The Harriet Tubman School opened in 1949 as Howard County’s only all-black high school until it was closed through desegregation in 1965 and was used by the Howard County Public School System for more than 50 years. On October 16, 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding was executed with the Howard County Public School System to transfer ownership of the Harriet Tubman School building and surrounding property (the “Harriet Tubman School site”) to Howard County to be preserved as a historic, educational and cultural center. The Harriet Tubman Cultural Center commemorates the history and significance of the Harriet Tubman High School legacy, and the impact of African Americans in Howard County and beyond.