Harriet Tubman Special Resource Study Act
PL 106-516 (S.2345), enacted 11/13/2000

114 STAT. 2404 
PUBLIC LAW 106-516—NOV. 13, 2000 
Public Law 106-516 
106th Congress 
An Act 
Nov. 13, 2000 
To direct the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a special resource study concerning 
[S 2345] 
^^^ preservation and pubHc use of sites associated with Harriet Tubman located 
in Auburn, New York, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of 
Harriet Tubman 
the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
Special Resource 
Study Act. 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
State listing. 
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 Philadel-
phia, 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; 
(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 commu-
nity 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) 4 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 
PUBLIC LAW 106-516—NOV. 13, 2000 
114 STAT. 2405 
(D) Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged and William 
Henry Seward's home in Auburn are national historic land-
marks. 
SEC. 3. STUDY CONCERNING SITES IN AUBURN, NEW YORK, ASSOCI-
ATED 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 Fort 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 o
f
— 
(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 associ-
ated 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 con-
tained in section 8 of Public Law 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 Dor-
chester 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 o
f
— 
(A) the Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church; 
(B) the Bazel Church; 
I 
(C) the Harriet Tubman Foundation; and 
j 
(D) the Harriet Tubman Organization, Inc. 
114 STAT. 2406 
PUBLIC LAW 106-516—NOV. 13, 2000 
Deadline. 
(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. 
Approved November 13, 2000. 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY—S. 2345: 
SENATE REPORTS: No. 106-440 (Comm. on Energy and Natural Resources). 
CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 146 (2000): 
Oct. 5, considered and passed Senate. 
Oct. 24, considered and passed House.