This historical marker is located along Broad Street in downtown Augusta. It has the same text on…read moreboth sides and the text is definitely very small.
It reads, "Emily Harvie Thomas Tubman (1794-1885). Born in Ashland, Hanover County, Virginia on March 21, 1794. Grew up in Kentucky under guardianship of Henry Clay. Visited Augusta in 1818, where she met and married Richard Tubman, wealthy merchant. After his death in 1836, she became interested in the teachings of Alexander Campbell and helped found the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Augusta. Provided funds for numerous churches in Georgia and Kentucky; supported foreign missions. Emancipated her slaves in 1837, providing them a subsidy to start a new life in Liberia. During the Civil War, she imported the first ice machine to relieve suffering soldiers. With other shareholders of Georgia Railroad, provided free transportation for Confederate soldiers. Supported restoration of Mount Vernon, VA. Endowed Tubman High School in 1874. Astute in business, she made wise investments; was major stockholder in John P. King Manufacturing Co. Entertained notable guests such as Marquis de Lafayette, Henry Clay, Alexander Campbell, Robert Toombs, Alexander Stephens. She established endowments for schools, scholarships, and the Tubman Home for the aged. Her philanthropy involved hundreds of thousands of dollars."
Online, there is more information. Emily spend much of her childhood in Frankfort, Kentucky. In 1818, she moved to Augusta and married Richard Tubman, an Englishman from Maryland with extensive landholdings in Georgia. Due to fears of contracting yellow fever, Emily would spend her summers in Frankfort for the rest of her life. Richard died in 1836, leaving Emily in charge of the large estate and extensive properties. As part of Richard's will, he had left a $10,000 gift to the University of Georgia on the condition that the Georgia legislature allowed for his slaves to be freed. However, as the legislature refused to allow this, the gift was not made, and instead Emily became involved with the American Colonization Society's efforts to relocate free African Americans to Africa. Emily offered the 144 slaves that had belonged to Richard the opportunity to relocate to Liberia, with 69 accepting the offer. Emily covered the $6,000 cost for relocation. A town in Maryland County, Liberia was named Tubman in her honor, and William Tubman, the grandson of two of her former slaves, served as the 19th president of Liberia during the 20th century.
Tubman had become a member of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) following her interest in the teachings of Alexander Campbell, a prominent leader in the Restoration Movement. She donated the building that housed First Christian Church in Augusta, which had been established in 1835. Among her other philanthropic activities with the Disciples of Christ, she established an endowment for Bethany College, which had been established by Campbell in 1840, and donated to Kentucky University. Among her other business ventures, she was a shareholder of the Georgia Railroad and owned many stocks in a manufacturing company by John Pendleton King. In 1874, she endowed Tubman High School in Augusta. Today, a middle school in the city bears her name.
Mrs. Tubman was quite the heroine of Augusta and I would love to have met her.
[Review 14805 overall, 307 of 2021, number 406 in Georgia.]