3 10 134 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/bc84819b1097fa04d89f43809eb457e4.jpg b584f975849d550af3c6deb87fda8b3a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Black Abolitionists: Tubman, Douglass, Truth Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource The monuments and memorials in this collection commemorate the extraordinary achievements of three U.S. Black abolitionist and freedom seekers: Harriet Tubman, née Araminta Ross, (c. 1822-1913); Frederick Douglass (c. 1818-1895); and Sojourner Truth (1797-1883). Born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849. During the next ten years, she made approximately thirteen trips into Maryland to rescue other enslaved family members and friends. She provided instructions for escape to about 70 more enslaved people who were able to self-emancipate. During the Civil War, she served the United States Army as a spy, scout, nurse and cook. As one of the most famous conductors of the Underground Railroad, the monuments in this section often depict Tubman leading groups of freedom seekers on their journey northwards to freedom, such as Mario Chiodo’s <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom</a>. In other works, such as Alison Saar’s <a href="https://www.harriettubmanmonuments.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swing Low</a>, Tubman is depicted alone, facing southward as she makes the perilous journey back to Maryland to free more enslaved people. One of the most brilliant orators of his generation, Frederick Douglass worked ceaselessly for the cause of abolition. Among his many achievements, Douglass became one of the early and important critical theorists of photography, a medium invented in 1839. In a series of lectures delivered between 1861-1865, Douglass argued that photography had the power to shape people’s understandings of race and as such could be deployed to resist distorted representations of African Americans. Douglass, who was exceptionally aware of the power of his own image, sat for a number of portraits over several decades, circulating his image widely. His photographic portraits serve as the basis for a number of the works in this collection, including Ivan Schwartz’s <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frederick Douglass</a>, created for the New York Historical Society. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in 1797 in Swartekill, New York. She emancipated herself, escaping to freedom in 1826. During her 30-year career, she became a formidable force in several 19th-century reform movements, linking the struggles for Black freedom with women’s suffrage. Truth capitalized on both the affecting power of photography and its reproducibility to support her activism. She created carte-de-visite portraits of herself, which she copyrighted, adding the caption “I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance. Sojourner Truth.” As Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby explores in her book Enduring Truths: Sojourner’s Shadows and Substance (2015), Truth “made her photographic portrait worth money in order to end slavery—and also became the strategic author of her public self.” Commemorative works such as the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/1b9f9d28475430765059a059a43787b2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sojourner Truth Memorial</a> in Florence, Massachusetts, are based on the photographic portrait that Truth so carefully created and circulated. Updated January 26, 2026 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource North to Freedom-Harriet Tubman Statue (Pomona, California) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Antislavery movements--United States California--Pomona Freedom Public art Public sculpture Underground Railroad Subject (Name) Tubman, Harriet, 1822-1913 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource A bronze sculpture of Harriet Tubman stands atop a rugged granite base. With her right foot stepping forward, Tubman strides confidently, her right hand pointing toward the sky. She wears a copper-toned hat, a satchel, and pleated skirt, a double-breasted jacket, and laced boots. There is an inscription on the front of the monument’s base. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Brown, Manuelita, 1941- Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource March 14, 2023 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Ray Adamyk and Michelle Adamyk (commissioned, funded, and donated the monument); The Art In Public Places Program (funded installation); City of Pomona Cultural Arts Commission Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource City of Pomona, Cultural Arts Commission, 505 South Garey Avenue, Pomona, California, 91766, United States Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Lincoln Park, Historic District, Lincoln Avenue, Pomona, California, 91767, United States Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze; Granite Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Inscription on the front of base: “God’s time is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens. He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.” — Harriet Tubman — Inscription on the bronze plaque in the front of base: CITY OF POMONA CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION “North To Freedom” Manuelita Brown 2023 Installation funded by The Art In Public Places Program Statue donated by Ray & Michelle Adamyk Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photograph: <a href="https://www.thepomonan.com/theopera/the-flawed-process" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Pomonan</a> Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. National Sculpture Society. “Manuelita Brown’s Harriet Tubman Unveiled - National Sculpture Society,” July 29, 2022. Accessed August 13, 2024. https://nationalsculpture.org/news-events/manuelita-browns-harriet-tubman-unveiled/. Stallworth, Leo. “Harriet Tubman Sculpture Unveiled in Pomona.” ABC7 Los Angeles, July 5, 2022. Accessed August 15, 2024. https://abc7.com/harriet-tubman-statue-pomona-unity-walk-manuelita-brown/12018545/. bronze figurative granite inscription portrait https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/c3754f52151df1b7e183477511f1e542.jpg d1c808b9bdeacba36fa3a26aff328434 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/442c0a8e4de3fd456c8f3f6f1f808f4a.jpg 83f383f12e97eaeed991ca119477fd64 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/d49f585894b0071825b5e53553fbfa48.jpg e36765a8b585f8375a2d2cfa4041080b https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/c0c3fb8db4b943a8e7cfeb06f890dc82.jpeg d4ee31936535e6acc5a601b81f36ba50 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Underground Railroad Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource The memorial and monuments in this collection are dedicated to the Underground Railroad, an organized network of routes and safe houses that assisted freedom seekers [enslaved people] on their journeys northward. The Underground Railroad was part of the larger movement for the abolition of slavery in the United States. The movement to abolish slavery was a complicated political movement that, at its core, was driven by the resistance and activism of enslaved Black people and freedmen and women abolitionists. Historian Manisha Sinha explores the history of American abolition, including the Underground Railroad in The Slave's Cause: A History of Abolition (2016).  Although Harriet Tubman is the most famous conductor in the Underground Railroad, she is not the subject of the memorials featured in this collection (see the collection on this site, <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/collections/show/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Black Abolitionists</a>, to view works specifically dedicated to her life and work). Rather the monuments and memorials featured here, such as Ed Dwight's <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1170" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gateway to Freedom: International Memorial to the Underground Railroad</a>, highlight other prominent conductors, as well as celebrate the fortitude and bravery of the freedom seekers as they made the perilous journey north. Updated January 26, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image Everdure bronze with patina; Brick; Granite Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Jerry Rescue Monument (Syracuse, New York) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource BuMann, Sharon, 1953- Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Abolition of slavery Public art Public sculpture New York (State)--Syracuse Resistance Slavery--New York (State) Subject (Name) Henry, William "Jerry", 1811-1853(?) Loguen, Jermain Wesley, 1813-1872 May, Samuel Joseph, 1797-1871 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource August 10, 1990 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Clinton Square, 2 S Clinton Street, Syracuse, New York, 13202, United States Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Inscription on the central bronze plaque (back wall): The Jerry Rescue In 1827, The State of New York was among the first in the Union to abolish slavery. By the mid-1800’s, Syracuse was known nationally as a hub of ant-slavery activity. Harriet Tubman, Gerrit Smith, the Rev. Samuel J. May, and the Rev. Jermain W. Loguen lived in the area and played historic roles helping escaped slaves reach freedom and safety in the northern United States and Canada. They organized and maintained the secret routes and hiding places known as the Underground Railroad. Their Abolitionist sentiments were shared by many men and women in the community. When Congress passed the Fugitive Slave law in 1850, a local Vigilance Committee publicly called on people everywhere to oppose it. Then-Mayor Alfred H. Honey was one of the community leaders who denounced the law as 'a most flagrant outrage upon the inalienable rights of man.'  