware and into Philadelphia.

The Maryland Park Service and the National Park Service, which jointly operate the park, have set up a full slate of activities for the opening weekend. The 17-acre park is hosting a re-enactor's portrayal of the Dorchester County native, a lecture by her chief biographer, art activities for children and guided tours of the building and grounds, among other events.

BACKGROUND: New photo shows 'beautiful, resilient' Harriet Tubman

BACKGROUND: Van Hollen, UMES pay tribute to Harriet Tubman

Climate change discussions aren't on the schedule. But they have been closely intertwined with the park since planning began back in 2008.

"At great expense, we have made sure the property, the building and the park are as elevated as much as possible from the threat" of sea level rise, said architect Chris Elcock.

The building code requires the first floor to be built 1 foot above what is known as "base flood elevation," the lowest height at which a building can stand above the water from a 100-year flood event. That is defined as a storm so rare and so severe it has a 1 percent chance of happening per year.

To accommodate the potential for waters to rise in the coming years, the construction team hauled in tons of extra fill dirt to raise the building 2 feet above base flood elevation, Elcock said. Extra dirt was added around the building to provide a gentle, unnoticeable slope toward the structure.

A view of a marsh with a small ghost forest in the background at Blackwater Wildlife Refuge on Tuesday, March 7, 2017.  Because the marsh has moved into a wooded area, the salinity of the water caused some trees to die.

The new visitor center is situated on an open piece of land along Route 335, a few hundred yards from the visitor center at another federal tract, Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. The property was part of the refuge until the state of Maryland swapped another swath of land for it to build the visitor center.

The site stood out for several reasons, said Jordan Loran, director of engineering and construction for the state Department of Natural Resources.

Planners wanted a property that Tubman could have graced with her travels. So they selected a site nestled in the countryside between where Tubman was likely born and where she grew up. It also was important for the surrounding land to be protected from future development. That way, visitors can get a more authentic feeling for what the area was like in Tubman's time, Loran said.

Another consideration: The landmark would have to stand the test of time. It would have to be placed on relatively high ground.

“We took very seriously the implications of sea level rise and climate and what could happen in the next 50 years or so," Loran said.

Southern Dorchester's plight with climate change has been well documented.

Matt Whitbeck, Supervisory Wildlife Biologist, explains the effects of marsh loss at an observation deck off of Wildlife Drive on Tuesday, March 7, 2017.

Studying aerial photographs taken in 1938 and 2006, Salisbury University researchers found that 5,000 acres of marsh at Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge had turned into open water over the time, said Matt Whitbeck, a biologist based at the refuge. As waters rose, the remaining marsh grasses retreated to higher ground, displacing 3,000 acres of upland areas, he said.

“We’ve seen a lot of these new wetlands," Whitbeck said. "Just driving around the county, it’s intuitive.”

Scientists estimate that the waters around the refuge have risen about 10 inches over the past 70 years and could rise another 15 inches by 2050. If that happens, the center itself should remain above water, Whitbeck said.

But things get dicier toward the end of the century. If the water rises a total of 3 feet, the visitor center could find itself surrounded by wetlands if the state and federal partners take no further action to keep its march at bay, he said.

The Union of Concerned Scientists listed the Tubman site in Dorchester among 17 endangered national landmarks in 2014, a year after President Barack Obama created the park. The land faces not only possible inundation from rising seas but also from more-powerful hurricanes, the Washington-based group said.

A view of a receding marsh at Blackwater Wildlife Refuge.

Other landmarks named in the report included Annapolis' historic area, the Statue of Liberty and the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.

“We’re sort of saying you can’t necessarily protect every inch of coastline, but here are some places you might want to protect," said Brenda Ekwurzel, the group's director of climate science. “Those who are out ahead and plan for the future are likely to be more resilient going forward.”

The visitor center's project leaders were aware of the risks they were taking with climate change, but they knew early on that no other place could tell Tubman's story quite as powerfully, Loran said.

“The landscape today is so similar to when she was alive and lived in Maryland," he said. “The water and the surrounding area are just so important to her story. This is the area she had to survive and the area she had to traverse.”

The site is about 8 miles inland from the Chesapeake Bay, which should afford it some protection from strong storms, Loran noted. But if nature tries to reclaim portions of the land Tubman knew, he hopes future leaders will take action to preserve it.

"We did look beyond 2050 and the prognosis for the future, which is evolving as science gets better. I think the worst case in the future for us going forward is to ignore the challenges we’re facing. I felt we did the best we could do at this time and (we'll) see what the future holds.”

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On Twitter @Jeremy_Cox

About Harriet Tubman

A new visitor center opens March 11 at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historic Park, telling the story of Tubman's early life on Maryland's Eastern Shore. A few things to know about the woman behind the legend:

  • Born Amarinta Ross in Dorchester County around 1822 to parents Harriet Green and Ben Ross, both slaves.
  • As a slave, she was often hired out to care for children, check muskrat traps, do field work and plow.
  • Married a free black man, John Tubman around 1844 and changed her first name to Harriet.
  • Escaped slavery to Philadelphia in 1849.
  • Made 13 rescue trips to save friends and family from slavery over the course of a decade. For her efforts, she would become one of the most famous conductors on the Underground Railroad.
  • Served in the Union during the Civil War as a cook, nurse, spy and scout. She was the first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war.
  • Moved to Auburn, New York, after the war and became involved in the women's suffrage movement.
  • Died March 10, 1913, in Auburn.

Source: harriettubmanbyway.org