43. Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park

‘Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom’

The park honors two of Delaware’s most dedicated agents of the Underground Railroad, Harriet Tubman and Thomas Garrett. Born a Quaker in Pennsylvania in 1789, Garrett helped an estimated 2,700 enslaved people escape to freedom over four decades.

By the time Harriet Tubman escaped slavery in 1849, Garrett had been exposed as an Underground Railroad agent when he was caught helping the Hawkins family escape in 1845. Though financially ruined, he continued to help freedom seekers. Garrett’s surviving correspondence reveals how he and Tubman collaborated on numerous occasions during the 1850s.

The park overlooks the Market Street crossing of the Christina River, the main southern entry into Wilmington during the 19th century. Tubman and her charges were once trapped on the south side of the river by the constables and slave catchers on the lookout for them. Garrett sent a false-bottomed wagon, driven by African-American bricklayers, who concealed the group beneath a load of bricks. They successfully passed over the bridge and by authorities unnoticed.

The park’s sculpture shown here, “Unwavering Courage in the Pursuit of Freedom,” was installed in Tubman Garrett Park in 2012. The dynamic work is full of symbolism and invites contemplation. Credit: Chiodo Art