By Erin Drumm / Photo courtesy of Whispertome
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“God’s time is always near. He set the North Star in the heavens; He gave me the strength in my limbs; He meant I should be free.”
These words from famous American abolitionist and Underground Railroad hero Harriet Tubman are written in compelling script on the wall of the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May. Tubman guided enslaved people to freedom after herself escaping slavery in Maryland. She fought for the cause of freedom her whole life and her story is directly connected to Cape May. The Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May honors her legacy and that of the Black community of Cape May by sharing their history with visitors.
The museum building was home to Reverend Robert O. Davis, minister of the Macedonia Baptist Church that sits next door to the museum. Reverend Davis challenged beliefs that Africa was an uncivilized place.
“In presentations to area schools, libraries and elsewhere, he highlighted Africa’s developed cultures and centers of learning, such as Timbuktu, with its thousands of scholars,” wrote the Reverend’s son, Robert Davis, in a statement featured in the museum.
The Africa Room in the museum reflects Reverend Davis’ dedication to educating people about Africa’s history, culture, and achievements.
Harriet Tubman worked as a cook and domestic laborer in Cape May to earn money to return to Maryland to free enslaved family and friends. According to an article in The Sun on May 2, 1909, Tubman returned to Cape May with the people she freed in Maryland.
Cape May was a point where the North and South collided. Southern planters were drawn to the town by the cool ocean air. Free Black workers staffed many of the businesses, and a growing abolitionist movement tried to bring an end to slavery. There were free African American communities in Cape May by the early 1800s: this includes Union Bethel Community and another community that included Mt. Zion cemetery, which still stands today.
The history of the Black community in Cape May is intriguing, devastating, and moving. Parts of this rich history are told by the Harriet Tubman museum.
The talented tour guides provide a strong, comprehensive history of the area’s Black community, and bring visitor’s through Harriet Tubman’s life in Cape May.
The Harriet Tubman museum is located at 632 Lafayette St, Cape May, NJ 08204. Visit www.harriettubmanmuseum.org for more information.