It is said that the old Seward kitchen was one of the most popular stations of the Underground Railroad, and that many a poor slave who fled by this route to Canada carried to his grave the remembrance of its warmth and cheer.

Anna Wharton Seward Portrait by Frank Buchser
c. 1869
Oil on canvas portrait of Anna Wharton Seward, wife of Frederick Seward, and daughter-in-law of Sec. Seward. Painted by Swiss artist Frank Buchser, Ana served as the official hostess of Seward's Washington, D.C. residences. Anna was responsible for planning and organizing all of Seward's dinner parties that included guests from across the country and around the world.
