SALISBURY, MD -- On Thursday, the 13-foot, bronze "Beacon of Hope" statue of Harriet Tubman traveled across the Delaware Bay on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry to reach its new temporary home in Salisbury.
The statue, sculpted by Wofford Sculpture Studio, LLC, was on exhibit since Sept. 1 at the Cape May Point Science Center in New Jersey, the first stop on its freedom tour.
Several people looked on as the statue and its entourage docked at the Cape May-Lewes terminal in Lewes. The ferry route from New Jersey to Lewes was similar to one used by escaped enslaved people. Tubman's descendants were part of the entourage on the boat.
"It was surreal," says Tonet Cuffee, the fourth generation great-niece of Tubman. "Following her footsteps, I could not imagine going across the Delaware Bay on a man-made boat with no life preservatives or anything. She was truly courageous, fearless, and amazing."
After arriving on the dock, crews removed Tubman's "guiding light", a gold star held high above the statue's head. The statue was then driven more than an hour away to its next destination in Salisbury. Shawna Kearsley was key in securing the statue's home there.
"Building relationships one conversation at a time is my thing, and how do we have conversations and what a better way to do it than through art?" says Kearsley. "The power of art."
Crowds of people looked on as the statue was carefully placed at the center of division street. With Tubman's foot perched on carefully carved shackles and the sun reflecting from her star, some say it is bound to bring the people closer together.
"It's really become a family of so many communities along the Underground Railroad," says Cindy Mullock of the Cape May Point Science Center. "Here in Maryland in new jersey, in New York, in Pennsylvania that have come together, to embrace their admiration of Harriet Tubman as such an incredible national hero."
The statue will remain in Salisbury until the end of January. It will then be transported to its new location in Rahway, NJ.
