Harriet Tubman: Part 4 of 4: Slave, Warrior, Abolitionist, Conductor of the Underground Railroad.

In 1859 Senator William H. Seward sold Tubman a small piece of land on the outskirts of Auburn, New York. The land in Auburn became a haven for Tubman’s family and friends. Tubman spent the years following the Civil War on this property, tending to her family and others who had taken up residence there.

Despite Tubman’s fame and reputation, she was never financially secure. Tubman’s friends and supporters were able to raise some funds to support her. One admirer, Sarah H. Bradford, wrote a biography titled: “Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman” with the proceeds going to Tubman and her family. Tubman continued to give freely in spite of her economic woes. In 1903, she donated a parcel of her land to the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Auburn. The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged opened on this site in 1908.

Death: Tubman died of pneumonia on March 10, 1913, surrounded by friends and family at around the age of 93. As Tubman aged, the head injuries sustained early in her life became more painful and disruptive. She underwent brain surgery at Boston’s Massachusetts General Hospital to alleviate the pains and “buzzing” she experienced regularly. Tubman was eventually admitted into a rest home named in her honor. SHE WAS BURIED WITH MILITARY HONORS at the Fort Hill Cemetery in Auburn.

Legacy: Widely known and well respected while she was alive, Tubman became an American Icon in the years after her death. A survey at the end of the 20th century named her as one of the most famous civilians in American history before the American Civil War, third only to Betsy Ross and Paul Revere. She continues to inspire generations of Americans struggling for civil rights. When Tubman died, the city of Auburn commemorated her life with a plaque on the courthouse. Tubman was celebrated in many other ways throughout the nation. Dozens of schools were named in her honor, and both the Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn and the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cambridge serve as monuments to her life.

Harrier Tubman remains our conductor of the freedom ride on the Underground Railroad. What a life!!! My personal thanks to www.biography.com for such a compelling story.