This small park, adjacent to the Seward House, features a statue of William H. Seward. It was dedicated in 1888, on land donated by Seward’s family for use as a park. It shows Seward making a speech in the US Senate in 1850 against the Fugitive Slave Act, which was eventually passed by the Congress. It required all captured escaped slaves to be returned to their masters, even in “free “states. (Seward, who was an abolitionist, nicknamed it the “Bloodhound Law.”) Seward later, as Secretary of State, helped President Abraham Lincoln frame both the Emancipation Proclamation and the 13th Amendment abolishing slavery. Seward was also an Auburn neighbor, supporter, and friend of escaped slave Harriet Tubman, who helped establish a network of safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. I photograph Seward’s statue from behind here, enabling the figure of Seward to speak directly to the flag symbolizing his nation.