79–010

Calendar No. 885

106TH CONGRESS REPORT

2d Session " ! SENATE 106–440

HARRIET TUBMAN SPECIAL RESOURCE STUDY ACT

SEPTEMBER 29, 2000.—Ordered to be printed

Filed under authority of the order of the Senate of September 28 (legislative day,

September 22), 2000

Mr. MURKOWSKI, from the Committee on Energy and Natural

Resources, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany S. 2345]

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, to which was

referred the bill (S. 2345) to direct the Secretary of the Interior to

conduct a special resource study concerning the preservation and

public use of sites associated with Harriet Tubman located in Auburn, New York, and for other purposes, having considered the

same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment and recommends that the bill, as amended, do pass.

The amendment is as follows:

Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof

the following:

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Harriet Tubman Special Resource Study Act’’.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that—

(1) Harriet Tubman was born into slavery on a plantation in Dorchester

County, Maryland, in 1821;

(2) in 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped the plantation on foot, using the North

Star for direction and following a route through Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, where she gained her freedom;

(3) Harriet Tubman is an important figure in the history of the United States,

and is most famous for her role as a ‘‘conductor’’ on the Underground Railroad,

in which, as a fugitive slave, she helped hundreds of enslaved individuals to escape to freedom before and during the Civil War;

(4) during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman served the Union Army as a guide,

spy, and nurse;

(5) after the Civil War, Harriet Tubman was an advocate for the education

of black children;

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(6) Harriet Tubman settled in Auburn, New York, in 1857, and lived there

until 1913;

(7) while in Auburn, Harriet Tubman dedicated her life to caring selflessly

and tirelessly for people who could not care for themselves, was an influential

member of the community and an active member of the Thompson Memorial

A.M.E. Zion Church, and established a home for the elderly;

(8) Harriet Tubman was a friend of William Henry Seward, who served as

the Governor of and a Senator from the State of New York and as Secretary

of State under President Abraham Lincoln;

(9) sites in Auburn that directly relate to Harriet Tubman and are listed on

the National Register of Historic Places are—

(A) Harriet Tubman’s home;

(B) the Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged;

(C) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church; and

(D) Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged and William Henry Seward’s

home in Auburn are national historic landmarks.

SEC. 3. STUDY CONCERNING SITES ASSOCIATED WITH HARRIET TUBMAN.

(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior shall conduct a special resource

study of the national significance, feasibility of long-term preservation, and public

use of the following sites associated with Harriet Tubman:

(1) Harriet Tubman’s Birthplace, located on Greenbriar Road, off of Route 50,

in Dorchester County, Maryland.

(2) Bazel Church, located 1 mile South of Greenbriar Road in Cambridge,

Maryland.

(3) Harriet Tubman’s home, located at 182 South Street, Auburn, New York.

(4) The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged, located at 180 South Street, Auburn, New York.

(5) The Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, located at 33 Parker Street,

Auburn, New York.

(6) Harriet Tubman’s grave at Port Hill Cemetery, located at 19 Fort Street,

Auburn, New York.

(7) William Henry Seward’s home, located at 33 South Street, Auburn, New

York.

(b) INCLUSION OF SITES IN THE NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM.—The study under subsection (a) shall include an analysis and any recommendations of the Secretary concerning the suitability and feasibility of—

(1) designating one or more of the sites specified in subsection (a) as units

of the National Park System; and

(2) establishing a national heritage corridor that incorporates the sites specified in subsection (a) and any other sites associated with Harriet Tubman.

(c) STUDY GUIDELINES.—In conducting the study authorized by this Act, the Secretary shall use the criteria for the study of areas for potential inclusion in the National Park System contained in Section 8 of P.L. 91–383, as amended by Section

303 of the National Park Omnibus Management Act ((P.L. 105–391), 112 Stat.

3501).

(d) CONSULTATION.—In preparing and conducting the study under subsection (a),

the Secretary shall consult with—

(1) the Governors of the States of Maryland and New York;

(2) a member of the Board of County Commissioners of Dorchester County,

Maryland;

(3) the Mayor of the city of Auburn, New York;

(4) the owner of the sites specified in subsection (a); and

(5) the appropriate representatives of—

(A) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church;

(B) the Bazel Church;

(C) the Harriet Tubman Foundation; and

(D) the Harriet Tubman Organization, Inc.

