HANOVER – Archaeologists with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) on Monday announced artifacts found at the site of Ben Ross’ home, the place where Harriet Tubman’s father lived and where the famed abolitionist spent her teenage years in Dorchester County.

MDOT’s archaeologists spent the past four years processing hundreds of artifacts collected from Ross’ home, which is deep in the wetlands of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. While the archaeology site is not open to the public, MDOT created a virtual museum to share the history and interesting artifacts found.

“Pieces of plates, pitchers, bowls and more found at the site of Harriet Tubman's father's home give us more insight to how the family lived 200 years ago,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld. “The Maryland Department of Transportation is proud to highlight the state's untold stories from Ben Ross' home and share these artifacts with the world through our new virtual museum.”

The virtual museum features photographs, 3D models and intact examples of certain artifacts along with detailed descriptions. Even pre-contact artifacts, associated with the Nanticoke Indians, are displayed on the site.

The stone tools and pottery sherds are evidence of 2,000-year-old Native American campsites. To find the virtual museum, visit mdot.maryland.gov and search for “Tubman”.

“This virtual museum is an interactive and educational tool that teaches the public about the archaeological discoveries from Ben Ross’ homeplace,” said Dr. Julie Schablitsky, MDOT’s Chief Archaeologist. “The webpage is very visual and accessible and would make an excellent addition to school curricula.”

In 2021, MDOT archaeologists discovered Ben Ross’ home through an extensive search. Using historic documents to identify a search area, archaeologists dug 1,000 holes along a historic road before finding an 1808 coin and a handful of broken 19th century ceramic sherds. More digging revealed outlines of bricks, window glass and nails. The archaeology, dates of the artifacts and historical record confirmed this site as Ben Ross’ home.

Enslaved until 1840, Ross was a timber foreman directing the cutting and hauling of trees; Tubman also worked alongside of her father and lived with him during her teenage years. She self-liberated in 1849, returning to Maryland’s Eastern Shore about 13 times to lead around 70 enslaved people north to freedom. Tubman came back to bring her parents north when Ben was under suspicion for being part of the Underground Railroad.

Over the past four years, archaeologists have been processing hundreds of artifacts collected from the wet soil in and around Ross’ home, where sea level rise will permanently inundate the site in the coming years. While the homeplace is a significant Tubman site, its location deep in the wetlands of the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge makes it inaccessible to the public.

The announcement and launch of the new virtual museum coincided with Harriet Tubman Day, the anniversary of the freedom fighter’s death in 1913 and a day meant to honor her heroic work. The release also comes amid Women’s History Month which celebrates women’s contributions in American History. MDOT designed the webpage and coordinated with Tubman descendants and the Nause-Waiwash Band of Indians.