6 years in the making, Harriet Tubman monument to be unveiled. Here are the plans
After more than six years, the sculpture honoring the abolitionist Harriet Tubman has arrived.
On Saturday, Jun 1, 2024, at 1 p.m. the sculptor Ed Dwight depiction of Tubman will be revealed to the city of Beaufort at the Tabernacle Baptist church on Craven Street just yards away from the grave of Robert Smalls, another hero of the country.
Colorado-based Dwight’s creation of the monument shows a stoic Tubman leading a faction during the Combahee RIver Raid. The sculptor is also known for creation of the African American History Monument in Columbia.
Her history of bravery
On the night June 1, 1863, Tubman joined Col. James Montgomery on an armed steamer sailing from Beaufort, according to the book “Rebellion, Reconstruction and Redemption, 1861-1893: The History of Beaufort County, South Carolina, Volume 2,” written by Stephen R. Wise and fellow historian Lawrence Rowland.
The successful raid at the Combahee Ferry resulted from Tubman’s extensive local knowledge of the waters of the Lowcountry. She directed the three steamboats with Black soldiers under Montgomery’s command past mines to assault several plantations and ultimately assist in getting 750 formerly enslaved people to safety. After returning to Beaufort, slaves gathered in a Baptist church to listen to Tubman’s words of encouragement and resolve.
Here are the events for the weekend, all near the church at 901 Craven Street in historic Beaufort.
Today, May 31, 2024
6 p.m.: Author, historian and educator Edda Fields-Black will discuss her latest book entitled “COMBEE: Harriet Tubman, the Combahee River Raid and Black Freedom during the Civil War.”
Saturday, June 1, 2024
1 p.m.: The unveiling of the monument and a “Taste from Harriet Tubman” that includes various food vendors
Sunday, June 2, 2024
10 a.m.: Church service worship
2 p.m.: Actress Lucinda Carr will perform her one woman show “Harriet Tubman: My Life not my Own.”
This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 11:53 AM.