The Harriet Tubman Museum officially opened in Cape May on June 1st-this is the day to commemorate the emancipation of slaves in the United States-a grand opening will be held on Saturday at 11 am.

Located in Howell’s House, the museum was a pastor of the Macedonian Baptist Church and celebrates Tubman’s life and her role in the Underground Railway, as well as the history of the abolition of slavery in Cape May.

Cape May is an important station of the Underground Railway and the first stronghold for enslaved people in the northern states to flee. New Jersey Monthly.

In the early 1850s, Tubman fled slavery in Maryland and worked as a cook and domestic worker in Cape May. There, historians said she helped nine enslaved people escape.

Governor Phil Murphy Sign the bill into law Last fall, the museum became the state’s official Harriet Tubman museum. He also signed a law to make June Festival a national holiday, which is celebrated on the third Friday of June every year.

The museum was originally scheduled to open on June 1st last year, but due to the delay caused by the pandemic, the opening date was postponed to June 1, 2021. NJ.com report.

Visitors will see the 9-foot-tall, 2,400-pound sculpture “Harriet Tubman-Freedom Journey” created by Emmy and Oscar-winning sculptor Wesley Wofford in the museum.

The area has historical records of various artifacts such as handcuffs and underground railways.

The museum is developing an educational program that includes a virtual tour in collaboration with Friday is Tie Day, a mentoring program for high school students of color.

The grand opening event was held in Rotary Park on Lafayette Street and will be Museum’s YouTube channel And in Facebook Live.

The event included music and dance from the Pan-African Rhythm Cooperative and reflections on the history of the June Festival. Performers from the 22nd U.S. Regiment of Colored People will hold ceremonial parades and performances.