In a spectacular setting in Bristol’s Lion’s Park with the Delaware River to her back, this statue of Harriett Tubman, pointing to the North Star, haversack slung over her shoulder, was commissioned by the African-American Historical and Cultural Society of Bucks County and dedicated in 2006.
William Smith, of Bristol, designed the memorial. James Gafgen of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, is the statue’s sculptor.
On the plaque “Harriet Ross Tubman. Abolitionist-American Hero. Circa 1820-1913. Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery in 1849. She fled to Philadelphia where, as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, she made 19 sorties into the South, liberating over 300 slaves. Ms. Tubman also served as a spy and nurse for the Union Army during the Civil War. Harriet Tubman—Authentic American Hero.”
There are ten tall granite pillars with engraved inscriptions: Hope is Another Form of Freedom; We Choose Inclusion Not Exclusion; Our Town is America the Beautiful; We Stand Together; Liberty and Justice For All; Move Forward; Amalgamate the Community; Freedom Will Prevail; Unity is the Way.
There are also ten short stone markers that contain names of old African American families in Bristol. Louise Davis of Bristol is a third cousin of Harriett Tubman (descended from Tubman’s father’s brother) and often portrayed her in reenactments, including at the dedication of this monument.
Tubman never lived in or visited Bristol, but she did live in Philadelphia and nearby Montgomery County, PA. At the time this statue was dedicated, it was only the third Harriett Tubman statue in the U.S. There is also one in Ghana.
