Exploring Harriet Tubman’s naturalist legacy at John Brown Farm
For nearly a century, the Underground Railroad provided a path to freedom for enslaved African Americans. The connected waters of the Upper Hudson River, Champlain Canal, and Lake Champlain served as an important corridor for freedom seekers.
Today, that history is preserved and celebrated by John Brown Lives! and the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association (NCUGRHA), who joined the Lake Champlain Basin Program and the Lake Placid Public Library at the historic John Brown Farm in August to present Beacons of Nature, an educational event exploring the connections between waterways and the Underground Railroad.
To open the event, Education & Outreach Steward Madeline Reilly led attendees through a rendition of Follow the Drinking Gourd, a song of contested origin but undoubtedly inspired by the wayfinding skills required by those seeking freedom through the Underground Railroad.
“Well the river ends, between two hills
Follow the drinkin’ gourd
There’s another river on the other side
Follow the drinkin’ gourd”
Next, participants engaged in a listening activity developed with elementary and middle school students around the Lake Champlain Basin over the last year. The group dispersed around the John Brown Farm property to take in the sounds of cicadas in the meadow and wind rustling through the leaves of aspen, oak, and maple trees.
LCBP Education & Outreach Steward Emma Dannenberg then guided the group through a naturalist illustration workshop. Simple shapes and lines form the basis of many of Emma’s own illustrations, and with easy-to-follow guidance, participants illustrated a range of species, from monarch butterflies to green frogs and American goldfinches.
The event ended with a lively round of Jeopardy featuring facts about Harriet Tubman’s life and legacy, facilitated by Jacqueline Madison of NCUGRHA. Tubman’s incredible naturalist skills allowed her to read landscapes, interpret environmental sounds, and follow the night sky for guidance as she led freedom seekers north.
In early July 2024, a traveling sculpture of Tubman titled Beacon of Hope was installed at John Brown Farm. The sculpture formed the backdrop for the events of the day, grounding all in the living history and legacy of all those who resisted slavery and fought for freedom.
A friend of Tubman’s and fellow abolitionist, John Brown was captured, tried, and executed by the Commonwealth of Virginia for inciting a historic rebellion at Harpers Ferry in 1859. During his lifetime he worked to help African Americans who had escaped enslavement settle in the Lake Placid area.
Summer programming at John Brown Farm throughout the 2024 season emphasized the many skills, from wayfinding to naturalism and herbalism, utilized by Tubman in her decades working along the Underground Railroad and in the Civil War. The LCBP is grateful to have supported Beacons of Nature, and thanks to many partners and participants who made the event possible.