II 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 227 

To establish the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, New 

York, and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 13, 2009 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mrs. CLINTON, Ms. MIKULSKI, and Mr. SCHUMER) 

introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To establish the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park 

in Auburn, New York, and the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park in Caroline, 

Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, and for 

other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Harriet Tubman Na5 tional Historical Park and Harriet Tubman Underground 

6 Railroad National Historical Park Act’’. 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
2 

•S 227 IS

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

3 (1) Harriet Tubman (born Araminta ‘‘Minty’’ 

4 Ross)— 

5 (A) was born into slavery in Maryland 

6 around 1822; 

7 (B) married John Tubman at age 25; 

8 (C) endured through her youth and young 

9 adulthood the hardships of enslaved African10 Americans; and 

11 (D) boldly emancipated herself from bond12 age in 1849; 

13 (2) not satisfied with attaining her own free14 dom, Harriet Tubman— 

15 (A) returned repeatedly for more than 10 

16 years to the places of her enslavement in Dor17 chester and Caroline Counties, Maryland; and 

18 (B) under the most adverse circumstances 

19 led away many family members and acquaint20 ances to freedom in the northern region of the 

21 United States and Canada; 

22 (3) Harriet Tubman was— 

23 (A) called ‘‘Moses’’ by African-Americans 

24 and white abolitionists; and 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
3 

•S 227 IS

1 (B) acknowledged as 1 of the most promi2 nent ‘‘conductors’’ of the resistance that came 

3 to be known as the ‘‘Underground Railroad’’; 

4 (4) in 1868, Frederick Douglass wrote that, 

5 with the exception of John Brown, Douglass knew of 

6 ‘‘no one who has willingly encountered more perils 

7 and hardships to serve our enslaved people’’ than 

8 Harriet Tubman; 

9 (5) during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman— 

10 (A) was recruited to assist Union troops as 

11 a nurse, a scout, and a spy; and 

12 (B) served in Virginia, Florida, and South 

13 Carolina, where she is credited with facilitating 

14 the rescue of hundreds of enslaved people; 

15 (6) Harriet Tubman established in Auburn, 

16 New York, 1 of the first incorporated homes for 

17 aged African-Americans in the United States, which, 

18 10 years before her death, she bequeathed to the Af19 rican Methodist Episcopal Zion Church; 

20 (7) there are nationally significant resources 

21 comprised of relatively unchanged landscapes associ22 ated with the early life of Harriet Tubman in Caro23 line, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland; 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
4 

•S 227 IS

1 (8) there are nationally significant resources re2 lating to Harriet Tubman in Auburn, New York, in3 cluding— 

4 (A) the residence of Harriet Tubman; 

5 (B) the Tubman Home for the Aged; 

6 (C) the Thompson Memorial AME Zion 

7 Church; and 

8 (D) the final resting place of Harriet Tub9 man in Fort Hill Cemetery; 

10 (9) in developing interpretive programs, the Na11 tional Park Service would benefit from increased 

12 scholarship of the African-American experience dur13 ing the decades preceding the Civil War and 

14 throughout the remainder of the 19th century; 

15 (10) it is fitting and proper that the nationally 

16 significant resources relating to Harriet Tubman be 

17 preserved for future generations as units of the Na18 tional Park System so that people may understand 

19 and appreciate the contributions of Harriet Tubman 

20 to the history and culture of the United States; and 

21 (11) in addition to the properties and resources 

22 within the boundary of the Harriet Tubman Under23 ground Railroad National Historical Park, other as24 sociated land within the Blackwater National WildVerDate Nov 24 2008 05:06 Jan 14, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S227.IS S227

wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
5 

•S 227 IS

1 life Refuge and proposed additions to the Refuge 

2 are— 

3 (A) components of the nationally signifi4 cant Harriet Tubman landscape; and 

5 (B) essential to the visual, historical, and 

6 cultural experiences of the Historical Park. 

7 (b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 

8 (1) to preserve and promote stewardship of the 

9 resources in Auburn, New York, and Caroline, Dor10 chester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, relating to 

11 the life and contributions of Harriet Tubman; 

12 (2) to provide for partnerships with the African 

13 Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the States of New 

14 York and Maryland, political subdivisions of the 

15 States, the Federal Government, local governments, 

16 nonprofit organizations, and private property owners 

17 for resource protection, research, interpretation, edu18 cation, and public understanding and appreciation of 

19 the life and contributions of Harriet Tubman; 

20 (3) to sustain agricultural and forestry land 

21 uses in Caroline, Dorchester, and Talbot Counties, 

22 Maryland, that remain evocative of the landscape 

23 during the life of Harriet Tubman; and 

24 (4) to establish a competitive grants program 

25 for scholars of African-American history relating to 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
6 

•S 227 IS

1 Harriet Tubman, the Harriet Tubman historic land2 scape, and the Underground Railroad. 

3 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this Act: 

5 (1) CHURCH.—The term ‘‘Church’’ means the 

6 Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., of the AME Zion 

7 Church located in Auburn, New York, which owns 

8 and manages— 

9 (A) the Thompson Memorial AME Zion 

10 Church; 

11 (B) the Harriet Tubman home; 

12 (C) the Tubman Home for the Aged; and 

13 (D) the land on which those facilities are 

14 located. 

