Harriet Tubman Byway Photo Safari

As our contribution to the celebration of Black History Month, Washington Photo Safari is pleased to offer this new safari that traces the Underground Railroad routes used by Harriet Tubman in the 19th century, helping enslaved people escape to the North.

Harriet Tubman mural

After meeting at the Dorchester County Visitor Center, we will drive a short distance to the Harriet Tubman Memorial Garden and photograph the mural of Harriet (painted by the 3x great nephew of Harriet, Charles Ross) at the garden, which is adjacent to Route 50 East. Then we will head into the town of Cambridge where we will visit and photograph the Courthouse. The auction block stood here and there are several residential buildings along the street that may be interesting to photograph. We will be able to walk to the waterfront where ships from the African Slave Trade landed.

Then we will visit the Harriet Tubman Museum and photograph the famous mural of Harriet with her out-stretched hand, painted by Michael Rosato, a local artist.

The lunch break will be in the town of Cambridge.

After lunch, if possible, we will go to several facilities, including the Stanley Institute (a school) and Christ Rock Church which were built by the African American Community in 1867; and Bucktown Village Store, which is where Harriet was hit with a two-pound weight. If the Harriet Tubman State Park and Visitor Center is open, we’ll make a stop there as well.

Eastern Shore, Maryland

We’ll also do some landscape photography at the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, where the forest marshes and waterways are largely unchanged from the time that Harriet lived and worked in Dorchester County.

Our final stop will be Brodess Farm, whose owner was Harriet’s enslaver. It is vast privately-owned land mass and the buildings are not original, but from an historical perspective, it is a “must-see”, and one where you can test your composition skills!

Note: all admission fees are included in the price of the safari. Since this is a driving tour, safarians should anticipate driving from location to location.