With the attention of the nation focused on the acts of civil disobedience this position might spark, the great American orator Daniel Webster, came to Syracuse and delivered a dramatic address from the balcony overlooking City Hall. He warned the supporters of the Vigilance Committee of the dire legal consequences they faced in opposing the Fugitive Slave Law. Meanwhile, William 'Jerry' Henry had escaped from slavery in Missouri, and was working as a cabinet maker and cooper in Syracuse. At noon on October 1st, 1851, he was apprehended, taken before the local U.S. Commissioner, and charged as a fugitive slave. Alerted, the Vigilance Committee sprang into action. At first, disorganized attempt to free Jerry that afternoon failed. But, later that evening, a mob of outraged citizens, both black and white, stormed the jail across Clinton Street from this site, and rescued him. Jerry was hidden in the city for a few days, then spirited north along the Underground Railroad to Kingston, Ontario. Twenty-seven people, including Loguen and eleven other black citizens, were indicted for their involvement. Enoch Reed, a black man, was the only person convicted of any crime related to the rescue; it was a minor offense, and he died before his case could be heard on appeal. For many years afterwards, Abolitionists from all over the north gathered in Syracuse on October 1st, to celebrate Jerry's rescue. Inscription on left bronze plaque (back wall): Monument Symbolism The STAR, as a light in the darkness, represents hope. Its four points are oriented to the actual points of the compass, important in fixing direction for a journey. Its elevation conveys the importance of Jerry’s recuse in the history of civil rights. The BRICK WALLS symbolize buildings or barriers, which can include or exclude. The spaces provoke interest and concern for who or what lies beyond. The FOREGROUND FIGURES aiding Jerry represent the Rev. Samuel J. May and the Rev. Jermain W. Loguen, who did not physically take part in the event but were instrumental in arranging the rescue. They and the crowd behind them are larger-than-life to suggest that, when courage and compassion combine to influence public opinion, human life is enlarged. The BROKEN SHACKLES Jerry wears emphasize the failure of legal authority to impose unjust restraints upon human rights or to limit human dignity. Monument design: BuMann Studio Central Square, New York Sharon BuMann/Sculptor Copyright 1990 Inscription on right bronze plaque (back wall): This project was made possible by the support of the  City of Syracuse Mayor Thomas G. Young State of New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo Senator Tarky Lombardi, Jr. Benefactors New York State Natural Heritage Trust New York State Bicenntienal Commission Central New York Community Foundation Rosamond Gifford Foundation Updowntowners of Syracuse Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Atlas Fence, Inc. Barnes & Cone, Inc. Bartran & Associates Bock Brick, Inc. Chappell's Donald W. Clark Suzanne M. Congel The Edgewater Companies Lora S. Flanagan IBEW Local 43 Key Bank of Central New York Lenweaver Design Mayor's Minority Affairs Council McConnell Constrution Corp. Edward McNeil OBG Technical Services, Inc. O'Brien and Gere Engineering, Inc. O'Conner Memorial, Inc. Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.--Chi Phi Chapter Paragon Supply, Inc. Parratt-Wolfe, Inc. Randall Electric. Inc. James Ross & Son Construction Santaro Industries, Inc. Syracuse Teachers Association  Taylor Rental Center Andrew Von Deak Richard N. Wright, II Jerry Rescue Memorial Committee Chester Whiteside, Founder/Co-Chairperson Roger Mac, Co-Chairperson Linda Joanne Clark Thomas R. Kennedy David Kreitor David E. Lenweaver Cheryl Wilkins-Mitchell Vicki B. Quigley Henry Schramm A project of the Syracuse Urban Arts Commission Unveiled August 10, 1990 Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Everdure bronze with patina; Brick; Granite Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Description An account of the resource A concrete four-pointed star serves as the sculpture’s plinth. Three brick and concrete walls form a niche, which viewers are invited to physically occupy. Affixed to the brick walls, the niche contains bronze plaques explaining the history of William "Jerry" Henry’s rescue and the symbolism of the sculpture. Emerging from the central brick wall, on the side that faces outward, away from the architectural niche, are three life-size bronze figures. Rendered in high relief, the artist, BuMann, depicts an imagined scene of Henry’s rescue. A shirtless Henry, with broken shackles on his wrists, is helped to safety with the assistance of Rev. Samuel J. May and the Rev. Jermain W. Loguen (who was himself a formerly enslaved person), men who were not actually present during the escape. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photographs by Renée Ater Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Syracuse University Libraries. "'That laboratory of abolitionism, libel, and treason': Syracuse and the Underground Railroad." Special Collections Exhibits. Accessed February 9, 2025. https://library.syracuse.edu/extsites/undergroundrr/case3.php. Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource City of Syracuse; State of New York; Syracuse Urban Arts Commission; Jerry Rescue Memorial Committee; New York State Natural Heritage Trust; New York State Bicenntienal Commission; Central New York Community Foundation; Rosamond Gifford Foundation; Updowntowners of Syracuse Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Syracuse Public Arts Commission, City Hall, 233 East Washington Street, Syracuse, New York, 13202, United States bas-relief bronze chains figurative granite manacles https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/b22e80b6d990d15a15e756e2ddc19160.JPG 17ad5a3a41e8aaa30e5041b5319f1b27 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/73476e653e703c6172b45686eb68dcd8.JPG f5005b92a659f1d4b916efdb4d0c2a39 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/1d0776149861e8e92b56d81ad66140f9.JPG 83c43f171b4f23b7874f30ff1cd1a945 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/059eed7b5d4e9d26ae42c44356c6bff8.JPG fe3063224e1a5aa991efc1dc55abba15 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/2ef9f07b66ce6d92b070645700a9faa3.JPG e22be2b88ea9495ba0e9405857ed4ea4 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/6035294d1c8595df0dd744e6f920b5d4.JPG 6a4d86e6253a6b446b33206a8c4d9dd9 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/76e0de8bef2e574b8c427c7cac4be599.JPG 31b81c47f564e025ef8b04d23fca00fd Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource United States Colored Troops (USCT) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource Included in this thematic collection are seventeen memorials that honor the vital contributions of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) to the Union victory during the American Civil War. The first all-Black units formed unofficially in Louisiana (Louisiana Native Guard, 1862); South Carolina (First South Carolina Volunteer Infantry, 1862-63); and Kansas (First Kansas Colored Infantry, 1862-63). The first official authorization to employ African Americans in federal service was the Second Confiscation and Militia Act of July 17, 1862. The Confiscation Act allowed Union officers to free enslaved men and put them to work as army laborers. However, Abraham Lincoln did not fully authorize the use of Black men in combat until the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Beginning in late January 1863, Governor John A. Andrews of Massachusetts raised the first regiment of Black soldiers in the North, the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry. The abolitionist Frederick Douglass helped recruit men for the Massachusetts 54th, famously issuing a call to free African American men to join the Union Army. In a speech, “Men of Color, To Arms!”, delivered in Rochester, New York on March 2, 1863, Douglass urged his fellow free men of color to fight for the end of slavery and for their freedom: "By every consideration which binds you to your enslaved fellow-countrymen, and the peace and welfare of your country; by every aspiration which you cherish for the freedom and equality of yourselves and your children; by all the ties of blood and identity which make us one with the brave black men now fighting our battles in Louisiana and in South Carolina, I urge you to fly to arms, and smite with death the power that would bury the government and your liberty in the same hopeless grave." On May 22, 1863, the U.S. War Department issued General Order No. 143, authorizing the creation of the Bureau of Colored Troops. By the end of the Civil War, over 200,000 men, including white officers, served in 175 regiments of the USCT, which made up ten percent of the Union army. The compiled military records of the men who served in the USCT can be found in the National Archives and Records Administration. Updated January 26, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Renée Ater Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 108 in. (274.32 cm) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource United States Colored Troops National Monument (Madison, Tennessee) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) African Americans--History Cemeteries--Tennessee Tennessee--Madison United States Colored Troops Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource The life-sized bronze statue of a single Black soldier honors the contributions of the over 20,000 African American men from Tennessee who served in the Union Army. Standing among rows of white headstones, the soldier gazes solemnly into the distance. He wears Union military attire—complete with forage cap, collared coat, belt, trousers, and boots—and grips the barrel of his rifled musket, its butt resting on the ground beside his right foot. A cartridge box hangs at his right hip, its leather shoulder strap slung across his chest, the brass circular eagle plate prominently displayed in the center. A socket bayonet hangs from his belt, and a canteen, cup, and satchel are slung over his back. The statue rests on a square white stone pedestal, with a bronze plaque bearing an inscription. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Butler, Roy W. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource February 18, 2006 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource African American Cultural Alliance of Nashville United; Association for Black Veterans; Creative Artists of Tennessee Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Nashville National Cemetery, 1420 Gallatin Pike South, Madison, Tennessee, 37115, United States Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Bronze plaque on base of statue: In Memory of the 20,133 Who Served As United States Colored Troops In the Union Army Dedicated 2003 Sculptor: Roy W. Butler Model: William C. Radcliffe Presented by: The African American Cultural Alliance United Association for Black Veterans Creative Artists of Tennessee Extent The size or duration of the resource. 108 in. (274.32 cm) Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze; White granite Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Alan Skerrett, Jr, ed. "Monuments to the United States Colored Troops (USCT) [African American Civil War Soldiers: The List." Jubilo! The Emancipation Century Blog, May 30, 2011. Accessed February 11, 2026. https://jubiloemancipationcentury.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/monuments-to-the-united-states-colored-troops-usct-the-list/. