Seward House

土曜日は、Auburn（カユガ群の郡庁所在地）にあるSeward Houseという博物館に行ってきた。Sewardさんは、リンカーン大統領とアンドリュー・ジョンソン大統領時代の国務長官を務めた政治家。
貴重な食器や家具、彫刻、絵画などがあり、古いもの好きの私にとっては、とても興味深い場所だった。

Last Saturday I went to the Seward House Historic Museum in Auburn. It was
the house of William H. Seward (May 16, 1801 - October 10, 1872). He was the American politician who served as the 12th Governor of New York, United States Senator and the United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and
Andrew Johnson.

His house is open to the public as the museum. It took about 40 minutes from
Ithaca to Auburn by car. It was one of the activities of the English class.

The house was originally built by his father-in-law, Judge Elijah Miller, in 1816.
Seward lived there from the time of his marriage until his death. After he died,
the house was inherited by his third son. The entire house remains furnished with
extensive Seward-family collections.

Many unusual things are displayed in the museum. There are many pictures of
famous figures including President Lincoln as well as Seward's family. He traveled all over the world after his retirement. He played an important role in diplomatic
area and had strong relationships with many foreign countries. I enjoyed looking at beautiful dishes, furniture, paintings or sculptures.

Seward supported personal liberty laws and was a virulent opponent of the
Fugitive Slave Act. Seward and his wife Frances were deeply committed to the
abolitionist movement. In the 1850s, the Seward family opened their home as a
safehouse to fugitive slaves. A tour guide explained various things related to him and his house. We looked around some underground rooms where the slaves hid
themselves.

I enjoyed the tour very much!