Dorchester County Breaks Ground On Harriet Tubman Park - WMDT 47 News - Delmarva's Choice

DORCHESTER COUNTY, Md. - It's a moment in history 100 years in the making.

"Now is the time and this is the place," said Patricia Ross-Hawkins, a relative of Harriet Tubman.

Tubman's family, politicians and residents of Dorchester County and the State of Maryland came together and broke ground on the new Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad State Park.

"It's taken a long time for us to tell the story of all of America and we still have a long ways to go," said Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior.

"This is the ground where a woman like me actually walked and made a difference in her community and she is that hero that I follow," said Cambridge Mayor Victoria Jackson-Stanley.

On top of walking paths and outdoor exhibits, the 17-acre park will feature a visitor center, which will include interactive exhibits and educational programs.

But it won't be finished until 2015. Still, once it's up-and-running, leaders hope people will flock to the area that Tubman once called home.

"This will become one of the magnets that will bring tourists here to this county," said Salazar. "It will be a cornerstone for the future economic development of [Dorchester County]."

There's more to come, as legislators including Governor Martin O'Malley (D) push to one day make this a national historic park. Right now, legislators are advocating for S. 247 Harriet Tubman National Historical Parks Act, which would open parks in both Maryland and New York.

"We will tell her story again and again and again to generations of little boys and girls who will carry her courage," said. O'Malley.