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photographs by Renée Ater Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource National Cemetery Administration, U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, United States bronze Civil War figurative granite https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/ed3544921837077d7a200430ee772dee.jpg 15e69fc644df8ac67fdef8e02acfede5 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/4d348a867103b1319fc44aab1535ae45.jpg 7b3c778dea5308eac7cf37dbd00eaebe https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/d820c950602ca48300c7664c93ff0b2f.jpg c1a76a444cb3492780d7ab6ce59b29f6 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/ff9d1ef7253c8834e482521e52421be3.jpg 8abba3130086c97eac6da0a1d9ae035a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Black Abolitionists: Tubman, Douglass, Truth Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource The monuments and memorials in this collection commemorate the extraordinary achievements of three U.S. Black abolitionist and freedom seekers: Harriet Tubman, née Araminta Ross, (c. 1822-1913); Frederick Douglass (c. 1818-1895); and Sojourner Truth (1797-1883). Born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849. During the next ten years, she made approximately thirteen trips into Maryland to rescue other enslaved family members and friends. She provided instructions for escape to about 70 more enslaved people who were able to self-emancipate. During the Civil War, she served the United States Army as a spy, scout, nurse and cook. As one of the most famous conductors of the Underground Railroad, the monuments in this section often depict Tubman leading groups of freedom seekers on their journey northwards to freedom, such as Mario Chiodo’s <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom</a>. In other works, such as Alison Saar’s <a href="https://www.harriettubmanmonuments.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swing Low</a>, Tubman is depicted alone, facing southward as she makes the perilous journey back to Maryland to free more enslaved people. One of the most brilliant orators of his generation, Frederick Douglass worked ceaselessly for the cause of abolition. Among his many achievements, Douglass became one of the early and important critical theorists of photography, a medium invented in 1839. In a series of lectures delivered between 1861-1865, Douglass argued that photography had the power to shape people’s understandings of race and as such could be deployed to resist distorted representations of African Americans. Douglass, who was exceptionally aware of the power of his own image, sat for a number of portraits over several decades, circulating his image widely. His photographic portraits serve as the basis for a number of the works in this collection, including Ivan Schwartz’s <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frederick Douglass</a>, created for the New York Historical Society. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in 1797 in Swartekill, New York. She emancipated herself, escaping to freedom in 1826. During her 30-year career, she became a formidable force in several 19th-century reform movements, linking the struggles for Black freedom with women’s suffrage. Truth capitalized on both the affecting power of photography and its reproducibility to support her activism. She created carte-de-visite portraits of herself, which she copyrighted, adding the caption “I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance. Sojourner Truth.” As Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby explores in her book Enduring Truths: Sojourner’s Shadows and Substance (2015), Truth “made her photographic portrait worth money in order to end slavery—and also became the strategic author of her public self.” Commemorative works such as the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/1b9f9d28475430765059a059a43787b2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sojourner Truth Memorial</a> in Florence, Massachusetts, are based on the photographic portrait that Truth so carefully created and circulated. Updated January 26, 2026 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image Statue and base: 132 in. (335.28 cm) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Frederick Douglass Memorial (Easton, Maryland) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Carpenter, Jay Hall, 1961- Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Antislavery movements--United States Enslaved persons--Emancipation Freedom Maryland--Easton Public art Public sculpture Slavery--Maryland Subject (Name) Douglass, Frederick, 1818-1895 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource Standing to the right of a lectern, Frederick Douglass is depicted as in elder statesman, with a furrowed brow and deep lines marking his face. Captured mid-speech, Douglass raises his right hand above his head in a rhetorical gesture, while his left-hand rests atop the lectern. The life-sized bronze figure rests on a base of stone. The work is located in front of the Maryland Circuit Court Judge’s Office in Easton, Maryland. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photographs by Renée Ater Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 18, 2011 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Frederick Douglass Honor Society (Eric Lowery, President); Town of Easton (Robert C. Wiley, Mayor); Talbot County Council (Dirck Bartlett, President); Frederick Douglass Monument Project of the Talbot County Historical Society; the Frederick Douglass Memorial Action Committee Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Talbot County Courthouse Lawn, 11 N Washington Street, Easton, Maryland, 21601, United States Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Inscription on granite base: DOUGLASS Inscription on bronze plaque on back of monument: "In a composite nation like ours, as before the law, there should be no rich, no poor, no high, no low, no white, no black, but common country, common citizenship, equal rights and common destiny." Frederick Douglass 1818-1895 United States Marshall * Charge d'Affaires to the Dominican Republic * Minister to Haiti * Counselor to President Abraham Lincoln * Publisher * Author * Orator * Abolitionist * Slave Extent The size or duration of the resource. 132 in. (335.28 cm) Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze; Granite Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Guy, Chris. "Douglass to Get Place by Easton Courthouse." The Baltimore Sun, March 17, 2004. Accessed October 31. 2019. https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2004-03-17-0403170268-story.html. Douglass Returns: The Dedication, June 16-19, 2011. Frederick Douglass Honor Society. Accessed January 31, 2026. https://frederickdouglasshonorsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/DouglassReturnsProgram.pdf. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Town of Easton, P.O. Box 520, Easton, Maryland, 21601, United States bronze figurative granite portrait https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/3d33891fdf86e182b98edac3c74ef7e9.jpg 2830a2fd6f6ca42b6d187550ac35c8d6 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/cdbb9b1366b0b3294724a175c441ec88.jpg 650f532e72f5e07ce8a4258d4e07656b https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/81c94d49692d800a7d7fa7054e9112ad.jpg d1387564998ba1a03b348900408d3d1e https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/ef293c9c334d9dff0008e3591fa6a615.jpg 6a6053438643c2c01c65555384c55006 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource United States Colored Troops (USCT) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource Included in this thematic collection are seventeen memorials that honor the vital contributions of the United States Colored Troops (USCT) to the Union victory during the American Civil War. The first all-Black units formed unofficially in Louisiana (Louisiana Native Guard, 1862); South Carolina (First South Carolina Volunteer Infantry, 1862-63); and Kansas (First Kansas Colored Infantry, 1862-63). The first official authorization to employ African Americans in federal service was the Second Confiscation and Militia Act of July 17, 1862. The Confiscation Act allowed Union officers to free enslaved men and put them to work as army laborers. However, Abraham Lincoln did not fully authorize the use of Black men in combat until the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Beginning in late January 1863, Governor John A. Andrews of Massachusetts raised the first regiment of Black soldiers in the North, the Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry. The abolitionist Frederick Douglass helped recruit men for the Massachusetts 54th, famously issuing a call to free African American men to join the Union Army. In a speech, “Men of Color, To Arms!”, delivered in Rochester, New York on March 2, 1863, Douglass urged his fellow free men of color to fight for the end of slavery and for their freedom: "By every consideration which binds you to your enslaved fellow-countrymen, and the peace and welfare of your country; by every aspiration which you cherish for the freedom and equality of yourselves and your children; by all the ties of blood and identity which make us one with the brave black men now fighting our battles in Louisiana and in South Carolina, I urge you to fly to arms, and smite with death the power that would bury the government and your liberty in the same hopeless grave." On May 22, 1863, the U.S. War Department issued General Order No. 143, authorizing the creation of the Bureau of Colored Troops. By the end of the Civil War, over 200,000 men, including white officers, served in 175 regiments of the USCT, which made up ten percent of the Union army. The compiled military records of the men who served in the USCT can be found in the National Archives and Records Administration. Updated January 26, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Renée Ater Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource United States Colored Troops Memorial Statue (Lexington Park, Maryland) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) African Americans--History Maryland--Lexington Park Public art Public sculpture United States Colored Troops Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource The life-size bronze sculpture of a United States Colored Troop soldier, rifle held over his shoulder as he strides forward. The figure stand on 6-foot granite pedestal, which features two bronze plaques bearing a dedicatory inscription, as well as the names of the 700 Black soldiers from St. Mary’s County who fought for the Union Army during the Civil War. The plaque takes special care to note the three men from St. Mary’s County who received a Medal of Honor during the war. Two of the men, Sgt. William Barnes and Sgt. James Harris were members of the 38th Colored Troops. The third Medal of Honor recipient, a White man, was U.S. Navy Quarter Master Joseph Hayden. Just in front of the statue, is a placard with didactic information that describes the important role of African Americans during the Civil War. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 16, 2012 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Idolia Shubrooks; Committee for Afro-American Contributions (UCAC); Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War; Maryland General Assembly Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant John G. Lancaster Park, 21550 Willows Road, Lexington Park, Maryland, 20653, United States Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Bronze plaque on the front of the plinth: United States Colored Troops (USCT) This monument is dedicated in grateful tribute to the United States Colored Troops of St. Mary’s County. It honors medal of honor recipients, all Union Soldiers, and Sailors from Saint Mary’s County who served during the Civil War (1861-1865) Dedicated June 16, 2012 All honor and all glory to the emancipated slaves, freedmen, and all noble sons of St. Mary’s County who fought during the Civil War to save the Union and secure the heritage of human freedom. Includes list of names of the men who served from St. Mary's County. Information plaque at the memorial: African Americans have served in every war since the American Revolution. During the Civil War, more that 180,000 African Americans comprising 170 units served in the Union Army and 29,511 served in the Union Navy. Nearly 700 United States Colored Troops (USCT) from St. Mary’s County served in the war. The vast majority of Union soldiers from St. Mary’s County were of African descent. Muster rolls indicate USCT soldiers from the county enlisted not only in Maryland regiments, but in many regiments outside the state of Maryland and all across the country. