Freedom Bound - The Story of Syracuse & The Underground Railroad:
What Do You Think?
Responses left on c oment cards from some of our museum visitors.

Comments from a very young boy named Adam:
Who might the carved faces represent?
Family members

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
Sad faces

Who might the carved faces represent?
People they knew or wanted to remember or maybe even their own.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
Just slavery and its wrongs.

Who might the carved faces represent?
People they left behind.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
A slave keeper.

Who might the carved faces represent?
Harriet Tubman

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
Freedom!!!

Who might the carved faces represent?
Escaped slaves and/or freedom helpers

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
How indeed the times have changed and how hard it definitely was during slavery.

Who might the carved faces represent?
The carved faces might be the faces of the people that the slaves loved.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
It makes me think about Harriet Tubman.

From Madeline T.
Who might the carved faces represent?
Hopeful people who were looking for a place that would accept them unconditionally.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
It is amazing that so many good hearted people settled in this area. God had a plan for all of them.

Who might the carved faces represent?
Escaping slaves.
Escaping slaves' wives/mothers
Escaping slaves' etc.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
Slaves hiding to be free for days on end. . .

Who might the carved faces represent?
People trying to find their way out.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
What if I was in the same situation.

Who might the carved faces represent?
(No response)

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
I think it is incredible that not many people know about how influential Syracuse, NY was in the fight against slavery.

Who might the carved faces represent?
The carved faces represent the men and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
How unfairly these people were treated, and what would I do if I was them.

Who might the carved faces represent?
A sign that slaves were here. The people who escaped on the Underground Railroad or the people who helped them.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
How awful it must have been to be in slavery and have to escape on the underground railroad.

Who might the carved faces represent?
Family members.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
If they missed each other or were scared.

Who might the carved faces represent?
Likenesses of those who were either supporters of the ongoing struggle for freedom or those preserving to seek freedom themselves.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
The awesome reality that the struggle was alive and well.

Who might the carved faces represent?
All of the people who suffered from oppression.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
The great history of Syracuse that many people are not aware of.

Who might the carved faces represent?
Relatives.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
History and how important it is to never forget.

Who might the carved faces represent?
The runaway slaves.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
The past life for African American slaves, and how hard their lives were.

Who might the carved faces represent?
People who came here years ago.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
Fresh air and sunshine!

Who might the carved faces represent?
Could represent family members that previous runaways missed or they attempted to do self portraits.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
Makes me think about how my people struggled to be free.

Who might the carved faces represent?
I think it represents slaves on the run. To show slaves that the house that they go to are good people.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
About all of the slaves and how they were treated and stuff.

Who might the carved faces represent?
Their loves ones left behind.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
My children and grandchildren – they are of mixed racial heritage. I will bring them here to see the exhibit.

Who might the carved faces represent?
Probably the tired, sick, hungry, freedom-desperate slaves.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
The horrible life of these slaves and what they had to do to get freedom.

Who might the carved faces represent?
They are a metaphor for the strength of people seeking the freedom that was their right.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
It is a compelling and sobering look at their struggle for freedom.

From Rebecca R.:
Who might the carved faces represent?
I think they represent the help from the people in the church and how they now know tha the slaves were there.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
How treacherous the journey for the slaves was.

Who might the carved faces represent?
A constant reminder of death, sorry and the true sense of things people take for granted, FREEDOM.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
Freedom. It is never free. You can feel the sense of lose from their families, home and life.

Who might the carved faces represent?
I think the carved faces might represent relatives left behind in bondage. That might be reason why they're not smiling.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
The exhibit faces made me think about how hard it was probably for them and how brave they were.

Who might the carved faces represent?
I think the faces were carved to represent the slaves that tried to fight for freedom.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
I think of the things they had to go through, and how they got shot if they didn't listen to what they were told.

Who might the carved faces represent?
It is the people who helped them.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
I think it's sad because they shot them.

Who might the carved faces represent?
The carved faces are boys.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
I think it's sad.

Who might the carved faces represent?
I think they represent the fleeing slaves and were a symbol of hope that they would be freed.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
The faces made me think about how horrible slavery is.

Who might the carved faces represent?
Slave workers.

What do the faces or the exhibit make you think about?
Makes me think about USA history like without the slaves. USA couldn't be as far in economies(?) like we are today.