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Abolishionist Harriet Tubman led many slaves to freedom. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Smithsonian accepts Harriet Tubman collection

Tom Hoepf
Tom Hoepf

Abolishionist Harriet Tubman led many slaves to freedom. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
Abolishionist Harriet Tubman led many slaves to freedom. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
WASHINGTON (AP) – Harriet Tubman, who operated the Underground Railroad to help slaves escape to freedom, will have a prominent place at the Smithsonian’s future black history museum.

On Wednesday, the National Museum of African American History and Culture added about 40 objects from Tubman’s life to its collection.

Curator Jacquelyn Serwer said the items are personal and include Tubman’s favorite hymnal and a shawl given to her by Queen Victoria.

The collection was donated by Charles L. Blockson, founder and curator of the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University.

Tubman was born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. After escaping in 1849, Tubman led countless slaves out of the South to freedom. Tubman was active in the women’s suffrage movement after the Civil War. The donation coincided with the anniversary of her death, March 10, 1913.

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