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861, there were very few African Americans on the military rolls of the Union Army. The United States Navy continued to enlist Black seamen, but there was a quota and those who became regulars did menial labor. President Lincoln and his advisers believed that the regular Army and volunteers would be sufficient to win the war. Marylanders were divided over whether to remain loyal to the Union or support the Confederacy. White landowners in St. Mary’s County and other Southern Maryland counties aligned themselves with the Confederacy. Throughout the United States, African Americans were eager to enlist in the Union Army and saw southern Whites and their sympathizers as traitors who wanted to overthrow the government to perpetuate slavery. Prominent leaders including Frederic Douglass and Robert Smalls appealed to the federal government to change the military laws and allow African Americans to fight for their own freedom. The policy on enlisting African American soldiers changed as the war progressed. In July of 1862, Congress passed the Militia Act of 1862. It had become an “indispensable military necessity” to call on African American men to help save the Union. On September 27, 1862, the first regiment to become a USCT regiment was brought into the Union Army. After January 1, 1863, when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, the War Department authorized the recruiting of African American soldiers. Recruitment efforts intensified and slave owners were offered monetary compensation for releasing enslaved men to enlist. By the end of 1863, General Ulysses S. Grant viewed the African American soldier as a “powerful ally.” President Lincoln made it clear to military authorities and citizens alike that African American soldiers were to be accorded the rights and privileges of bearing arms in support of the Union Army. Both freemen and slaves joined the fight. In spite of harsh conditions and inadequate supplies, these soldiers went on to participate in some of the most important and brutal battles of the war. African Americans proved themselves as reputable soldiers many times over, yet discrimination in pay and other areas remained widespread. The bravery, courage and skill demonstrated by these soldiers attested to their determination to prove themselves not just as soldiers but as individuals and as a race. When the liberated received the chance to become liberators, they fought hard and many lost their lives to uphold the virtues of freedom and equality. Text drawn from sources including curriculum developed for the Maryland Department of Education by Reginald Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture. On the Home Front Families of African American soldiers often suffered hardships as well. Women and children left behind frequently had to shoulder extra work loads and responsibilities and in some cases may have received harsh treatment from resentful slave holders. Letters from soldiers who faced danger on the battlefield were full of pride and faith in their cause and were treasured by their loved ones at home. (Photo of a Union soldier and his family, courtesy of The Library of Congress) “My dear girl, I hope again to see you. I must bid you farewell should I be killed. Remember, if I die, I die in a good cause. I wish we had a hundred thousand colored troops … We would put an end to this war.” From The Mind of the Negro as reflected in Letters Written during the Crisis: 1800-1860. Carter G. Woodson, ed. 1926. Men of Valor Sergeant James H. Harris (photo) The Civil War experiences of Maryland’s African American soldiers in general and, in particular, those from St. Mary’s County were plagued by discrimination and hardship. But, by the time the last bullets were fired and all the dust had settled, the exertions and accomplishments of these tried and proven men represented a critical step towards the greater goal of social equality for which they struggled and fought. (Brennan Davis) St. Mary’s County produced two USCT Civil War Congressional Medal of Honor recipients, Private (later Sergeant) William H. Barnes and Sergeant James H. Harris. Both were enlisted in the 38th United States Colored Infantry Regiment organized in Virginia. They were cited for their gallantry in the Battle of New Market Heights in Virginia, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Chaffin’s Farm. This battle was fought September 29-30 in 1864. Slavery was abolished in Maryland with the 1864 State Constitution. After the War Many former USCT soldiers had difficulty obtaining pensions and receiving recognition after the war. However, veterans in some parts of the country were able to become state and national political leaders and often played active roles in their local communities as well. In St. Mary’s County, veterans became teachers, ministers, and business owners. Galilee United Methodist Church in Oakville and St. Lukes United Methodist Church in Ridge were founded by veterans. Although Galilee Church no longer exists, the cemetery remains, and USCT soldiers are buried at the site. St. Luke’s continues as an active congregation. Today, many St. Mary’s County residents are proud descendants of those who served in the USCT. (Photos of St. Luke’s Methodist Church in Ridge and Galilee Cemetery in Oakville) A Granddaughter’s Mission Idolia Shubrooks worked for over 20 years to make the United States Colored Troops Memorial Monument a reality. It became her personal mission after finding her grandfather’s history with the USCT muster papers. She researched her grandfather’s history with the USCT and worked with the Unified Committee for Afro-American Contributions and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War to educate the community about this vital part of our forgotten local heritage. The completed project creates a legacy which serves to share and preserve our history for future generations. The vision for this monument grew out of the day that Idolia Shubrooks discovered her grandfather Alexander Armstrong’s USCT muster papers in a keepsake box. Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze; Granite Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Jacqui Atkielski. "Monument Honoring St. Mary's Veterans Was a Labor of Love." Southern Maryland Newspapers Online. Accessed January 23, 2019. https://www.somdnews.com/bonus/memorial_day/monument-honoring-st-mary-s-veterans-was-a-labor-of/article_6099e2e1-0bdc-5095-9593-812d4e040f15.html. Alan Skerrett, Jr, ed. "Monuments to the United States Colored Troops (USCT) [African American Civil War Soldiers: The List." Jubilo! The Emancipation Century Blog, May 30, 2011. Accessed February 11, 2026. https://jubiloemancipationcentury.wordpress.com/2011/05/30/monuments-to-the-united-states-colored-troops-usct-the-list/. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Casteel, Gary , 1946- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photographs by Renée Ater, 2012 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource St. Mary's County Maryland, 41770 Baldridge Street, Leonardtown, Maryland, 20650, United States bronze Civil War figurative granite names https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/9653d3f9cee2d7063549cfa5a591a1db.jpg de150f9a21ea8ebf789edb423bad517e Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Black Abolitionists: Tubman, Douglass, Truth Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource The monuments and memorials in this collection commemorate the extraordinary achievements of three U.S. Black abolitionist and freedom seekers: Harriet Tubman, née Araminta Ross, (c. 1822-1913); Frederick Douglass (c. 1818-1895); and Sojourner Truth (1797-1883). Born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849. During the next ten years, she made approximately thirteen trips into Maryland to rescue other enslaved family members and friends. She provided instructions for escape to about 70 more enslaved people who were able to self-emancipate. During the Civil War, she served the United States Army as a spy, scout, nurse and cook. As one of the most famous conductors of the Underground Railroad, the monuments in this section often depict Tubman leading groups of freedom seekers on their journey northwards to freedom, such as Mario Chiodo’s <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom</a>. In other works, such as Alison Saar’s <a href="https://www.harriettubmanmonuments.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swing Low</a>, Tubman is depicted alone, facing southward as she makes the perilous journey back to Maryland to free more enslaved people. One of the most brilliant orators of his generation, Frederick Douglass worked ceaselessly for the cause of abolition. Among his many achievements, Douglass became one of the early and important critical theorists of photography, a medium invented in 1839. In a series of lectures delivered between 1861-1865, Douglass argued that photography had the power to shape people’s understandings of race and as such could be deployed to resist distorted representations of African Americans. Douglass, who was exceptionally aware of the power of his own image, sat for a number of portraits over several decades, circulating his image widely. His photographic portraits serve as the basis for a number of the works in this collection, including Ivan Schwartz’s <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frederick Douglass</a>, created for the New York Historical Society. