Underground Railroad Exhibit Writing Prompts
Based on the traveling exhibition from ExhibitsUSA
Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad (2002 - 2016)
by Jeanine Michna-Bales
For a printable (double-sided) PDF file click here.
Decision to Leave
Built in 1885, Magnolia Plantation in Central Louisiana originally served as an enslaved labor hospital. Write for 5 minutes, pen to paper the entire time, describing the scenery that is pictured here. How might the grass feel on your feet? How would you describe the light? What color(s) would you use? What else strikes you as you look at the photo?
Wading Prior to Blackness
What challenges can you imagine facing while following and crossing a river bank? Write a short paragraph or create a list. [Examples of what you might consider: Can you follow cardinal directions (the points on a compass)? Would you drink the water if you became thirsty?] You might also write a brief story, situating it in the time period of the underground railroad (1820 - 1860). Create a character or characters and bring their experiences and challenges to life.
Hidden Passage
Before the War of 1812, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky served as a large saltpeter mine (the main ingredient in gunpowder). Shortly after the end of the war, an enslaved African American man by the name of Stephen Bishop single-handedly shaped the cave into the attraction it is today; his maps, made by memory, were used for decades to come. Write a letter to a loved one from the perspective of and with the tone and emotions one might have when alone in a cave. Describe what you’re doing or why you’re there, what emotions you might be experiencing, and thoughts you might be having in such a setting.
Hunter’s Bottom
Hunter’s Bottom, depicted here, consists of seven miles of land along the Ohio River in the state of Indiana. Filled with rich, fertile soil, this land served as another landmark as individuals traveled to the North. Can you recall something from your own experience that functioned or served as a landmark? What was it, and what struck or stood out to you about it? What make it a landmark, and what did it indicate or signify? Describe it and consider writing a poem about it. You might even write a Haiku, which is a Japanese poem, written in three lines, with five syllables each in the first and third lines and seven syllables in the second line. Haikus are often used to evoke images from the natural world.
On the Way to the Hicklin House Station
With its light, shadows, and tombstones, what feelings and responses does this photo evoke for you—e.g., sadness, grief, hope, fear, relief? Write a journal entry about and elaborate on one of these feelings and your experiences with it.
Look for the Gray Barn Out Back
How might you feel approaching a structure like this in the dead of night? What are three words you might use to describe your feelings? Additionally, what are three words you might use to describe this photo? Use the words you come up with in a story or poem that reflects the photo and your experience of it—the feelings and reactions that the scene evokes for you.
Within Reach
As you look at this picture, what is the first thing you notice? Write down what you notice and why you think you noticed it. What emotions does this photo evoke for you? Use these emotions, along with what you’ve noticed, to write a description of the picture for someone who has not or is unable to see it. Make your description as rich as possible.
