National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is focused on the history of the Underground Railroad. It pays tribute to all the efforts to abolish enslavement and secure freedom for all people.

The Center offers insight into the struggle for freedom and the meaning of freedom in people’s lives. 

Its location in Cincinnati recognizes the history of the Underground Railroad, as thousands of slaves escaped to freedom by crossing the Ohio River from the southern slave states.

Many slaves found refuge in Cincinnati, and others headed north to gain freedom in Canada.

The Center’s primary exhibit is a two-story log slave pen built in 1830  in Kentucky as a slave jail used to house slaves before they were shipped to the auction.

Male slaves were held on the second floor in shackles, while women were kept on the first floor, where they used the fireplace for cooking.

The Library houses a collection of multimedia materials about the Underground Railroad and freedom-related issues.

The Search Center allows interested visitors to investigate their own roots.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in Polish, published 1888

Highlights of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

• The three pavilions that celebrate Courage, Cooperation, and Perseverance
• The theater features films that explore the fragile nature of freedom
• The interactive displays that explore imaginary escape attempts
• The biography galleries that feature abolitionists and escaped slaves
• The story of the Underground Railroad in Ohio
• An exhibit about the history of slavery and its opponents
• An exhibition on the continuing challenges faced by African Americans since the end of slavery
• The “Crossing to Freedom” quilt –  a 7 ft by 10 ft quilt that depicts images from the anti-slavery era to the Civil Rights Movement

A Civil War Diary