CAPE MAY, NJ – On Thursday, November 9, the famed Underground Railroad will once again come alive as the iconic “Beacon of Hope” bronze statue of Harriet Tubman is transported across the Delaware Bay aboard the Cape May – Lewes Ferry (CMLF).   Since September 1, 2023, the “Beacon of Hope” has been on exhibit at the Cape May Point Science Center (CMPSC), the first stop on its freedom tour.  

“We’re honored to transport the “Beacon of Hope,” said Heath Gehrke, Director of Ferry Operations.  “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.  It’s fitting and a significant historical moment for this iconic sculpture to cross the Delaware on the Cape May Lewes Ferry.”

The “Beacon of Hope”, which is 13 feet high, is traveling on a 70-foot-long flatbed trailer.  The statue and its entourage will board the 10:30 a.m. departure from Cape May, New Jersey on Thursday, November 9.  

“To Honor the Underground Railroad, William Still, and Harriet Tubman, the celebrated “Beacon of Hope” sculpture of Tubman was created and now will continue to follow the trail through Maryland, New Jersey, and New York,” said Bob Mullock, President of the Cape May Point Science Center.  “Harriet Tubman was very active on Cape Island and William Still, the father of the Underground Railroad, once owned the historic building that today houses the Science Center.  We were honored to be the sculpture’s first stop on its travel through time and appreciate the Ferry’s help in getting her to her next destination – Salisbury, Maryland.” 

Chronicling the journey of one of our great American heroes, the “Beacon of Hope” has planned stops in Salisbury, Maryland; Rahway, New Jersey; the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio; City of Peekskill, New York; and John Brown Farm State Historic Site in Westport, New York.

Designed and produced by Wesley Wofford of Wofford Sculpture Studio, "The Beacon of Hope" is a monument that tells Harriet Tubman's continuing story and amplifies her message of equality, so that all may hear it.

About the Cape May-Lewes Ferry 
Owned and operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority, the Cape May – Lewes Ferry is open year-round and has carried more than 43 million passengers since its inception on July 1, 1964. As an integral transportation system connecting the communities and economies on both sides of the Delaware Bay, the Ferry service is a significant catalyst for economic growth and regional tourism activity in New Jersey and Delaware. Its operations sustain over 4,000 jobs while generating tens of millions of dollars in local taxes and hundreds of millions in regional economic activity. For schedules and rates, please visit www.CMLF.com or call 800-643-3779. 

About the Cape May Point Science Center 
Located in one of the world’s most biodiverse and vital regions, The Center’s mission is to provide unique opportunities and funding to advance ecological research, education, and advocacy and encourage the protection of our piece of nature’s heaven. The Center further aims to uncover and preserve history, and the building it calls home, and the community of Cape May Point. For more information, please visit www.capemaypointsciencecenter.org or email info@cmpscience.org.