The Leading Light of Harriet Tubman

A half dozen or more of the region’s guiding organizations have joined forces to host a larger-than-life sculpture of the famous African American abolitionist, humanitarian, and political activist, Harriet Tubman.

Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland in the early 1820s. Despite suffering the horrors of slavery, Tubman managed to escape to freedom in Philadelphia in 1849. She went on to become one of the most prominent conductors of the Underground Railroad, a dizzying network of secret routes and safe houses that helped roughly 100,000 slaves escape to freedom.

While Tubman is rightfully well-known and celebrated, few may realize she was personally connected to Georgetown County, and that that connection changed the face of our seaport city and surrounding areas.

Tubman’s deep love for her family compelled her to rescue her own enslaved family members, as well as dozens of others. Among the first people Tubman helped liberate were her niece, Kessiah, and Kessiah’s son, James Bowley. Tubman worked long hours to see that Bowley received the education she had been denied. Her perseverance in this matter changed the course of this place we call home.

Why? Well, after the Civil War, Bowley settled at 231 King St. in Georgetown where he established himself as an influential figure, far more than an educator, in a most tumultuous period of SC’s history. He married a Georgetown native, is listed as "school commissioner,” owned property and mingled with individuals of both races. Just one among many marks of success included his founding in 1873 of a weekly Republican newspaper called the Georgetown Planet. It focused on politics, literature and science. His accomplishments are too numerous to list here. But, in short, sustained by resources raised by Tubman and her NY allies, Bowley multiplied educational opportunities for untold numbers in Georgetown County.

“Bringing Harriet Home: Journey to Freedom, a Monumental Event,” is supported by a host of local organizations including the City of Georgetown, Brookgreen Gardens, Georgetown County, the Georgetown Business Association, the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce, the Georgetown County School District, the Georgetown County Museum, the Georgetown County Library, the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce, and the Pawleys Island Litchfield Business Association.

“This has been a collaboration of city and county governments, the school district, and the major tourism and marketing organizations of Georgetown County,” said Marilyn Hemingway, president and founder of the Gullah Geechee Chamber of Commerce.

Commemorative Events Planned to Date:

Many details are pending at this time but events already on the docket include the following:

• Aug. 1, 2023 – On the heels of stops throughout the county, officials and the public will greet the arrival of the nine-foot “Journey to Freedom” monument at Joseph Hayne Rainey Park

• Aug. 5, 2023 – Unveiling of “Journey to Freedom” monument with special guests, sculptors who created the Harriet Tubman piece, Wesley and Odyssey Wofford, Ernstine Martin Wyatt, the three-times grandniece of Tubman, and author Dr. Kate Clifford Larson, who wrote “Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero”

• Aug. 26, 2023 – Seek out the musical production of the Gullah Kinfolk Traveling Theater

• Sept. 16, 2023 – “Harriet Tubman,” a one-woman show featuring the actress and artist, Natalie Daise, is scheduled for the Winyah Auditorium

• Oct. 7, 2023 – Don’t miss the Artisan Village showcasing local, regional and Gullah Geechee artisans and vendors at the Joseph Hayne Rainey Park on Front Street, Georgetown.

• Oct. 31, 2023 – Sculpture will move to Brookgreen Gardens  to be displayed for two more months.

Other events showcasing Tubman’s many accomplishments, as well as those of James Bowley, will be added to this list as they are organized.

Mark A. Stevens, director of tourism development for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and SC’s Hammock Coast, is excited for the sculpture to arrive. “History is a draw for tourists, and I think our visitors will appreciate learning about Tubman’s ties to our area.”

For more information about the sculpture, volunteer opportunities, or to make a donation, visit GullahGeecheeChamber.org.

Much of the information compiled in this article was extrapolated from an article originally written by Clayton Stairs, tourism manager for the Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce and South Carolina’s Hammock Coast. It was published on January 29, 2023 at HammockCoastSC.com.