National Underground Railroad Freedom Center facts for kids
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center
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| Established | August 2004 |
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| Location | 50 E. Freedom Way Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 |
| Type | Public |
| Visitors | 180,000 annual |
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a museum in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. It teaches visitors about the history of the Underground Railroad. This was a secret network that helped enslaved people escape to freedom.
Opened in 2004, the center also honors all efforts to end slavery and make sure everyone has freedom. It is one of several "museums of conscience" in the United States. These museums help people think about important human rights issues. The Freedom Center helps us understand the fight for freedom in the past, today, and for the future. It makes visitors think about what freedom means in their own lives.
The museum is in Cincinnati because this city was very important to the Underground Railroad. Thousands of enslaved people escaped by crossing the Ohio River from southern states. Many found safety in Cincinnati. Some stayed there for a while before going further north to find freedom in Canada.
Building the Freedom Center
It took ten years to plan, raise money for, and build the Freedom Center. It cost about $110 million. The museum opened to the public on August 3, 2004. The official opening ceremonies happened on August 23.
The building is 158,000 square feet (about 15,000 square meters). It was designed by Boora Architects and Blackburn Architects. The building has three main parts, called pavilions. These parts celebrate courage, cooperation, and never giving up (perseverance).
The outside of the building uses rough travertine stone from Italy and copper panels. One of its main architects, Walter Blackburn, said the building's wavy shape shows the fields and river that escaping enslaved people crossed to reach freedom. Many famous people attended the groundbreaking ceremony on June 17, 2002. These included First Lady Laura Bush, Oprah Winfrey, and Muhammad Ali.
The Slave Pen
The most important artifact at the center is a large, two-story log slave pen. It is 21 by 30 feet (about 6 by 9 meters) and was built in 1830. By 2003, it was the only known slave jail still existing in a rural area. It was used to hold enslaved people before they were sent to be sold at auction.
This structure was moved from a farm in Mason County, Kentucky. It was rebuilt on the second floor of the museum. Visitors see it many times as they explore other exhibits. People walking on the street outside can also see it through the museum's large windows.
The pen was first owned by Captain John Anderson, a slave trader. Enslaved people from the area were held in this pen for days or months. Traders waited for good market conditions to sell them for higher prices. Then, they were taken from Dover, Kentucky to slave markets in Natchez, Mississippi and New Orleans, Louisiana.
The pen has eight small windows, its original stone floor, and a fireplace. On the second floor, there are wrought iron rings. A chain ran through these rings, holding men on either side. Enslaved men were kept on the second floor. Women were kept on the first floor, where they used the fireplace for cooking.
Carl Westmoreland, a curator at the museum, said, "The pen is powerful. It feels like a sacred place. When people stand inside, they speak in whispers." He believes it is there to tell the story of the internal slave trade to future generations.
Visitors can walk through the pen and touch its walls. The first names of some of the enslaved people believed to have been held there are listed on a wooden slab inside. These names were found in records kept by the slave traders.
Westmoreland spent three and a half years finding the story of this slave jail. Its proof by him and other historians is seen as a very important discovery about the items related to slavery. Westmoreland said, "We are just starting to remember. There is a hidden history right below the surface."
Other Museum Features
The Freedom Center has many interesting exhibits and features:
- The "Suite for Freedom" Theater shows three animated films. These films talk about how fragile freedom can be throughout history. They especially focus on the Underground Railroad and slavery in the United States.
- The "ESCAPE! Freedom Seekers" is an interactive display about the Underground Railroad. It lets school groups and families pretend to make an escape attempt. This gallery shares information about important figures. These include William Lloyd Garrison, a leading abolitionist. It also features Harriet Tubman, an escaped enslaved person and "conductor" on the Underground Railroad. And it tells about Frederick Douglass, an escaped enslaved person who became a powerful speaker against slavery.
- The film, Brothers of the Borderland, tells a story about the Underground Railroad in Ripley, Ohio. It shows how both Black (John Parker) and white (Reverend John Rankin) "conductors" helped enslaved people escape.
- Exhibits teach about the history of slavery and those who fought against it. These include John Brown and President Abraham Lincoln. They also cover the American Civil War that ended slavery.
- The Struggle Continues exhibit shows the challenges African Americans have faced since slavery ended. It also highlights ongoing fights for freedom around the world today. It shows how the Underground Railroad has inspired groups in India, Poland, and South Africa.
- The John Parker Library has many books, videos, and other materials. They are all about the Underground Railroad and freedom.
- The FamilySearch Center lets visitors research their own family history.
- Artist Jane Burch Cochran created a quilt called "Crossing to Freedom." This large quilt (7 by 10 feet) shows symbols from the anti-slavery era to the Civil Rights Movement. It hangs at an entrance to the center.
See also
