William H. Seward House Museum

The home of Lincoln's Secretary of State, who survived an assassination attempt the same night Lincoln was killed

Address 33 South Street, Auburn, NY 13021
Phone 315-252-1283

The William H. Seward House Museum is the preserved home of William Henry Seward, one of the most consequential American statesmen of the 19th century. Seward was Lincoln's Secretary of State, a leading opponent of slavery who had himself been a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 1860, and the man who negotiated the Alaska Purchase from Russia in 1867 — an acquisition so controversial it was nicknamed "Seward's Folly."

The house, a Federal-style mansion on South Street, has been preserved as it was during Seward's lifetime, with original furnishings, correspondence, and memorabilia from his long career. Guided tours trace both Seward's political life and his role in Auburn's community, including his early support for Harriet Tubman when she settled in the city.

The museum holds significant archival material on the abolitionist movement, the Civil War, and Reconstruction-era politics. For visitors interested in American history, the combination of this house and the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park makes Auburn a remarkably rich stop.

things to do museum historic site
A story
On the night of April 14, 1865 — the same night Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theatre — a co-conspirator named Lewis Powell broke into this house and stabbed Seward in his bed. Seward survived, though badly scarred, and went on to negotiate the Alaska Purchase two years later. The blood-stained pillowcase from the attack night is still in the house.