15 (2) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGE OR UNI16 VERSITY.—The term ‘‘historically Black college or 

17 university’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘part B 

18 institution’’ in section 322 of the Higher Education 

19 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061). 

20 (3) PREDOMINANTLY BLACK INSTITUTION.— 

21 The term ‘‘Predominantly Black Institution’’ has the 

22 meaning given the term in section 499A(c) of the 

23 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 

24 1099e(c)). 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
7 

•S 227 IS

1 (4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

2 the Secretary of the Interior. 

3 (5) VISITOR CENTER.—The term ‘‘Visitor Cen4 ter’’ means the Harriet Tubman Underground Rail5 road State Park Visitor Center to be constructed 

6 under section 5(d). 

7 SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF HARRIET TUBMAN NATIONAL 

8 HISTORICAL PARK. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—On the execution of ease10 ments with the Church, the Secretary shall— 

11 (1) establish the Harriet Tubman National His12 torical Park (referred to in this section as the ‘‘His13 torical Park’’) in the City of Auburn, New York, as 

14 a unit of the National Park System; and 

15 (2) publish notice of the establishment of the 

16 Historical Park in the Federal Register. 

17 (b) BOUNDARY.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Historical Park shall be 

19 comprised of structures and properties associated 

20 with the Harriet Tubman home, the Tubman Home 

21 for the Aged, the Church, and the Rectory, as gen22 erally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘Harriet Tub23 man National Historical Park—Proposed Bound24 ary’’, numbered øllll¿, and dated ølll¿. 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
8 

•S 227 IS

1 (2) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—The map described 

2 in paragraph (1) shall be available for public inspec3 tion in the appropriate offices of the National Park 

4 Service. 

5 (c) ACQUISITION OF LAND.—The Secretary may ac6 quire from willing sellers, by donation, purchase with do7 nated or appropriated funds, or exchange, land or inter8 ests in land within the boundary of the Historical Park. 

9 (d) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATIVE

10 AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may provide grants to, and 

11 enter into cooperative agreements with— 

12 (1) the Church for— 

13 (A) historic preservation of, rehabilitation 

14 of, research on, and maintenance of properties 

15 within the boundary of the Historical Park; and 

16 (B) interpretation of the Historical Park; 

17 (2) the Fort Hill Cemetery Association for 

18 maintenance and interpretation of the gravesite of 

19 Harriet Tubman; and 

20 (3) the State of New York, any political sub21 divisions of the State, the City of Auburn, the 

22 Church, colleges and universities, and nonprofit or23 ganizations for— 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
9 

•S 227 IS

1 (A) preservation and interpretation of re2 sources relating to Harriet Tubman in the City 

3 of Auburn, New York; 

4 (B) conducting research, including archae5 ological research; and 

6 (C) providing for stewardship programs, 

7 education, public access, signage, and other in8 terpretive devices at the Historical Park for in9 terpretive purposes. 

10 (e) INTERPRETATION.—The Secretary may provide 

11 interpretive tours to sites located outside the boundaries 

12 of the Historical Park in Auburn, New York, that include 

13 resources relating to Harriet Tubman. 

14 (f) GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

16 the date on which funds are made available to carry 

17 out this subsection, the Secretary, in cooperation 

18 with the Church, shall complete a general manage19 ment plan for the Historical Park in accordance 

20 with section 12(b) of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 

21 1a–7(b)). 

22 (2) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall co23 ordinate the preparation and implementation of the 

24 general management plan for the Harriet Tubman 

25 National Historical Park with— 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
10 

•S 227 IS

1 (A) the Harriet Tubman Underground 

2 Railroad National Historical Park in Maryland; 

3 and 

4 (B) the National Underground Railroad: 

5 Network to Freedom. 

6 SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HARRIET TUBMAN UN7 DERGROUND RAILROAD NATIONAL HISTOR8 ICAL PARK. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established as a unit 

10 of the National Park System the Harriet Tubman Under11 ground Railroad National Historical Park (referred to in 

12 this section as the ‘‘Historical Park’’) in Caroline, Dor13 chester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland. 

