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A recently-found photograph (c. 1885) of escaped slave, abolitionist and Union spy Harriet Tubman that was acquired by the Smithsonian, June 17, 2015, in Washington, D.C.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Now that our very own “Moses,” Harriet Tubman, has been confirmed to appear on the $20 bill, her home in upstate New York is one step closer to becoming a National Historical Park, reports the AP.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch signed a general agreement on Friday that will allow for the transfer of land to the National Park Service. Reportedly, the agreement must be signed by the current owners of the land and then go to the state attorney general’s office for review.
Tubman (nee Araminta Ross), was born into slavery in Maryland, escaped as an adult, and subsequently made some thirteen missions back to Maryland to rescue 70 enslaved families and friends, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad.
When the Civil War began, Tubman worked for the Union Army, first as a cook and nurse, and then as an armed scout and spy. The first woman to lead an armed expedition in the war, she guided the raid at Combahee Ferry, which liberated more than 700 slaves and helped John Brown recruit men for his 1859 raid on Harper’s Ferry in Virginia.
After the Civil War, Tubman retired to her home in Auburn, N.Y., the site of the proposed National Park.
New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand reportedly hailed the signing of the agreement, which came two days after the Treasury Department announced Tubman would replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
Sen. Schumer said the park could open by the end of the year.
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