I

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2345

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

OCTOBER 6, 2000

Referred to the Committee on Resources

AN ACT

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.

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 Spe5 cial Resource Study Act’’.
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1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

2 Congress finds that—

3 (1) Harriet Tubman was born into slavery on

4 a plantation in Dorchester County, Maryland, in

5 1821;

6 (2) in 1849, Harriet Tubman escaped the plan7 tation on foot, using the North Star for direction

8 and following a route through Maryland, Delaware,

9 and Pennsylvania to Philadelphia, where she gained

10 her freedom;

11 (3) Harriet Tubman is an important figure in

12 the history of the United States, and is most famous

13 for her role as a ‘‘conductor’’ on the Underground

14 Railroad, in which, as a fugitive slave, she helped

15 hundreds of enslaved individuals to escape to free16 dom before and during the Civil War;

17 (4) during the Civil War, Harriet Tubman

18 served the Union Army as a guide, spy, and nurse;

19 (5) after the Civil War, Harriet Tubman was

20 an advocate for the education of black children;

21 (6) Harriet Tubman settled in Auburn, New

22 York, in 1857, and lived there until 1913;

23 (7) while in Auburn, Harriet Tubman dedicated

24 her life to caring selflessly and tirelessly for people

25 who could not care for themselves, was an influential

26 member of the community and an active member of
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1 the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church, and

2 established a home for the elderly;

3 (8) Harriet Tubman was a friend of William

4 Henry Seward, who served as the Governor of and

5 a Senator from the State of New York and as Sec6 retary of State under President Abraham Lincoln;

7 (9) 4 sites in Auburn that directly relate to

8 Harriet Tubman and are listed on the National Reg9 ister of Historic Places are—

10 (A) Harriet Tubman’s home;

11 (B) the Harriet Tubman Home for the

12 Aged;

13 (C) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion

14 Church; and

15 (D) Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged

16 and William Henry Seward’s home in Auburn

17 are national historic landmarks.

18 SEC. 3. STUDY CONCERNING SITES IN AUBURN, NEW YORK,

19 ASSOCIATED WITH HARRIET TUBMAN.

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior shall

21 conduct a special resource study of the national signifi22 cance, feasibility of long-term preservation, and public use

23 of the following sites associated with Harriet Tubman:
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1 (1) Harriet Tubman’s Birthplace, located on

2 Greenbriar Road, off of Route 50, in Dorchester

3 County, Maryland.

4 (2) Bazel Church, located 1 mile South of

5 Greenbriar Road in Cambridge, Maryland.

6 (3) Harriet Tubman’s home, located at 182

7 South Street, Auburn, New York.

8 (4) The Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged,

9 located at 180 South Street, Auburn, New York.

10 (5) The Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion

11 Church, located at 33 Parker Street, Auburn, New

12 York.

13 (6) Harriet Tubman’s grave at Fort Hill Ceme14 tery, located at 19 Fort Street, Auburn, New York.

15 (7) William Henry Seward’s home, located at 33

16 South Street, Auburn, New York.

17 (b) INCLUSION OF SITES IN THE NATIONAL PARK

18 SYSTEM.—The study under subsection (a) shall include an

19 analysis and any recommendations of the Secretary con20 cerning the suitability and feasibility of—

21 (1) designating one or more of the sites specified

22 in subsection (a) as units of the National Park Sys23 tem; and
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1 (2) establishing a national heritage corridor that

2 incorporates the sites specified in subsection (a) and

3 any other sites associated with Harriet Tubman.

4 (c) STUDY GUIDELINES.—In conducting the study

5 authorized by this Act, the Secretary shall use the criteria

6 for the study of areas for potential inclusion in the Na7 tional Park System contained in Section 8 of P.L. 91–

8 383, as amended by Section 303 of the National Park Om9 nibus Management Act ((P.L. 105–391), 112 Stat. 3501).

10 (d) CONSULTATION.—In preparing and conducting

11 the study under subsection (a), the Secretary shall consult

12 with—

13 (1) the Governors of the States of Maryland and

14 New York;

15 (2) a member of the Board of County Commis16 sioners of Dorchester County, Maryland;

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

18 (4) the owner of the sites specified in subsection

19 (a); and

20 (5) the appropriate representatives of—

21 (A) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion

22 Church;

23 (B) the Bazel Church;

24 (C) the Harriet Tubman Foundation; and

25 (D) the Harriet Tubman Organization, Inc.
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1 (e) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date

2 on which funds are made available for the study under

3 subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a

4 report describing the results of the study.

Passed the Senate October 5 (legislative day, September 22), 2000.

Attest: GARY SISCO,

Secretary.