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in 1797 in Swartekill, New York. She emancipated herself, escaping to freedom in 1826. During her 30-year career, she became a formidable force in several 19th-century reform movements, linking the struggles for Black freedom with women’s suffrage. Truth capitalized on both the affecting power of photography and its reproducibility to support her activism. She created carte-de-visite portraits of herself, which she copyrighted, adding the caption “I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance. Sojourner Truth.” As Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby explores in her book Enduring Truths: Sojourner’s Shadows and Substance (2015), Truth “made her photographic portrait worth money in order to end slavery—and also became the strategic author of her public self.” Commemorative works such as the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/1b9f9d28475430765059a059a43787b2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sojourner Truth Memorial</a> in Florence, Massachusetts, are based on the photographic portrait that Truth so carefully created and circulated. Updated January 26, 2026 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 84 in. (213.36 cm) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Sojourner (Sacramento, California) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Catlett, Elizabeth, 1919-2012 Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Antislavery movements--United States California--Sacramento Freedom Public art Public sculpture Women--Suffrage Subject (Name) Truth, Sojourner, c. 1797-1883 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource Unlike many sculptural representations of Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Catlett’s work is geometric and slightly abstracted. Truth is shown with her arms crossed at her chest as she tilts her head skyward, her eyes closed. The flared skirt of her form-fitting dress adds to the work's sense of upward movement. The stone is polished smooth, save for Truth’s hair, which, although abstracted, is shown uncovered in cropped curls. In January 2013, the sculpture was vandalized, pushed off the pedestal and broke into large pieces. After restoration, the sculpture was placed inside the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, California. Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1999 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, City of Sacramento Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Crocker Art Museum, 216 O Street, Sacramento, California, 95814, United States Extent The size or duration of the resource. 84 in. (213.36 cm) Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Mexican limestone Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photograph: <a href="http://sacpedart.com/?p=3840" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pedestrian Art, Sacramento</a> Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, City of Sacramento, 300 Richards Boulevard, Suite 3, Sacramento, CA, 95811, United States Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Pedestrian Art-Sacramento. "Sojourner Truth-13th & K." September 6, 2012. Accessed February 19, 2025. http://sacpedart.com/?p=3840. abstract figurative limestone portrait https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/c2fa4d797a4d66d2d45ef6d79c49e7a4.jpg ae044eab3c1afddb8c40829db5030492 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/a84445f64fd22c24ed60ce61fa19e3ce.jpg 12437b7e8d77d3cb916d424b7e93216b https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/22d388a38dbdcd29f8a70b15d4fad077.jpg 74af0ab95d654f5425424737cfe7af29 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/1e43bea9ae179b176a7c10dde537e3fc.jpg 6860045b0619bfc9868553411485fc96 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/477c445aa88fd2b40266cf3d5ed5f735.jpg 92b0e75bb3f7e6743b10967129e9c368 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/07303a2fe3a478173cf9ff65ae552e93.jpg 35708db07ef3fa5d03c5dc41b3b01673 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/42b09cf14662a0fe54bfd183b08ed1b3.jpg 12ef5f6c2aefda60b5d94a6feb796836 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/c298a538474223e6d9c1e2cb17b95aff.jpg 0bf23d91be93ee40102c807cc347fa26 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/0cef8f74c23d7e84be7806f2b9463c04.jpg 88386d88c3f70cb8f1f158c6f65baa9b https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/1a545be3636da3b23209a043d566d728.jpg 3f1b8dd7217510193cbc3781fecb1692 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/970f7088562b06b5adf0592290a254ab.jpg 9915e3cce9d72a58811a21563df8fe6d https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/27fe705027328b7120ec1f6fb2724abf.jpg 3c2d115424fdda446f1358a4276c5f63 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/26a5702147d065fc60463e712abfe788.jpg 85de5aba34be048038d0ad7443ca8903 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/902fbaa67ff332362f77bff804323605.jpg 5e6d6ac9276fffedc9724f4e5b6b680c https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/a7e7230d4a8d0519469361bdcbd8b1a6.jpg 897d8f8bc789a0c43b3c3eedde751d4c Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Black Abolitionists: Tubman, Douglass, Truth Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource The monuments and memorials in this collection commemorate the extraordinary achievements of three U.S. Black abolitionist and freedom seekers: Harriet Tubman, née Araminta Ross, (c. 1822-1913); Frederick Douglass (c. 1818-1895); and Sojourner Truth (1797-1883). Born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849. During the next ten years, she made approximately thirteen trips into Maryland to rescue other enslaved family members and friends. She provided instructions for escape to about 70 more enslaved people who were able to self-emancipate. During the Civil War, she served the United States Army as a spy, scout, nurse and cook. As one of the most famous conductors of the Underground Railroad, the monuments in this section often depict Tubman leading groups of freedom seekers on their journey northwards to freedom, such as Mario Chiodo’s <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom</a>. In other works, such as Alison Saar’s <a href="https://www.harriettubmanmonuments.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swing Low</a>, Tubman is depicted alone, facing southward as she makes the perilous journey back to Maryland to free more enslaved people. One of the most brilliant orators of his generation, Frederick Douglass worked ceaselessly for the cause of abolition. Among his many achievements, Douglass became one of the early and important critical theorists of photography, a medium invented in 1839. In a series of lectures delivered between 1861-1865, Douglass argued that photography had the power to shape people’s understandings of race and as such could be deployed to resist distorted representations of African Americans. Douglass, who was exceptionally aware of the power of his own image, sat for a number of portraits over several decades, circulating his image widely. His photographic portraits serve as the basis for a number of the works in this collection, including Ivan Schwartz’s <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frederick Douglass</a>, created for the New York Historical Society. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in 1797 in Swartekill, New York. She emancipated herself, escaping to freedom in 1826. During her 30-year career, she became a formidable force in several 19th-century reform movements, linking the struggles for Black freedom with women’s suffrage. Truth capitalized on both the affecting power of photography and its reproducibility to support her activism. She created carte-de-visite portraits of herself, which she copyrighted, adding the caption “I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance. Sojourner Truth.” As Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby explores in her book Enduring Truths: Sojourner’s Shadows and Substance (2015), Truth “made her photographic portrait worth money in order to end slavery—and also became the strategic author of her public self.” Commemorative works such as the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/1b9f9d28475430765059a059a43787b2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sojourner Truth Memorial</a> in Florence, Massachusetts, are based on the photographic portrait that Truth so carefully created and circulated. Updated January 26, 2026 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 100 in. (274.32 cm) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom (Wilmington, Delaware) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Antislavery movements--United States Delaware--Wilmington Freedom Fugitive slaves Public art Public sculpture Underground Railroad Subject (Name) Tubman, Harriet, 1822-1913 Garrett, Thomas, 1789-1871 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource A multi-figure sculpture of Harriet Tubman and Thomas Garrett leads two fugitive enslaved persons, a semi-nude man and a fully clothed woman, along the Underground Railroad in Wilmington, Delaware. Tubman carries a baby in her arms and wears a head wrap, shawl, haversack, and carries a pistol at her waist. Garrett wears a suit, cape and top hat, and holds a lantern. The sculpture includes three pairs of boots, a crate, and a barrel. Signed by the artist: M. Chiodo, 2012. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Chiodo, Mario, 1961- Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photographs by Renée Ater Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 3, 2012 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Oasis Design Group (Kimley-Horn); The City of Wilmington’s Percent for Art Fund; Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware; and Riverfront Wilmington Sculpture Selection Committee Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource The City of Wilmington Department of Parks and Recreation, 500 Wilmington Avenue, Wilmington, Delaware, 19801, United States Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park, 815 Justison Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19801, United States Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Bronze plaque: Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom, Dedicated October 3, 2012, Honorable James M. Baker, Mayor, Artist: Mario Chiodo. Inscripton on Tubman biographical bronze plaque: Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Harriet Ross; 1820 – March 10, 1913). ‘I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.’ Born on Maryland’s eastern shore, Harriet Tubman’s family of eleven suffered the indignities of violence and division common to the institution of slavery. Harriet escaped from slavery following the death of her owner in 1849. Over the course of 10 years, with the help of Thomas Garrett and other abolitionists, she led hundreds of slaves along the Underground Railroad through Wilmington to freedom in New York, New England, and Canada, earning the title of the ‘Moses of her people’. During the Civil War, she was a cook and a nurse and became a spy and armed scout for the federal forces, helping to liberate more than 700 slaves in South Carolina. Tubman died in 1913 at her home in Auburn, NY. Inscripton on Garrett biographical bronze plaque: Thomas Garrett (b. August 21, 1789 – d. January 24, 1871). ‘No labor during a long life has give me so much real happiness as what I have done for the slave.’ Thomas Garrett has been called Delaware’s greatest humanitarian and is credited with helping more than 2,700 slaves escape to freedom in a forty-year long career as a station master of the Underground Railroad. His abolitionist activities, along with the Quaker congregation from the Friends Meeting House in Wilmington, helped to make Wilmington an important gateway on the freedom trail. Garrett helped Harriet Tubman on her many journeys, giving her food, clothing, shelter, and money. He was convicted of violating the federal Fugitive Slave Law in 1848 and heavily fined and forced into bankruptcy. Garrett devoted his life to the abolitionist cause, openly defying slave hunters, as well as the slave system. Extent The size or duration of the resource. 