14 (b) BOUNDARY.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The boundary of the Histor16 ical Park shall consist of certain landscapes and as17 sociated resources relating to the early life and en18 slavement of Harriet Tubman and the Underground 

19 Railroad, as generally depicted on the map entitled 

20 ‘‘Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National 

21 Historical Park—Proposed Boundary’’, numbered 

22 øllll¿, and dated ølllll¿. 

23 (2) ADDITIONAL SITES.—The Secretary, after 

24 consultation with landowners, the State of Maryland, 

25 and units of local government, may modify the 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
11 

•S 227 IS

1 boundary of the Historical Park to include addi2 tional resources relating to Harriet Tubman that— 

3 (A) are located within the vicinity of the 

4 Historical Park; and 

5 (B) are identified in the general manage6 ment plan prepared under subsection (g) as ap7 propriate for interpreting the life of Harriet 

8 Tubman. 

9 (3) AVAILABILITY OF MAP.—On modification of 

10 the boundary of the Historical Park under para11 graph (2), the Secretary shall make available for 

12 public inspection in the appropriate offices of the 

13 National Park Service a revised map of the Histor14 ical Park. 

15 (c) ACQUISITION OF LAND.—The Secretary may ac16 quire from willing sellers, by donation, purchase with do17 nated or appropriated funds, or exchange, land or an in18 terest in land within the boundaries of the Historical 

19 Park. 

20 (d) GRANTS.—In accordance with section 7(b)(2), the 

21 Secretary may provide grants— 

22 (1) to the State of Maryland, political subdivi23 sions of the State, and nonprofit organizations for 

24 the acquisition of less than fee title (including ease25 ments) or fee title to land in Caroline, Dorchester, 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
12 

•S 227 IS

1 and Talbot Counties, Maryland, within the boundary 

2 of the Historical Park; and 

3 (2) on execution of a memorandum of under4 standing between the State of Maryland and the Di5 rector of the National Park Service, to the State of 

6 Maryland for the construction of the Harriet Tub7 man Underground Railroad State Park Visitor Cen8 ter on land owned by the State of Maryland in Dor9 chester County, Maryland, subject to the condition 

10 that the State of Maryland provide the Director of 

11 the National Park Service, at no additional cost, suf12 ficient office space and exhibition areas in the Vis13 itor Center to carry out the purposes of the Histor14 ical Park. 

15 (e) FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE AND COOPERATIVE

16 AGREEMENTS.—The Secretary may provide grants to, and 

17 enter into cooperative agreements with, the State of Mary18 land, political subdivisions of the State, nonprofit organi19 zations, colleges and universities, and private property 

20 owners for— 

21 (1) the restoration or rehabilitation, public use, 

22 and interpretation of sites and resources relating to 

23 Harriet Tubman; 

24 (2) the conduct of research, including archae25 ological research; 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
13 

•S 227 IS

1 (3) providing stewardship programs, education, 

2 signage, and other interpretive devices at the sites 

3 and resources for interpretive purposes; and 

4 (4)(A) the design and construction of the Vis5 itor Center; and 

6 (B) the operation and maintenance of the Vis7 itor Center. 

8 (f) INTERPRETATION.—The Secretary may provide 

9 interpretive tours to sites and resources located outside 

10 the boundary of the Historical Park in Caroline, Dor11 chester, and Talbot Counties, Maryland, relating to the 

12 life of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. 

13 (g) GENERAL MANAGEMENT PLAN.— 

14 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

15 the date on which funds are made available to carry 

16 out this subsection, the Secretary, in coordination 

17 with the State of Maryland, political subdivisions of 

18 the State, and the United States Fish and Wildlife 

19 Service, shall complete a general management plan 

20 for the Historical Park in accordance with section 

21 12(b) of Public Law 91–383 (16 U.S.C. 1a–7(b)). 

22 (2) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall co23 ordinate the preparation and implementation of the 

24 general management plan for the Historical Park 

25 with— 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
14 

•S 227 IS

1 (A) the Harriet Tubman National Histor2 ical Park in Auburn, New York; 

3 (B) the National Underground Railroad: 

4 Network to Freedom; 

5 (C) the Maryland Harriet Tubman Under6 ground Railroad State Park; and 

7 (D) the Harriet Tubman Underground 

8 Railroad Byway in Dorchester and Caroline 

9 Counties, Maryland. 

10 (3) PRIORITY TREATMENT.—The general man11 agement plan for the Historical Park shall give pri12 ority to, with the concurrence of the owner of the 

13 property, the adequate protection of, interpretation 

14 of, public appreciation for, archaeological investiga15 tion of, and research on Stewart’s Canal, the Jacob 

16 Jackson home site, the Brodess Farm, the Ben Ross 

17 and Anthony Thompson properties on Harrisville 

18 Road, and the James Cook site, all of which are pri19 vately owned and located in the area identified as 

20 the ‘‘Harriet Tubman Historic Area’’ on the map 

21 described in subsection (b)(1). 

