Harriet Tubman was guided by a deep faith and devotion to family, freedom, and community. After emancipating herself and members of her family, she moved them from Ontario, Canada to Fleming and Auburn, New York in 1859. Central New York was a center for progressive thought, abolition, and women’s suffrage where Tubman continued to fight for human rights and dignity until she died in 1913.
Visit the church Harriet Tubman pledged $500 to help build. It is here, in the center of the historic Black community of Auburn, she attended services for 22 years and from where she was buried in 1913. The National Park Service restored the Thompson Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church to how it looked in 1913 and is open to the public to learn about Harriet Tubman’s life and legacy.
The National Park Service owns and operates the historic Thompson Memorial African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church at 49 Parker Street. Harriet Tubman was a congregant there near the end of her life. She helped raise funds to build the church, and her funeral was held there in 1913. The church and the adjacent parsonage opened to the public on June 22, 2024 following substantial restoration and rehabilitation work.
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