HARRIET TUBMAN GROVE

Rewriting History or Righting a Wrong?
This site is dedicated in honor of Harriet
Tubman, the abolitionist and “conductor”
on the Underground Railroad.
At a community celebration on March 10,
2018, Tubman’s living descendants joined
community residents, local activists, and
city and state officials to rededicate this
area of Wyman Park Dell, where a large
statue honoring Confederate leaders
Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall”
Jackson once stood.

ABOUT HARRIET TUBMAN

Born into slavery in 1822 in Dorchester
County, Maryland, Tubman became best
known for helping enslaved people escape
to freedom via the Underground Railroad.
Though Tubman garnered widespread
public acclaim, she lived much of her life
alone navigating the wilderness. She was
an outspoken feminist leader, Civil War
scout and spy, and skilled nurse and healer.
Fellow abolitionist John Brown referred to
her as “General Tubman.”

Harriet Tubman Grove is the first public
space in Baltimore City dedicated to her
life. As you stand in this grove of trees,
consider Harriet Tubman’s legacy.

Which of her roles—navigator,
healer, fighter, fugitive, or
activist—do you identify with?
Photograph of Harriet Tubman (c. 1885) by Horatio Seymour Squyer. Image modified
from original; source: National Portrait Gallery.
z

the Monuments of

Wyman Park Dell

Though monuments seem
permanent, Wyman Park Dell has
been home to many over the years.

1904

Wyman Park Dell is designed
by the Olmsted Brothers

REMOVAL of the CONFEDERATE
MONUMENT

The Lee and Jackson monument celebrated
two leaders of the Confederacy departing
before The Battle of Chancellorsville, a
major Confederate victory. Ultimately, the
Confederacy lost the Civil War.
Commissioned in 1935 and dedicated in
1948, the sculpture by artist Laura Gardin
Fraser was the first double-equestrian
statue and one of few large-scale public
art pieces created by a female artist. These
larger-than-life representations of Lee
and Jackson helped perpetuate the Lost
Cause ideology, which advocated for white
supremacy, portrayed slavery as benign
and justified secession. At the time the
monument was installed, Baltimore City
continued to enforce racial segregation
housing ordinances and deed covenants,
support segregation in public spaces and

Ernestine Jones-Williams, a descendant of Harriet Tubman, at the dedication
of Harriet Tubman Grove in 2018. Image courtesy of Jennifer Morgan.

The Robert E. Lee
and Stonewall
Jackson monument
is installed in the Dell

The Major General
Samuel Smith
monument is installed
in the Dell

1921

An Edgar Allan Poe
statue is installed
in the west side of
the Dell

What do different
sides view as "worth
remembering?"

programs, and unequally fund African
American school budgets, infrastructure,
and public programs.
From 1988 to 2016, the Sons of Confederate
Veterans celebrated Lee’s January 20th
birthday at this site annually, often on
the observance of Martin Luther King Jr.
Day. The Lee and Jackson monument was
removed August 16, 2017, as national
debate around Confederate monuments
intensified after deadly white supremacist
violence in Charlottesville, Virginia.

In 2017, activist graffiti and the sculpture “Madre Luz” by Pablo Machioli
protested the continued presence of the Lee and Jackson monument. Photo
courtesy of C. Ryan Patterson.

1948

1917

This site has been used
to honor combatants
from both sides of the
Civil War.

1953

The Major General
Samuel Smith
monument is relocated
to Pratt and Light Streets

1970

2000

The monument of
Major General Samuel
Smith is relocated to
Federal Hill

1959

The Union Soldiers and
Sailors monument is
relocated to the Dell

7000 Oaks, Joseph
Beuys Tree Project, is
installed in the Dell

1983

The Edgar Allan Poe statue is
relocated to the University of
Baltimore campus

2017

The Lee and
Jackson monument
is removed

DESIGNED BY MEGAN OLIVER