LEWES, Del. - A sculpture of Harriet Tubman, known as "The Beacon of Hope," embarked on a symbolic journey across the Delaware Bay aboard the Cape May-Lewes Ferry on Thursday.
The 13-foot bronze statue was loaded onto a flatbed trailer and departed from Cape May on the 10:30 a.m. trip. Heath Gehrke, director of ferry operations, said this is a fitting and significant historical moment for the sculpture to cross the bay.
"Our ferry route is very similar to one used by escaped enslaved people who would wait for moonless nights to row across the Delaware Bay using the lighthouse for guidance," said Gehrke.
The Beacon of Hope had been on exhibit at the Cape May Point Science Center since Sept. 1. Bob Mullock, president of the center, said Tubman was very active on Cape Island and that William Still, a black abolitionist, once owned the historic building that houses the science center today.
While Tubman is said to have used the North Star to navigate her way, she then became the compass rose to many enslaved people who followed her to freedom. Courtesy Wofford Sculpture Studio.
The statue was designed and built by Emmy- and Academy-winning artist Wesley Wofford of the Wofford Sculpture Studio, which is based in North Carolina. Wofford's works are on display publicly and privately throughout the world.
"'The Beacon of Hope' is a monument that tells Tubman's continuing story, amplifies her message of equality so that all may hear it, and chronicles her journey," the studio said in a description of the piece. "It is our hope that generations of children and adults alike will find the inspiration and the courage to walk in her footsteps and draw strength from the powerful story of one of our great American heroes, finding it within themselves to become 'The Beacon of Hope' for others."
The Tubman sculpture's journey has upcoming stops planned in Salisbury; Rahway, N.J.; The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati; the City of Peekskill, N.Y.; and John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Westport, N.Y.