100 in. (274.32 cm) Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze; Granite Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Chiodo, Mario. “Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom.” Freedom March of Art. Accessed March 18, 2018. www.freedommarchofart.com/tubman.html. Ater, Renée. "Monument and Heritage Tourism: Memorializing Harriet Tubman and Thomas Garrett on the Underground Railroad in Delaware." In Ending Slavery: The Antislavery Struggle in Perspective, eds. Lawrence Ajé and Claudine Raynaud, 265-286. Presses universitaires de la Méditerranée, 2022. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Relation A related resource <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9jP20hvR-M" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"></a> References A related resource that is referenced, cited, or otherwise pointed to by the described resource. Monument and Myth: Commemorating Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad bronze figurative lantern pistol portrait https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/2fb45a4dc4bf9e2f72fa32f1f6671afe.jpg fa2fbc2367e5dc1c0cb85b9eb4aeb8a8 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/d78ea280aa57d9483d297e340fbf2d18.jpg 3ce29e611b7f899c2122af635cd94afb https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/a74ac4e480dc7aa31a25b3f3daf302cb.jpg 974764c396fc8a43bb039c3e0c25e349 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/e0db94133a77b00d1f1b265ef4fc077e.jpg e1efef2ce6421ef0f142487f3e2ab24e https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/b8521d117e486a4fe222f844834d2f35.jpg cac98c0b79b1dc6a667c9a702493a945 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/37f33db4d6374401ddd6d3d2a722b819.jpg 88b279e1cad466be1883c299178974e7 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/3245c65cd5893d3de984d89a9dda55ed.jpg 6b648c5a4fdd13be74e1655c64ffcaad https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/f0557c184a54ce6987aedc082bd64e36.jpg f3d9a258a971a20bccf03cdec3c5585f https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/5b68428b4495e7c8e2cf32b9848d655b.jpg 972c74e428a5a0b9c5754fba38d10507 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/174da4116b7a5f3aea2c85b1aaba2f54.jpg f9b691763f693259e58ee14750afc172 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/3dc60b545d7e7b5944bb848ba99a9785.jpg 41b5ad0c1e8b7cb0fadab18ed024d17b https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/4bcc0a84efd1a34820b0c72a0fc39fed.jpg 35f791729be30ca5c1640bc5c231915a https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/028c3c0a4edcb734546d6450550f1981.jpg d5e17943fce54080c88948e6d493aed8 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/b88c155bb0ac95cceb1c7ad4a9e224ba.jpg c1a7d9c310813414cbbb2604d3455dfa https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/7da5403e027977e6d2e11abb964397f6.jpg 117bce96b0b3a9bcd621b3dff5bf92f6 https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/2396f8b4b101ff0a40ffcbcec859443e.jpg 83933aa4ac9f195de004e4ce9ea830a1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Burial Grounds Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource This collection is just a fraction of the burial grounds dedicated to enslaved persons, "contrabands," and freed persons. Many of these cemeteries and memorial parks have suffered greatly over the years--some have been desecrated and destroyed while others have been long ignored and fallen into disrepair. The monuments and memorials in this collection are part of local efforts to restore and recognize the importance of black life in death, including the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1130" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Freedman's Cemetery Memorial</a> in Dallas, Texas; <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1136" target="_blank" rel="noopener">African Burial Ground National Memorial </a>in New York City; <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1128" target="_blank" rel="noopener">African Burying Ground Memorial</a> in Portsmouth, New Hampshire; and <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial</a> in Alexandria, Virginia. As of 2026, the Black Cemetery Network (blackcemeterynetwork.org) has documented 201 Black cemeteries in New England, the Middle Atlantic, the South, and the Midwest. Some of these cemeteries are dedicated to enslaved persons such as the Enslaved Cemetery in Mahwah, New Jersey; Betton Hills Plantation Cemetery in Tallahassee, Florida; and the Enslaved Burial Ground in Old Round Rock Cemetery in Round Rock, Texas. In 2022, the African American Burial Grounds Preservation Program authorized the National Park Service to administer an annual grant program to assist in the preservation of historic Black burial grounds. See Congress.gov. "Text - H.R.6805 - 117th Congress (2021-2022): African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Act." April 28, 2022. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/6805/text. Updated January 26, 2026 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Renée Ater Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Sculpture Physical Dimensions The actual physical size of the original image 216 in. (548.64 cm) Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource The Path of Thorns and Roses and The Place of Remembrance: Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial (Alexandria, Virginia) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) African Americans--History African American cemeteries Enslaved persons--Emancipation Fugitive slaves Public art Public sculpture Slavery--Virginia Virginia--Alexandria Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource The Path of Thorns and Roses is an eighteen-foot-high sculpture that spirals upwards and includes six allegorical figures: Oppression (a semi-nude male figure), Struggle (a semi-nude male figure at the base of the sculpture), Sacrifice (a woman who grasps the limp body of a child), Loss (a woman enfolded onto herself), and Compassion (a woman holding a baby and reaching towards Loss). Hope, a man with a bald head, stands on his toes within a large circle of thorns. The figure of Hope holds an unbloomed rose in his outstretched hands. Alongside the statue is a four-walled structure, “The Place of Remembrance,” the includes the names of individuals interred at the site as well as historical information on African Americans in Alexandria during the Civil War. Limestone blocks mark individual graves. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Chiodo, Mario, 1961- (sculpture) Blake, Joanna Campbell, 1977-2016 (bas-reliefs) Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photographs by Renée Ater Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource September 6, 2014 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource C. J. Howard, RA (original design); AECOM (formerly EDAW); Howard + Revis Design; City of Alexandria; Friends of Freedmen's Cemetery; Alexandria Commission for the Arts; and Joe’s Movement Emporium in Mount Rainier, Maryland (models for bas-reliefs) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource City of Alexandria, Alexandria City Hall, 301 King Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314, United States Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Extent The size or duration of the resource. 216 in. (548.64 cm) Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze; Granite; Red sandstone Date Created Date of creation of the resource. Design Competition: 2008 Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. City of Alexandria, Virginia. “Contrabands & Freedmen Cemetery Memorial." Accessed March 21, 2018. https://www.alexandriava.gov/FreedmenMemorial. “Forgotten Cemetery for Freed Slaves Rediscovered.” CBS Evening News, September 10, 2014. Accessed March 21, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pK4e8daKPc. Ater, Renée. "The Memory of Slavery in the Urban Landscape of Alexandria Virginia." In Traces and Memories of Slavery in the Atlantic World, eds. Lawrence Ajé and Nicolas Gachon, 215-232. Routledge, 2020. Hope, Eric. "Gone But Not Forgotten: The Legacy of Joanna Campbell Black." East City Art, June 6, 2016. Accessed February 23, 2026. https://www.eastcityart.com/profiles/gone-not-forgotten-legacy-joanna-campbell-blake/. Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant 1001 S. Washington Street, Alexandria, Virginia, 22314, United States Alternative Title An alternative name for the resource. The distinction between titles and alternative titles is application-specific. Contrabands and Freedmen Cemetery Memorial Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Bronze plaque on base of sculpture: The Path of Thorns and Roses. Created and sculpted by Mario Chido, 2013. Public art owned by the City of Alexandria, Virginia. Cast by Mussi Artworks Foundry, California. Engraving on base of sculpture: “I am thankful there is a beginning. I am full of hope for tomorrow. A Power mightier than man is guiding this revolution; and though justice moves slowly, it will come at last. The American people will outlive this mean prejudice against complexion.” —Harriet Jacobs, freedwoman, author, educator and dedicated aid worker in Alexandria during the Civil War Inset brick with bronze lettering on plaza: 1955 Gas Station. Under this plaza is the concrete floor of a gas station, the construction of which desecrated many graves. The flooring was kept in place to protect the graves that remain below. Text from Wall One of "The Place of Remembrance": Welcome to Contrabands and Freemen Cemetery Memorial During the Civil War, Alexandria’s population swelled with more than 20,000 enslaved African Americans fleeing Confederate territory for safety behind Union lines. Initially called Contrabands because they were considered “property” taken during wartime, they would later be called Freedmen. The new arrivals joined Alexandria’s free and enslaved African Americans, hoping to find jobs, homes, educational opportunities, and lost family. They also found deplorable living conditions and a raging smallpox epidemic. Many people died just as freedom came within reach. The federal government established a cemetery for the dead here in 1864. A formal record documents the burials for 1,711 individuals through January 1869 when the government abandoned the cemetery. The community of Freedmen was left the task of maintenance, and may have continued using the burial ground well after it closed. Over time, its wooden grave markers deteriorated, and the cemetery suffered many desecrations. An adjacent brick manufactory excavated clay, exposing bones and coffins. The paving of Washington Street covered and disturbed graves and the development of a gas station, the Beltway, and an office building destroyed hundreds more. Locations of many of the surviving graves remain unidentified but more than 540 have been found by archaeologists and given markers. Though individuals can no longer be linked to burial plots, the names of those buried in this cemetery survive. They are inscribed here, along with ages, dates, and places of death, and notes left by the record-keeper. Today, visitors to the cemetery memorial join descendants of the Contrabands and Freedman in honoring the memorial of these freedom seekers. Individuals for whom living descendants have been identified are noted with this marker. [The