From the President

As we welcome the 2022 summer season and all the activities and events Cape May MAC has planned, I wanted to take just a moment to express the gratitude of the Board of Trustees to all those who played a role in allowing Cape May MAC to not only endure, but to come out stronger because of, the COVID-19 pandemic.

To the hundreds of volunteers who continued to generously give over 6,000 hours of service during that time, we thank you. To the dedicated staff who both sacrificed and showed incredible creativity to continue to offer programming to the public when most could not, we thank you. To the over 240,000 customers who supported Cape May MAC by visiting our historic sites, taking tours and enjoying the array of other programs, we thank you. To the leaders in local, state, and federal government who provided the lifeline which so many – including Cape May MAC – needed to endure, we thank you.

And finally, to our committed members and generous donors whose overwhelming support we will be forever grateful for, we thank you!

Looking ahead to the second half of the year, Cape May MAC not only has a full slate of programming on tap, but has set ambitious goals in our mission of preservation, interpretation and cultural enrichment. One of these is a partnership with the Cape May County Department of Tourism and Southern Shore Region Destination Marketing Organization in the development of an Economic Impact Study, which will, in part, concentrate on Cape May MAC’s activities throughout the year. It is our hope that the information derived from this study will help us to learn and improve as an organization, so we can better serve our membership and strengthen relationships with our partners. Another item of great anticipation is an application currently underway with the Federal Government to support capital projects at the Emlen Physick Estate. With the support of both Senators Booker and Menendez, we have set a lofty goal in seeking a grant that would provide transformational support in our stewardship of these historic sites. We hope to learn more about our application this fall.

We wish everyone a safe and happy summer season and look forward to seeing you soon!

Underground Railroad

(CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1) the Cape May MAC/CCA Underground Railroad Trolley Tour that launched in 2017, with a visit to the new Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey, dedicated in 2021. The tour is co-sponsored by Cape May MAC, the Center for Community Arts and the Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey.

The tour begins at the Washington Street Mall Information Booth and travels through parts of Cape May and West Cape May. Stops along the route allow tour-goers to disembark to explore historic sites, including a view of the 1859 Cape May Lighthouse, a symbol of freedom and an actual beacon to safety for six enslaved persons escaping by boat from Delaware, and a stop to explore the Mount Zion Cemetery, where the great granddaughter of Tubman’s niece, Florence Cooper, is buried.

Tour-goers will visit the renowned Harriet Tubman Museum of New Jersey. The museum officially opened in 2021 to national accolades. Visitors will hear how the legendary anti-slavery fighter walked these streets, as did prominent and wealthy businessperson and former slave, Stephen Smith, whose railroad cars carried hundreds to freedom. The museum features artifacts and exhibits that illuminate Tubman’s work.

On a recent Tuesday, Kathy Passarelli of North Cape May took the tour.

“When I saw that you were offering this, the trolley and the museum, I thought it would be very informative to learn about the history. … I thought it was so interesting. I would recommend this tour to other people. If you didn’t know anything about Harriet Tubman, you would learn so much about her,” Passarelli said.

Helena Lund took the tour and is a Swedish national who has been coming to New Jersey for 30 years.

“I thought it was very interesting,” she said. “I knew about slavery. I wasn’t too clear that it was different in New Jersey than in other states.”

Suzanne McMonigle, of Philadelphia and Cape May, also has been coming to Cape May for 30 years. She said the tour was interesting and a valuable opportunity, “to learn more about the community beyond the beaches and the things that are obvious.”

For more information and to purchase tickets, CLICK HERE.

-- SK

Photo by Susan Krysiak

The National Park Service has recognized the Underground Railroad Trolley Tour in its Network to Freedom program and included it in its new Travel with Tubman app. The trolley tour now can be taken alone or combined with a visit to the Harriet Tubman Museum. Shown here, one of the stops along the trolley route is the Mount Zion Cemetery.