(e) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date on which funds are made available for the study under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a

report describing the results of the study.

PURPOSE OF THE MEASURE

The purpose of S. 2345, as ordered reported, is to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study concerning

the preservation and public use of sites associated with Harriet

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Tubman located in and around Auburn, New York. and in the

State of Maryland.

BACKGROUND AND NEED

Harriet Tubman was an African American woman whose daring

rescues helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom. She became

the most famous leader of the Underground Railroad, which aided

slaves fleeing to the free states or to Canada.

Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in 1849 and went to Philadelphia via the Underground Railroad. She then vowed to return

to Maryland and help other slaves escape. Tubman made her first

trip back shortly after Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act of

1850, which made it a crime to help a runaway slave. Tubman returned 18 more times during the 1850’s and helped about 300

slaves escape.

In the late 1850’s, Tubman met with the radical abolitionist John

Brown, who told her of his plan to free the slaves. She considered

Brown the true liberator of her race. Soon afterward, Tubman also

became active in the women’s rights movement.

In the Civil War, Tubman served as a nurse, scout, and spy for

the Union Army in South Carolina. During one military campaign,

she helped free more than 750 slaves.

After the war, Tubman returned to Auburn, where she helped

raise money for black schools. In 1908, Tubman established a home

in Auburn for elderly and needy blacks that became known as the

Harriet Tubman Home. The people of Auburn erected a plaque in

her honor, and a U.S. postage stamp bearing her portrait was

issued in 1978.

S. 2345 directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special

resource study of sites located in Auburn, New York and in the

State of Maryland associated with the life of Harriet Tubman, and

to make recommendations regarding the suitability and feasibility

of including the sites in the National Park System.

LEGISLATIVE HISTORY

S. 2345 was introduced by Senators Schumer and Moynihan on

April 4, 2000. The Subcommittee on National Parks, Historic Preservation and Recreation held a hearing on S. 2345 on July 27,

2000. At the business meeting on September 20, 2000, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources ordered S. 2345 favorably

reported, as amended.

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION

The Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, in open business session on September 20, 2000, by a unanimous voice vote of

a quorum present, recommends that the Senate pass S. 2345, if

amended as described herein.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT

During the consideration of S. 2345, the Committee adopted an

amendment in the nature of a substitute. The amendment made

certain corrections and clarifications to the congressional findings,

added two sites in the State of Maryland to the sites which are to

be studied, and directed that the study be conducted in accordance

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with the laws pertaining to the study of potential units of the National Park System.

SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS

Section 1 designates the bill’s short title.

Section 2 contains congressional findings.

Section 3(a) requires the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a

special resource study of the national significance, feasibility of

long-term preservation, and public use of two sites in the State of

Maryland and five sites in Auburn, New York associated with the

life of Harriet Tubman.

Subsection (b) requires the Secretary to include in the study recommendations regarding the suitability and feasibility of incorporating one or more of the sites into the National Park System.

The study must also include an analysis and recommendations concerning the establishment of a national heritage corridor that incorporates the sites specified in subsection (a) and any other sites

associated with Harriet Tubman.

Subsection (c) requires the Secretary to conduct the study in accordance with the criteria for the study of areas for potential inclusion in the National Park System contained in section 8 of Public

Law 91–383, as amended by section 303 of the National Park Omnibus Management Act (Public Law 105–391; 112 Stat. 3501).

Subsection (d) specifies the persons and entities with whom the

Secretary must consult in preparing the study.

Subsection (e) requires the Secretary to submit to Congress a report describing the results of the study within two years of the date

that funds are made available for the study.

COST AND BUDGETARY CONSIDERATIONS

The following estimate of the cost of this measure has been provided by the Congressional Budget Office:

U.S. CONGRESS, CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE, Washington, DC, September 22, 2000.

Hon. FRANK H. MURKOWSKI,

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Natural Resources,

U.S. Senate, Washington, DC.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: The Congressional Budget Office has prepared the enclosed cost estimate for S. 2345, the Harriet Tubman

Special Resource Study Act.