following text appears above the bronze plaques with the names of those buried at the site.] In Alexandria’s first known civil rights protest,… members of the United States Colored Troops signed a petition requesting that black soldiers be buried alongside their white comrades in arms at the nearby military cemetery. Some Authors fought their request and, in one instance, the caisson of a USCT soldier en route to the military cemetery was forcibly re-routed to his cemetery. Still, the soldiers won their battle, and in January 1865, caskets of over a hundred USCT soldiers were disinterred from this burial ground and moved to Alexandria’s National Cemetery where they are recognized by stone markers today. Their names are listed below. Text from Wall Two of "The Place of Remembrance": [The following text appears below an 1865 grid street plan of Alexandria] The City  The Freedom seekers who arrived in Alexandria joined a large existing community of African Americans, including many free and enslaved individuals. These residents, new and old, helped to shape the city, establishing neighborhoods, and founding churches and schools. They also went to work on the railroads, at the wharves, in factories and small businesses, at hospitals and army encampments, and in their homes. Freedmen’s Cemetery This burial ground for African Americans was established by the federal government on the outskirts of town, on land owned by Francis Smith, Robert E. Lee’s attorney. Soldiers Cemetery Injured soldiers of the US Colored Troops convalescing at L’Ouverture Hospital successfully petitioned for the right to a burial alongside their white comrades at this military cemetery. Slave Jail and L’Ouverture Hospital The Price Birch and Co. slave jail at 1315 Duke Street was once the last stop for thousands of slaves sold south to a life of extreme hardship. The Union army commandeered the property as a jail. In 1804, a hospital was built nearby that treated African American soldiers and civilians for diseases like tuberculosis and typhoid, Shiloh Baptist Church congregation formed here. Contraband Barracks and School Some Freedmen found housing in crowded barracks like those on Prince Street. Despite the difficult conditions. Freedmen attended a school established at the barracks. African American Schools Deprived of an education by slavery, Contraband and Freedmen seized the opportunity to learn. Adults and children alike filled Contraband schools across the city learning for the first time to read and write. African American Neighborhoods While some of those arriving in Alexandria settled into established free black neighborhoods such as Hayti and the Bottoms, most camped out in deserted buildings or on marginal land, often constructing their own huts and shacks. These crowded settlements eventually became new African American neighborhoods such as Cross-Canal, Petersburg, and Grantville. African American Churches Places of gathering, faith, aid, and activism, Alexandria’s black churches were critical to the Contraband and Freedmen community. Many of Alexandria’s present-day congregations began meeting during the war. Railroads Alexandria’s strategic location where railroads met waterways made it a center of supply for the Union army. Rails also transported soldiers to the front and brought back the wounded to Alexandria’s hospital. Many Freedmen became railroad workers helping to keep goods and personnel moving. Wharves Many Contrabands and Freemen worked on the waterfront, processing, loading, and unloading goods coming in on ships and by rail. These laborers kept a steady stream of food and supplies flowing to the Union army. [The following text appears below a bas-relief of enslaved people escaping bondage] Fleeing slavery for sanctuary and freedom in Alexandria When Virginia seceded in May of 1861, Union troops occupied Alexandria and turned the port town into a staging area and base for operation. It also became a beacon for freedom seekers who took the opportunity war provided to escape enslavement. Thousands of fleeing African Americans made the dangerous and difficult journey through Confederate territory, often traveling on foot, some coming from hundreds of miles away. They arrived in Alexandria hungry, tired, and with few resources, and began searching our food, clothing shelter, medical treatment, and education. [The following quote appears to the right of the bas-relief.] “I traveled 65 miles and we had 52 on our number before, we crost, the river…we tought, we wold, be taken eny moment, the babys cried, and we could whear, the sound of them. On the warter. We lay all night in the woods, and next day we traveled on and we reached, Suffolk that night and we lost twenty one of the Number.” —Emma Bynum, a freedwoman describing her flights to freedmen in a composition for her schoolteacher, Miss Lucy Chase Text from Wall Three of "The Place of Remembrance": [The following text appears below a bas-relief of a school teacher surrounded by her students.] Learning to read at an Alexandria freedmen’s school Overwhelmed by their numbers, Alexandria could offer little aid to the newly arrived Contrabands. Some took up residence in temporary barracks created near the site of a former slave jail. Others found shelter in free black neighborhoods or in abandoned buildings and shanties. Social workers like Julia Wilbur, a white Quaker from New York, and Harriet Jacobs, a black freedwoman, responded to the need by gathering supplies, attending to medical problems, and setting up school and other community services. Despite their efforts, many particularly children, died from exposure or disease. Still, the freed people worked tirelessly to create new lives, and in the process, reshaped the city of Alexandria.” [The following quote appears to the right of the bas-relief.] “Besides the school in the barracks there are our others in the city, which are self-sustaining, one containing one hundred and fifty pupils, It is an astonishing fact, which ought to be placed upon record…that out of the two thousand people collected at Alexandria there are four hundred children sent daily to school. The first demand of these fugitives when they come into this place is that their children may go to school.” —Harriet Jacobs, freedwoman, educator, and aid worker in Alexandria, April 29, 1863 [The following text appears below an aerial map of the cemetery] The Site: The cemetery was established in 1864 and officially closed in 1869. Burials probably continued after this time, even as the wooden grave markers from the Civil War era deteriorated. Over the next century, this site endured many intrusions, and no longer appeared to be a sacred place. This site map identified features uncovered by historical and archaeological research, as well as desecrations, that occurred through the 1990s.” 1) Memorial Fence: Today, a steel fence evokes the wooden picket fence that once encircled the cemetery. The historic boundary is unknown, but likely included additional land that was paved over during the construction of South Washington Street. 2) Carriage Path: Carts carrying the dead entered the cemetery along this route. 3) Grave Shafts: Archaeology has identified more than 540 of the 1,711 burials believed to be present on site. Although no graves or artifacts were disturbed, the study revealed evidence of prior destruction caused by development of the site. 4) American Indian Site: Thousands of stone artifacts were discovered during archaeological investigations, including a 13,000 year old Clovis spear point. These finds suggest that American Indians periodically visited this bluff overlooking Hunting Creek for millennia to manufacture tools for hunting, scraping, hides, and other activities. 5) United States Colored Troops Section: As a result of a successful protest by USCT to be buried with full honors alongside their white comrades, the caskets of USCT were moved from a section of the cemetery to the nearby military cemetery in 1805. 6) Brickyard: Clay excavations may have occurred on the western edge of the cemetery, resulting in the desecration of graves, as noted by an 1892 Washington Post article: Of late the owners have been allowing the neighboring brickyard to dig clay from the outer edges of the graveyard with which to make brick. This digging has resulted in the unearthing of many coffins and skeletons, leaving the outer graves in very bad condition. 7) Gas Station: The current memorial plaza is built atop the floor and foundations of a service station built in 1955. 8) Office Building: The slab of a 1960 office building was covered during the memorial’s construction to protect the graves presumed to be below. A reconstruction portion of the building can still be seen on Church Street. Two stone Markers located the southernmost corners of the building. Text from Wall Four of “The Place of Remembrance”: “I have just witnessed a novel and solemn scene, a funeral in the open air. The deceased, Peter Washington, was an old man, and a slave until the breaking out of the war… After the signing and a prayer, a minister, an early associate of the deceased gave a brief sketch of the life of Peter Washington. He had eight children; in one day he was bereft of his six daughters and five grandchildren. ‘On that day’ said the minister, ‘he leant on me, and with a bursting heart exclaimed, “If it were not my hope in Christ, I could not bear up under this trial.”’ [M]any of his hearers seemed to find an echo to a like experience in their own souls, They swayed their forms, and moaned as if some wound of the past was being dressily probed. No child of his came to bid him a last farewell, they are scattered I know not where: his two sons are in the army battling for the country their father loved inspite of her persecutions to him and his.” —Harriet Jacobs, freedwoman, educator, and aid worker in Alexandria, describing the funeral of Peter Washington, buried here May 32, 1864 Text from grave marker: Many of the African Americans who fled to Alexandria to escape enslavement and those already living here succumbed to disease and deprivation during and shortly after the Civil War. Carts bearing the dead entered the cemetery along a path in this location. Stones mark the locations of more than 540 graves identified by archaeologists and now protected by the memorial. According to historic records, the cemetery once held nearly 1,200 additional graves, many of which were destroyed by buildings and roads. Of the people laid to rest here, over half were children under the age of sixteen. archaeology bronze Civil War figurative granite inscription memorial wall names https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/8152c225003865a3b91605cedcc012de.jpg a5ea156d3e91bdb21ccb88c3e2e58e2b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Black Abolitionists: Tubman, Douglass, Truth Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Grace Yasumura Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource The monuments and memorials in this collection commemorate the extraordinary achievements of three U.S. Black abolitionist and freedom seekers: Harriet Tubman, née Araminta Ross, (c. 1822-1913); Frederick Douglass (c. 1818-1895); and Sojourner Truth (1797-1883). Born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, Harriet Tubman escaped to freedom in 1849. During the next ten years, she made approximately thirteen trips into Maryland to rescue other enslaved family members and friends. She provided instructions for escape to about 70 more enslaved people who were able to self-emancipate. During the Civil War, she served the United States Army as a spy, scout, nurse and cook. As one of the most famous conductors of the Underground Railroad, the monuments in this section often depict Tubman leading groups of freedom seekers on their journey northwards to freedom, such as Mario Chiodo’s <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom</a>. In other works, such as Alison Saar’s <a href="https://www.harriettubmanmonuments.