Harriet Tubman purchased her seven-acre property on South Street from Frances Seward in 1859. The Sewards held the mortgage privately because Tubman was legally a fugitive under federal law. The original wood-frame home burned in 1880 and was rebuilt in brick; that structure stands today. In 1896, Tubman bought an adjacent 25-acre parcel at auction for $1,450 and opened the Home for the Aged and Indigent Negroes in 1908. The National Park Service established the site as the 51st National Historical Park on January 10, 2017. Guided tours of roughly 90 minutes run Tuesday through Saturday. Guide Rev. Paul Carter is consistently cited in reviews as the reason to book.















