Freedom Center falters in Ohio
A national museum commemorating the Underground Railroad is $5.5 million in the red just 18 months after opening, and officials said they will seek public money to continue operations.
When the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened in Cincinnati in August 2004 with an annual budget of more than $10 million, officials said they would rely on admissions, donations and grants. But the center’s chief executive, John Pepper, said income has not met expectations.
The center will seek city, state and federal funds rather than asking taxpayers to approve an operating levy, Pepper said. The museum will need an estimated $2 million to $3 million a year in public funding to stay up and running, he said.
The museum, built along the Ohio River, commemorates the secret Underground Railroad network that helped slaves escape from the South during the 1800s. Cincinnati was considered a gateway to the North.
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