Mar 11 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Historian Charles L. Blockson had a pleasantly unexpected surprise for the Smithsonian Institute recently. On Wednesday he donated approximately 40 items, which once belonged to abolitionist Harriet Tubman, to the National Museum of African American History and Culture of the Smithsonian. This museum is set to have it’s grand opening near the Washington Monument in the year 2015.

The items which will be on display for tourists and history buffs were once owned by a woman who single-handedly helped hundreds of slaves escape to their freedom by way of the famous Underground Railroad. “For me to be able to tell the story of the Underground Railroad through Harriet Tubman with actual artifacts is really a surprise I didn’t expect,” museum director Lonnie Bunch said. Seeing the artifacts for the first time, he said, was “really one of the most moving moments in my career.”

The former possessions of the woman who was a hero to many include such items as a knife and spoon from her kitchen and a shawl given to her by Queen Victoria. The item with the most sentimental and historical value, however, is perhaps Harriet’s favorite hymn book. The hymn was published in 1876, and has Ms. Tubman’s signature penciled into the front cover. Harriet Tubman was born as a slave on the East Shore of Maryland, and escaped in 1849. She went on to help countless slaves find their way to freedom. The donation was made on the anniversary of her death, March 10, 1913.