Land of the Brave

Our interview with Jim details his journey in writing this book and the harrowing experiences that await its readers.

What inspired you to write this book?
When I arrived on the Eastern Shore 20 years ago, I knew only the broad outline of Harriet Tubman’s story. But I decided to try and learn more since I had landed on her native turf. I started attending meetings of a grassroots “Harriet Tubman Discussion Group.” Each month, talented local historians John Creighton and Pat Lewis led us on deep dives into the details of this, that, or another episode in Tubman’s life.

They showed me that digging a little deeper, past the stuff you find on roadside markers and museum panels, can lead not to footnote hell, but to levels that are richer, more moving, and more inspirational. My book is an attempt to share that revelation in a reader-friendly way. The mission statement is “storytelling that goes a little deeper.”

How did you come up with its concept of 32 Underground Railroad journeys?
I didn’t delve into the Underground Railroad as fodder for a book. It was just personal interest. I’m a little mystified to this day about the genesis of Tubman Travels. After my first book came out, Eastern Shore Road Trips: 27 One-Day Adventures on Delmarva, I couldn’t decide on a followup topic. There were several possibilities. Then a crazy thing happened. I woke up one morning. I was coming down the steps, still half asleep, and I knew I was going to write about the Underground Railroad. The topic wasn’t on my list of possibilities. Chalk it up to one of those go-figure moments in life.

The book is organized around “journeys,” but that word has a double meaning. There is the journey of a freedom seeker in the past, of course, but there is also the journey readers can take in the present—to a modern-day place where they can walk in the footsteps of Underground Railroad heroes. Each “journey” chapter is self-contained—you could read the book from start to finish, but you don’t have to.

You could instead read the chapter that matches your upcoming travel plans Say, which of these stories unfolded around Easton? Or Chestertown? Or Dover? In that way, the book tries to promote the core mission of my Secrets of the Eastern Shore brand: to inspire people to get out and explore the Peninsula and learn its stories.

Did you learn anything unexpected during this process?
So many things! I will choose just a couple. My original vision for the book was to focus on Delmarva’s most famous champions of freedom in slavery times—Tubman and Frederick Douglass. But I met so many other, lesser-known heroes along the way. Black men like Samuel Burris and Isaac Mason. Black women like Harriet Shephard and Lear Green. White folks like John Hunn and Thomas Garrett. I thought readers might love meeting new-to-them characters in addition to the more famous names, so the book is about one-third Tubman, one-third Douglass, and one-third those lesser-known heroes.

The other thing I’ll mention might sound counterintuitive. I came away from my work on Tubman Travels with a deep and abiding respect for people who decided not to run for freedom, to never set foot along the Underground Railroad. Such folks were not necessarily weak or afraid or trapped. Many had opportunities, but they turned them down—and for compelling reasons. Aging parents needed them, for instance, or they couldn’t bring themselves to leave a child or endure slavery were in some ways every bit as brave and inspiring as the people who fled.

What was the most dangerous or daunting of the journeys
and why?
Every journey in the book has harrowing aspects. One that stands out is the last of Harriet Tubman’s journeys back into the danger zone—one I describe in a chapter titled, “The Lord Giveth, and the Lord Taketh Away.” She made this journey in the most hazardous days of the Underground Railroad, at a point when the slave powers were devoting everything they had to catching runaways and shutting the Railroad down. Tubman’s friends begged her not to go, but she went anyway. She wanted to bring a sister out of slavery. Then, upon arriving, she learned that her sister had died. Incredibly, in the midst of her grief, Tubman decided to lead a few stray strangers to freedom. That journey was harrowing in the extreme—and its near-miraculous resolution is a powerful demonstration of the role faith and prayer played in Tubman’s work.

Which journeys are most impactful? Ones that you would encourage readers to take if they cannot experience all 32?
A good choice here would be the one-two punch of chapters titled “The Fight of His Life” and “A Long and Desperate Walk in Chains.” They are set along a hugely popular travel destination, Route 33, as it runs from Easton through St. Michaels and out towards Tilghman Island. This is where Frederick Douglass endured the worst that slavery had to deliver. This is where he hit his lowest point in life—broken, he confessed, in body, mind and spirit. The fact that he went on to rise from those depths and become an American hero of the first order—it’s incredible to think about, and a testament to the power of the human spirit.

What should we embrace most when remembering Harriet Tubman?
The driving forces in Tubman’s life were things that resonate in our American lives today—unshakeable devotion to family and community, a deep and abiding religious faith, and a commitment to the freedom and worth of all individuals. Her story may have unfolded in the past, but it’s full of inspiration for our present and future times—that’s what I hope folks find in the book.