Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway
Madison, MD

Madison, the area that researchers have identified as Tubman’s likely birthplace, still reflects the “living off the land and water” traditions that have existed for hundreds of years including fishing for oysters, boating, farming, and hunting for muskrats.

The Stewart family owned shipyards, a store, and a mill in the Madison area. John T. Stewart employed the enslaved Harriet Tubman and her father Ben Ross after he was freed in 1840. Harriet worked beside her father in the woods and learned from him the lay of the land, tracking, and survival skills, knowledge that helped her find and follow a path to freedom.

Also in the Madison area lies Stewart’s Canal. To shorten the trip from the woods to the mill, Stewart had slaves dig the canal to float the trees to the river. Today, the tidal marsh and surrounding landscape provide a scenic stop to contemplate the backbreaking accomplishment.