Speaker: Dr. Julie Schablitsky, Chief Archaeologist, Maryland Department of Transportation   In 2020, archaeologists began searching the Eastern Shore wetlands for the home of Ben Ross, Harriet Tubman’s father. Their work uncovered the remains of Ross’s homeplace and a second dwelling used by enslaved people. Drawing on documentary evidence and hundreds of artifacts, Dr. Schablitsky is reconstructing the lives of those who lived and labored there—offering new insight into how Tubman, her family, and her community endured and ultimately escaped slavery.  Dr. Julie Schablitsky serves as MDOT’s chief archaeologist and adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on sites of enslavement in Maryland, including Harriet Tubman’s birthplace. Her recent book, Belvoir: An Archaeology of Maryland Slavery, was published by the University of Alabama Press.