If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be pleased

to provide them. The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis.

Sincerely,

BARRY B. ANDERSON

(For Dan L. Crippen, Director).

Enclosure.

S. 2345—Harriet Tubman Special Resource Study Act

S. 2345 would direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a

special resource study of several sites in New York and Maryland

associated with Harriet Tubman. The study would determine the

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national significance of the sites as well as the feasibility and suitability of designating one or more of them as units of the National

Park System and establishing a national heritage corridor incorporating them. Finally, the bill would require the Secretary to report on the results of the study within two years of receiving funds

for it.

Assuming appropriation of the necessary amount, CBO estimates

that implementing S. 2345 would cost the federal government

$200,000 over the next two years to complete the required study

and report. The bill would not affect direct spending or receipts;

therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures would not apply. S. 2345 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined

in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act and would impose no costs

on state, local, or tribal governments.

The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Deborah Reis. The estimate was approved by Peter H. Fontaine, Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.

REGULATORY IMPACT EVALUATION

In compliance with paragraph 11(b) of rule XXVI of the Standing

Rules of the Senate, the Committee makes the following evaluation

of the regulatory impact which would be incurred in carrying out

S. 2345. The bill is not a regulatory measure in the sense of imposing Government-established standards or significant economic responsibilities on private individuals and businesses.

No personal information would be collected in administering the

program. Therefore, there would be no impact on personal privacy.

Little, if any, additional paperwork would result from the enactment of S. 2345, as ordered reported.

EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATIONS

On September 15, 2000, the Committee on Energy and Natural

Resources requested legislative reports from the Department of the

Interior and the Office of Management and Budget setting forth

Executive agency recommendations on S. 2345. These reports had

not been received at the time the report on S. 2345 was filed. When

the reports become available, the Chairman will request that they

be printed in the Congressional Record for the advice of the Senate.

The testimony provided by the National Park Service at the Subcommittee hearing follows:

STATEMENT OF DENIS P. GALVIN, DEPUTY DIRECTOR,

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Mr. Chairman, thank you for the opportunity to appear

before the subcommittee to present the views of the Department of the Interior on S. 2345, a bill to direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study

concerning the preservation and public use of sites associated with Harriet Tubman located in Auburn, New York,

and for other purposes.

The Department of the Interior supports this legislation

with the amendments outlined in this testimony.

We should note that this study is not one of the new

area studies proposed for authorization and funding in the

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letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the House Resources Committee accompanying

the President’s FY 2001 budget. We would recommend

that the studies in that letter receive priority for authorization and funding.

S. 2345 would authorize a special resource study of five

sites located in Auburn, New York, that are related to

Harriet Tubman’s life and work, including the home of

William H. Seward. The study would determine the potential for incorporating one or more of these sites into the

National Park System. The New York Governor’s office,

state historic preservation office, City of Auburn Mayor’s

office, the owners of the five properties, representatives of

the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, the Harriet

Tubman Foundation, and other appropriate organizations

would be consulted in conducting the study.

The study would include an assessment of the national

significance of each of the five sites and would evaluate

their suitability and feasibility for inclusion in the National Park System. The study would define and evaluate

a range of management options that would address the

long term preservation of and public access to these sites.

Auburn, New York is a small city located in the state’s

history-rich Finger Lakes region. The city of Auburn, and

the people and events associated with it, have been highlighted in a number of recently completed and on-going

studies. In particular, the Seward House and the Harriet

Tubman Home for the Aged were identified in the National Park Service’s Underground Railroad Special Resource Study, completed in 1995. Another study that is

currently in progress, the Women’s Rights National History Trail Study, has also included sites associated with

Harriet Tubman.

Harriet Tubman has long been associated with the extraordinary work with abolitionist causes and as the Underground Railroad’s most famous conductor. Her heroic

efforts in personally leading 300 persons out of slavery to

freedom in the North defined her as the ‘‘Moses of her People.’’ After the Civil War, she continued her humanitarian

activities to aid the poor and aged, and to establish schools

for freed blacks in the South.

William Seward served as Governor of the state of New

York (1839–43) and U.S. Senator from New York (1848–

61) emerging as a leading anti-slavery figure in the Whig,

and later, Republican parties. As Secretary of State (1861–

69), he negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in

1867.

