PHOTOS: Neighborhood Cleanup Day at Harriet Tubman Park

Last weekend, several South End residents got together to spruce up Harriet Tubman Park, an annual cleanup that takes on special significance this year. This year marks the 100th Anniversary of Harriet Tubman’s death, a fact not lost on the volunteers who came out to spruce up the park.  “There is special significance to cleaning up the park named after her, which also features the first statue honoring a woman on Boston-owned property,” said Scott Mabel of the Pilot Block Neighborhood Association. While several neighbors raked, swept, and weeded the park, others cleaned up the sidewalks and alley entrance areas, he said. About 15 people volunteered in all to clean up the park and some of the nearby alley areas. The park also features an interesting geo-cache, where more than 80 people have already logged their visits to the park.  Mabel said he frequently sees visitors to the park posing with the statue and taking a second to reflect on Tubman’s historical significance.  “I recently spoke to two construction workers who had finished their day early. They were posing in front of her statue on their way to visit the Marathon Memorial in Copley Sq.,” he said. “Then last night, I over-heard a woman telling a young child, ‘she worked on the underground railroad to help free the slaves’ as they walked past the park.” Do you frequent the park? Have you found the geocache? Are you glad to see volunteers helping to keep it nice? Tell us in the comments.  SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch

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