The Harriet Tubman Connection

Although Harriet Tubman has no connection to Spocott, Sen. George L. Radcliffe played a role in getting her the recognition she deserved.

Although there were enslaved workers at Spocott, none ever tried to escape. Whether this was because they were treated well or never had the opportunity, we’ll never know for sure. The fact that several stayed at Spocott after the Civil War indicates they were relatively content. Still, it could also be due to the lack of economic opportunity for many Blacks, even if free. Despite having enslaved workers, John Anthony LeCompte Radcliffe was still somewhat of an abolitionist, once advocating in his church that all female enslaved workers be freed. John later worked in the Maryland Legislature for state funding for the education of Blacks.

            Adaline Wheatley, the Spocott cook and nurse, was a significant presence at Spocott and played a key role in the upbringing of John’s son, George, who later became a United States senator and a leader in historic preservation in the state. Her influence would shape his views and policies in later years. Harriet Tubman was born in lower Dorchester County, but the Little Choptank River separated her from the Neck District, where Spocott was located. Neither George nor his father ever met Harriet, but George was a key figure behind her first significant recognition.

            Shortly after 1960, a group of citizens sought a memorial for Harriet. They first turned to her home county, Dorchester County, but their proposal was rejected. At the time, Dorchester County was still segregated, and funding for a monument to a Black woman would not have been well-received by organizations primarily populated by white men. At that time, she was not as universally known as today, and history books made few references to the accomplishments of Blacks.

            In 1959, Maryland governor Milliard Tawes appointed Sen. George L. Radcliffe as chairman of the Maryland Civil War Centennial Commission. George’s passion for history made this a logical pick. One of the commission's tasks was erecting state road markers to recognize the role of Marylanders in the conflict. While he and the commission members were primarily looking at war locations and military leaders, when approached by the Harriet Tubman supporters, George convinced his commission to allocate funding for a marker for Harriet. He justified this by stating she had also played a significant part in the Civil War as a scout, nurse, and sometimes spy. The marker was erected near the Brodess Farm, where she had been enslaved.

            In recognizing Harriet Tubman, it seems logical that he had Adaline in mind, another strong Black woman who had been so significant in his life. The marker still stands on Greenbriar Road, not far from the Bucktown Store, where she was almost accidentally killed as she got in the way as a shopkeeper was throwing a weight at another. It seems ironic that the son of a man who kept enslaved workers would be the first to fund a marker recognizing a woman who was so instrumental in the Underground Railroad that led to the freedom of so many.