Located at 182 South Street and probably constructed in

the 1880’s, the Harriet Tubman Residence served as the

primary residence for Harriet Tubman and certain members of her family and strangers in need from the time of

its construction until 1911. This house now serves as a

home for the resident manager of the Harriet Tubman

Home for the Aged. Prior to the construction of this house,

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Tubman had purchased a house and seven acres on the

outskirts of town from William H. Seward in 1857.

With the help of the AME Zion Church, Tubman established the Home for the Aged, located at 180 South Street,

in 1908 on the property that she has purchased at public

auction from William H. Seward. Tubman spent the last

few years of her life at this house and died there in 1913

at the age of 93. This two and one-half story, clapboard

structure was the culmination of a life dedicated to uplifting the plight of those once condemned to servitude. Tubman deeded the property to the AME Zion Church, which

continues to own and operate the site as a museum dedicated to preserving the humanitarian vision of its founder.

This property is open to the public by appointment.

Harriet Tubman played a significant role in the formation and progress of the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion

Church, located at 33 Parker Street. The church had a

central importance in the life of Harriet Tubman. There

are accounts of her enthusiastic rejoicing, leading the congregation in singing and praising the Lord. She also

worked to strengthen the Church in central New York and

took an active part in seeing that the new church was

built on Parker Street in 1891. Although the historic

church building still stands at this location, the congregation moved to another location within the City of Auburn

in 1993.

Harriet Tubman was laid to rest at Fort Hill Cemetery,

with military honors. At the time of her burial, the grave

was marked only by the Norway spruce tree that still shelters the site. According to oral tradition, this was planted

several years earlier to mark the nearby grave of a relative. In 1937, the Empire State Federation of Women’s

Clubs placed the present marker on the site. The grave is

also a focus of the annual Pilgrimage conducted by the

A.M.E. Zion Church to commemorate Harriet Tubman’s

life and work.

William Henry Seward’s Home, located at 33 South

Street, was his permanent residence from 1824 until his

death in 1872. The house was originally constructed in

1817 by Seward’s soon-to-be father-in-law, Judge Elijah

Miller. In accordance with a pre-nuptial agreement, Seward agreed to take up residence in the house upon his 1824

marriage to Frances Miller. The original property was

much smaller than the existing structure; beginning in

1840, Seward began a considerable expansion of the property with the end result being a 30-room mansion.

Throughout his life in Auburn, Seward continued to provide financial support to Harriet Tubman’s efforts culminating with his estate forgiving her debt. The Seward

Home is now a museum open to the public for a limited

time.

We recommend the addition of two technical amendments be included in this bill. First, on page 3, line 21, we

suggest striking ‘‘feasibility of long-term preservation’’ and

inserting ‘‘feasibility and suitability of long-term preservaVerDate 11-MAY-2000 18:32 Sep 30, 2000 Jkt 079010 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6659 Sfmt 6969 E:\HR\OC\SR440.XXX pfrm01 PsN: SR440
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tion’’. On page 4, line 14, after ‘‘National Park System,’’ we

propose inserting the following new sentence: ‘‘In conducting the study authorized by this Act, the Secretary

shall use the criteria for the study of areas for potential

inclusion in the National Park System contained in Section

8 of P.L. 91–383, as amended by Section 303 of the National Parks Omnibus Management Act (P.L. 105–391),

112 Stat. 3501).’’

The resources that are associated with this proposed

study not only convey the stories of important people in

our history, but also serve to illustrate a number of important national movements. These movements include the

abolitionist movement, the Underground Railroad, the civil

rights movement, and the women’s rights movement,

among others. This assemblage of people and events at

this location make the aforementioned sites of Auburn,

New York, worthy of the proposed study. Recently, the White House announced a $450,000 grant

through the Save America’s Treasures program for architectural plans and repairs to preserve the Harriet Tubman

residence for future generations.

This concludes my prepared testimony. I would be happy

to answer any questions from the Committee that you

might have.

CHANGES IN EXISTING LAW

In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the Standing

Rules of the Senate, the Committee notes that no changes in existing law are made by the bill S. 2345, as ordered reported.

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