WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Benjamin L. Cardin and Barbara A. Mikulski (both D-MD), announced today that the Federal Highway Administration has awarded the Maryland State Highway Administration $60,000 to implement the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway. 

“Harriet Tubman was a true patriot who became the most famous conductor of the Underground Railroad,” said Senator Cardin.  “She believed in liberty and freedom and she helped hundreds of others escape slavery.  The Underground Railroad Byway will make it possible for Marylanders and the entire nation to trace her life’s work and remember all that she was able to accomplish.”

“Harriet Tubman was a courageous fighter who delivered 300 slaves to freedom on her Underground Railroad and was tireless in her commitment to fight for those who could not fight for themselves,” said Senator Mikulski. “The Underground Railroad Byway will help preserve the memory of Harriet Tubman so that future generations will know her remarkable life and the great sacrifices that she made to bring freedom to others.”

As designed, the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway will be more than 140 miles long, and will trace historical sites of interest along the Eastern Shore, including the anti-slavery resistance network known as the Underground Railroad.  Beginning in Cambridge, Dorchester County, it will stretch across the midsection of the Delmarva Peninsula, continuing through Caroline County to Delaware.  The $60,000 grant will allow for the development and implementation of the Byway, facilitating its initiatives, conducing outreach, coordinating its resources, and linking federal and state governments with local partners.      

Senators Cardin and Mikulski also have introduced legislation to honor the life of Harriet Ross Tubman by creating two national historic parks, one in Maryland and one in New York.