Cultural Landscape Report for Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, Draft

Auwaerter, John; Fisher, Claire; Ryan, Vincent; Curry, George; Johnston, Douglas

This Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) is a comprehensive management document for the historic landscape of Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, officially established in January 2017 and composed of three of the four properties most closely associated with Harriet Tubman’s free life: The Harriet Tubman Home (Home for the Aged) and the Tubman Farm (Tubman residence) on South Street (NY 34) that straddle the City of Auburn and Town of Fleming boundary; and the Thompson A.M.E. Zion Church on Parker Street in the City of Auburn. The half-acre church property is owned by the National Park Service, while the thirty-two acres of The Harriet Tubman Home and Tubman Farm are owned by the A.M.E. Zion Church of America and managed by a nonprofit organization established by the church, The Harriet Tubman Home, Inc., in partnership with the National Park Service. The CLR begins with an illustrated history of these landscapes, along with the Tubman gravesite in Fort Hill Cemetery. The history is documented on a series of period plans that illustrate historic conditions. The history is followed by an overview of existing landscape conditions and park management, and then by an analysis and evaluation to assess changes in the landscape’s character since Tubman’s death in 1913. The final part of the report provides treatment recommendations based on the goal of preserving and enhancing the historic character of the park landscapes as they transition to management by the National Park Service in partnership with The Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. A Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) is the primary document for management of historically significant landscapes in the National Park System. This report for Harriet Tubman National Historical Park has been developed according to the Guide to Cultural Landscape Reports: Contents, Process, and Techniques (National Park Service, 1998). It includes CLR Part I (Site History, Existing Conditions, Analysis and Evaluation) and CLR Part II (Treatment Recommendations). A selected reference list and appendix are at the back of the report. The project area for this report includes the twenty-five-acre Harriet Tubman Home property and seven-acre Tubman Farm (Tubman residence) that remain under the ownership of the A.M.E. Zion Church of America, collectively referred to as the South Street properties; and the Thompson A.M.E. Zion Church on Parker Street that is owned by the National Park Service. Harriet Tubman’s grave in the private Fort Hill Cemetery is outside the boundaries of the park, but is addressed in the history and existing conditions chapters. The context of Auburn and Fleming is also addressed to the extent it informs understanding of Harriet Tubman’s life and the landscape of her farm, church, and the Harriet Tubman Home.

Cultural Landscape Report for Harriet Tubman National Historical Park, Draft

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