22 (h) BLACKWATER NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.— 

23 (1) INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT.—The Secretary 

24 shall ensure that, not later than 1 year after the 

25 date of enactment of this Act, the National Park 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
15 

•S 227 IS

1 Service and the United States Fish and Wildlife 

2 Service enter into an interagency agreement that— 

3 (A) promotes and mutually supports the 

4 compatible stewardship and interpretation of 

5 Harriet Tubman resources at the Blackwater 

6 National Wildlife Refuge; and 

7 (B) provides for the maximum level of co8 operation between those Federal agencies to 

9 further the purposes of this Act. 

10 (2) EFFECT OF ACT.—Nothing in this Act 

11 modifies, alters, or amends the authorities of the 

12 United States Fish and Wildlife Service in the ad13 ministration and management of the Blackwater Na14 tional Wildlife Refuge. 

15 (i) DUTIES OF OTHER FEDERAL ENTITIES.—Any 

16 Federal entity conducting, supporting, permitting, or li17 censing activities directly affecting nationally significant 

18 land within the area identified as the ‘‘Harriet Tubman 

19 Historic Area’’ on the map described in subsection (b)(1) 

20 shall— 

21 (1) consult and cooperate with the Secretary 

22 with respect to the activities; 

23 (2) identify any alternatives with regard to the 

24 proposed activity affecting the Harriet Tubman His25 toric Area; and 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
16 

•S 227 IS

1 (3) to the maximum extent practicable, conduct, 

2 support, permit, or license the activities in a manner 

3 that the Secretary determines would not have an ad4 verse effect on the Harriet Tubman Historic Area. 

5 SEC. 6. ADMINISTRATION. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall administer 

7 the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park and the 

8 Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Histor9 ical Park in accordance with this Act and the laws gen10 erally applicable to units of the National Park System in11 cluding— 

12 (1) the National Park Service Organic Act (16 

13 U.S.C. 1 et seq.); and 

14 (2) the Act of August 21, 1935 (16 U.S.C. 461 

15 et seq.). 

16 (b) PARK REGULATIONS.—Notwithstanding sub17 section (a), regulations and policies applicable to units of 

18 the National Park System shall apply only to Federal land 

19 administered by the National Park Service that is located 

20 within the boundary of the Harriet Tubman Underground 

21 Railroad National Historical Park. 

22 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

23 (a) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appro24 priated such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act 

25 (other than subsection (b)), including the provision of NaVerDate Nov 24 2008 05:06 Jan 14, 2009 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S227.IS S227

wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
17 

•S 227 IS

1 tional Park Service personnel and National Park Service 

2 management funds for the Harriet Tubman National His3 torical Park and the Harriet Tubman Underground Rail4 road National Historical Park. 

5 (b) GRANTS.—There are authorized to be appro6 priated not more than— 

7 (1) $11,000,000 to provide grants to the 

8 Church for— 

9 (A) historic preservation, rehabilitation, 

10 and restoration of resources within the bound11 ary of the Harriet Tubman National Historical 

12 Park; and 

13 (B) the costs of design, construction, in14 stallation, and maintenance of exhibits and 

15 other interpretive devices authorized under sec16 tion 4(d)(1)(B); 

17 (2) $11,000,000 for grants to the State of 

18 Maryland, political subdivisions of the State of 

19 Maryland, and nonprofit organizations for activities 

20 authorized under subsections (d)(1) and (e)(4)(A) of 

21 section 5; and 

22 (3) $200,000 for fiscal year 2010 and each fis23 cal year thereafter for competitive grants to histori24 cally Black colleges and universities, Predominately 

25 Black Institutions, and minority serving institutions 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS
18 

•S 227 IS

1 for research into the life of Harriet Tubman and the 

2 African-American experience during the years that 

3 coincide with the life of Harriet Tubman. 

4 (c) COST-SHARING REQUIREMENT.— 

5 (1) CHURCH AND VISITOR CENTER GRANTS.— 

6 The Federal share of the cost of activities provided 

7 grants under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b) 

8 and any maintenance, construction, or utility costs 

9 incurred pursuant to a cooperative agreement en10 tered into under section 4(d)(1)(A) or section 5(e) 

11 shall not be more than 50 percent. 

12 (2) HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNI13 VERSITIES.—The Federal share of the cost of activi14 ties provided assistance under subsection (b)(3) shall 

15 be not more than 75 percent. 

16 (3) FORM OF NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The non17 Federal share required under this subsection may be 

18 in the form of in-kind contributions of goods or serv19 ices fairly valued. 

Æ 


wwoods2 on PRODPC68 with BILLS