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Swing Low</a>, Tubman is depicted alone, facing southward as she makes the perilous journey back to Maryland to free more enslaved people. One of the most brilliant orators of his generation, Frederick Douglass worked ceaselessly for the cause of abolition. Among his many achievements, Douglass became one of the early and important critical theorists of photography, a medium invented in 1839. In a series of lectures delivered between 1861-1865, Douglass argued that photography had the power to shape people’s understandings of race and as such could be deployed to resist distorted representations of African Americans. Douglass, who was exceptionally aware of the power of his own image, sat for a number of portraits over several decades, circulating his image widely. His photographic portraits serve as the basis for a number of the works in this collection, including Ivan Schwartz’s <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/items/show/1193" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Frederick Douglass</a>, created for the New York Historical Society. Sojourner Truth was born into slavery in 1797 in Swartekill, New York. She emancipated herself, escaping to freedom in 1826. During her 30-year career, she became a formidable force in several 19th-century reform movements, linking the struggles for Black freedom with women’s suffrage. Truth capitalized on both the affecting power of photography and its reproducibility to support her activism. She created carte-de-visite portraits of herself, which she copyrighted, adding the caption “I Sell the Shadow to Support the Substance. Sojourner Truth.” As Darcy Grimaldo Grigsby explores in her book Enduring Truths: Sojourner’s Shadows and Substance (2015), Truth “made her photographic portrait worth money in order to end slavery—and also became the strategic author of her public self.” Commemorative works such as the <a href="https://www.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/1b9f9d28475430765059a059a43787b2.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sojourner Truth Memorial</a> in Florence, Massachusetts, are based on the photographic portrait that Truth so carefully created and circulated. Updated January 26, 2026 Still Image A static visual representation. Examples include paintings, drawings, graphic designs, plans and maps. Recommended best practice is to assign the type Text to images of textual materials. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Plaque Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Harriet Tubman Memorial Plaque (Auburn, New York) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Citizens of Auburn Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Antislavery movements--United States New York--Auburn Public art Public sculpture Underground Railroad Subject (Name) Tubman, Harriet, 1822-1913 Subject (Object Type) Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource The bronze plaque honoring Harriet Tubman has a dark patina and a rectangular body topped with a rounded arch. At the top, Tubman’s portrait—based on an 1890s photograph—is rendered in bas-relief and surrounded by a laurel motif. Her expression is calm and resolute. Beneath the portrait is an inscription detailing Tubman’s achievements, with floral rosettes adorning the corners of the plaque. The bronze plaque is placed on the outside wall of the Cayuga County Courthouse in Auburn, New York. Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photograph by Renée Ater Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource June 13, 1914 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Citizens of Auburn Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Cayuga County Courthouse, 152 Genesee Street, Auburn, New York, 13021, United States Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Cayuga County Courthouse, 152 Genesee Street, Auburn, New York, 13021, United States Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Inscription on bronze plaque: In Memory of Harriet Tubman. Born a slave in Maryland about 1821. Died in Auburn, N.Y. March 10th, 1913. Called the "Moses" of her people, during the Civil War, with rare courage, she led over three hundred negroes up from slavery to freedom, and rendered invaluable service as a nurse and spy. With implicit trust in God she braved every danger and overcame every obstacle, withal she possessed extraordinary foresight and judgment so that she truthfully said--"On my Underground Railroad I nebber run my train off de track and I nebber los' a passenger."--This tablet is erected by the Citizens of Auburn, 1914. References A related resource that is referenced, cited, or otherwise pointed to by the described resource. Monument and Myth: Commemorating Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. "National Flag to Be Displayed: Day of Unveiling of Harriet Tubman Memorial to be Observed at Suggestion of Mayor. Exercises in Auditorium." The Advertiser Journal, Thursday, June 11, 1914. New York Historic Newspapers. Accessed January 31, 2026. https://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org/. "High Tribute Paid to Harriet Tubman As Memorial Tablet is Unveiled in Her Honor." The Advertiser Journal, Saturday, June 13, 1914. New York Historic Newspapers. Accessed January 31, 2026. https://www.nyshistoricnewspapers.org/. Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater bas-relief bronze inscription portrait https://mail.slaverymonuments.org/files/original/d614f341f474877640c3f7c535839aad.jpeg a367720c1b1114f2bfae06804527bfc7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Abolition of Slavery Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Written by Renée Ater Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Renée Ater Description An account of the resource This grouping of commemorative works focus on the abolition of slavery in countries engaged with the slave trade including England, France, The Netherlands, and Spain. England enacted the Slave Trade Act of 1807, prohibiting the Atlantic slave trade in the British Empire. It did not abolish slavery in its colonies until the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act. France first abolished slavery on February 4, 1794, during the French Revolution. Napolean Bonaparte reinstituted slavery in France's colonies in 1802. Slavery was officially abolished in France with the Decree of the Abolition of Slavery of April 27, 1848. The Netherlands officially abolished slavery in its colonies (Suriname and the Dutch Caribbean) on July 1, 1863, but it was not until July 1, 1873, that enslaved persons were freed from state supervision on plantations. Spain abolished the slave trade in 1817 with a treaty with England, which was not enforced until 1820. However, slavery continued in its colonies. The Spanish National Assembly abolished slavery in Puerto Rico in 1863 and in Cuba in 1886. Updated January 26, 2026 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Monumento a la abolición de las esclavitud (Ponce, Puerto Rico) Subject The topic of the resource Subject (Topic) Abolition of slavery Enslaved persons--Emancipation Freedom Public art Public sculpture Puerto Rico--Ponce Transatlantic slave trade Subject (Object Type): Commemorative sculpture Description An account of the resource A bronze sculpture of a seminude, Black man in a kneeling position is located at the southernmost point of El Parque de la Abolición (Abolition Park) in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His hands are open, palms facing upward, with broken manacles hanging from his wrists. The cement base of the monument features a bronze plaque with inscriptions. Behind the figure rises a one-hundred-foot-tall triangular marble obelisk. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cott, Victor Manuel, 1898-1962 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Photograph by Nélari Figueroa Torres, 2024 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1956 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource City of Ponce (obelisk designer) Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Casa Alcaldía de Ponce, Calle Villa, Ponce, 00730, Puerto Rico Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource JPEG Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Visual Arts-Sculpture Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Parque de la Abolición, 294P+9W6, PR-123, Barrio Cuarto, Ponce, 00732, Puerto Rico, United States Medium The material or physical carrier of the resource. Bronze; Marble Rights Holder A person or organization owning or managing rights over the resource. Renée Ater Bibliographic Citation A bibliographic reference for the resource. Recommended practice is to include sufficient bibliographic detail to identify the resource as unambiguously as possible. Aponte Rivera, Ana Cristina. “Víctor Cott Negrón.” Periodica El Valle 9, September 22, 2014. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://issuu.com/ccvc/docs/peridicoelvalle. García, Rafael V. Capó. “Monuments to Mestizaje and the Commemoration of Racial Democracy in Puerto Rico.” Visual Anthropology Review 39, no. 2 (Fall 2023): 350–87. Pagán, Wilbert. “Victor Manuel Cott Negron: Nuestro Primer Escultor Por Excelencia.” El Vocero de Puerto Rico, February 4, 2023. Accessed August 26, 2024. https://issuu.com/vocero.com/docs/v02042023/18. Extent The size or duration of the resource. Obelisk: 1200 in. (3048 cm) Has Part A related resource that is included either physically or logically in the described resource. Inscription on the plaque on the front of the monument, Spanish: MONUMENTO A LA ABOLICIÓN DE LA ESCLAVITUD CONMEMORA EL DECRETO DE LA ABOLICIÓN DE LA ESCLAVITUD EN PUERTO RICO EL 22 DE MARZO DE 1873 EL OBELISCO CON LA ESTATUA DE UN NEGRO LIBERTO FUE CREACIÓN DEL ARTISTA VÍCTOR COTT. INAUGURADO EN 1956, DURANTE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN DEL ALCALDE ANDRÉSGRILLASCA SALAS, Y RESTAURADO EN EL 2006, DURANTE LA ADMINISTRACIÓN DEL ALCALDE FRANCISCO ZAYAS SEIJO. 22 DE MARZO DE 2008 Inscription on the plaque on the front of the monument, English translation: MONUMENT TO THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY COMMEMORATES THE ACT THAT ABOLISHED SLAVERY IN PUERTO RICO ON MARCH 22, 1873 THE OBELISK WITH THE STATUE OF A FREED BLACK MAN WAS CREATED BY THE ARTIST VICTOR COTT. INAUGURATED IN 1956, DURING THE ADMINISTRATION OF MAYOR ANDRÉS GRILLASCA SALAS, AND RESTORED IN 2006, DURING THE ADMINISTRATION OF MAYOR FRANCISCO ZAYAS SEIJO. MARCH 22, 2008 bronze manacles marble obelisk