Historian David Schafer will be the keynote speaker at the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Conference on June 3. Mr. Schafer is currently Chief of Interpretation and Resource Management at the Lyndon B. Johnson National Park in Johnson City, Texas and a graduate of Pittsburg State University.
Mr. Schaefer will tell the story of Harriet Tubman’s activities in South Carolina,including her activities in1863 when she collaborated with U.S. military commanders. The Combahee River Raid took place around Port Royal, South Carolina where Harriet had gathered intelligence from former slaves on the Combahee plantations. Working with Col. James Montgomery, Harriet facilitated the destruction of crops, plantations and other structures. More than 700 individuals were freed – likely the most successful emancipation attempt in the state. Many of those freed were recruited into the Second South Carolina Infantry.
Mr. Schafer believes that portions of Harriet Tubman’s story, such as the raid on the Combahee, have been hidden until recently. He is working to tell more of Harriet’s story than the world has heard before.
The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Conference will be held June third and fourth at the Harriet Tubman Museum at 424 Race Street in Cambridge, MD. Tickets will be handled online and at the museum, which features a bookshelf stocked with books and locally produced souvenirs. Classes offered by more than 25 presenters will be held at the Chesapeake College satellite two doors down from the museum. Mr. Schafer will speak at the conference banquet.
Conference organizer Ellen Mousin urges friends of the Harriet Tubman conference to reserve tickets for the conference early at https://tubmanugrr.com/register.html 410-228-1064 410-463- 0694 cell,or [email protected]
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