ISSUED: 4 April 2022
MEDIA CONTACT: Dana Costa
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s Common Reading Program and Shepherd University Foundation are hosting a talk by archaeologist Julie Schablitsky, the head of cultural resources and chief archeologist at the Maryland Department of Transportation, about the recent discovery of artifacts identifying Harriet Tubman’s childhood home on the eastern shore of Maryland. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place Monday, April 18, at 7 p.m. in the Byrd Center auditorium.
Anthony Thompson enslaved Harriet Tubman’s father, Ben Ross, on a farm surrounded by wooded wetlands in Dorchester County, Maryland. In 2021, archaeologists announced they discovered Ross’s home. That same year, they found the remains of a second possible slave quarter. Historic documents and artifacts are beginning to reveal where and how Harriet Tubman and her family lived on the property. This presentation will share the process of discovery, the artifacts recovered, and the significance of these finds to the Tubman and Ross descendants.
Schablitsky holds an adjunct faculty position in the anthropology department at the University of Maryland, College Park, and is the president of the Society for Historical Archaeology. Her research and publications focus on African American historic sites, cemeteries, and the DNA analysis of artifacts. Schablitsky’s current research projects include the excavation of a 300-year-old slave quarter at a Jesuit plantation in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, and the search for historic sites associated with Harriet Tubman.
About the Common Reading program
Shepherd’s Common Reading program provides a common academic experience for all first-year students. The program aims to provide a shared intellectual experience; create a sense of community; encourage reading; promote critical engagement of ideas; set academic expectations; create a dialog between students, faculty, staff, and the community; promote interaction between Shepherd and the community; and introduce students to community resources. This year’s common reading book is “Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom” by Catherine Clinton, a biography of the woman most recognized for her work on the Underground Railroad.
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