Landscape Information
Located in two distinct residential neighborhoods less than two miles apart are a pair of historic sites associated with Harriet Tubman’s later life and work. The larger site, located east of South Street, measures 32 acres and comprises two parcels acquired by Tubman in 1859 and 1882. The relatively level, quadrilateral site features Tubman’s two-story brick residence (1882) and a former nursing home (Tubman Home for Aged and Indigent Negroes) established in the late nineteenth century. The smaller site, less than two miles northeast includes the Thompson Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (1891), which Tubman helped secure the funding for.
In 1908 Tubman deeded the nursing home property to the church, who operated the facility until the early 1920s. The property and the building fell into disrepair and in 1953 the church rehabilitated the former nursing home and converted it into a museum.
Today Tubman’s residence is shaded by a group of mature, deciduous trees and accessed via a parallel gravel drive. A separate vehicular entrance leads to the nursing home, which is also accessible from the street by a linear path lined with maple allées. The structures meet broad lawns, which are bisected by a brook, framed by densely canopied woodlands, and anchored to the east by a naturalistic pond.
Alternatively, the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church and neighboring parsonage (1908) are minimally set back from Parker Street via a narrow lawn verge. The church, rehabilitated in 2024 by the National Park Service as a memorial to Tubman, is shaded by a grove of deciduous trees, including black locust, box elder, and maple. East of the church is Fort Hill Cemetery, where Tubman is buried.
In 1974 the nursing home and church were designated National Historic Landmarks and in 1999 the residence, church, and grave were listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The residence and nursing home were designated National Historic Landmarks in 2000 and two years later Tubman’s residence was included in the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.
