D1: Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History
Location: 1407 14th St. NW, Washington, D.C.
Open: Mon-Fri: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Admission: free
For more information, visit: http://www.asalh.org/

Founded in 1915 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson, one of the first African American historians, the association contains a library, archive repository and research center for information on African American history. The association also publishes periodicals on black history, such as the Journal of Negro History.

D2: Charlotte Forten Grimke's House
Location: 1608 R Street, NW, Washington, D.C. building is not open to the public

Charlotte Forten Grimke (1838-1914) lived in this house during the latter part of her life. An abolitionist, supporter of women's rights, writer, and one of the early African American female teachers, Grimke combined all of her passions to educate and aid newly freed slaves after the Emancipation Proclamation. She also was a co-founder of the Colored Women's League in 1894.

 

D3: D.C. Superior Court House/Old City Hall
Location: 451 D Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
Open: Mon-Fri: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Admission: free
For more information, visit: http://www.dccourts.gov/dccourts

Old City Hall was involved in the abolition movement in several ways. Trials of abolitionists and Underground Railroad participants occurred here in the early 1820s. The American Convention for the Abolition of Slavery met here in 1829. Old City Hall was also the site for the only known instance of compensation of white slaveholders for the loss, by government emancipation, of African Americans they legally owned as property. White slaveholders who were loyal to the Union could receive compensation for up to $300 per enslaved person.

D4: Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church
Location: 15th and R streets, NW (1705 15th Street, NW), Washington, D.C.
For more information, visit: http://www.culturaltourismdc.org/

Founded in 1841 as the First Colored Presbyterian Church, the Fifteenth Street Presbyterian Church was originally located at 14th and I Streets, NW, until 1853, and then on 15th Street between I and K Streets, until it moved to its current location in 1918. The church was a religious, educational, and social center for the community. Among the many people who attended church and other activities there was Sojourner Truth (1797-1883), the famous runaway slave who lectured for forty years in favor of abolition and women's rights. Truth attended church and held benefits for the Colored Soldiers' Aid Society there. Another important woman in the congregation was Elizabeth Keckley (1818-1907), seamstress for thirty years to Mary Todd Lincoln and organizer of the first celebration of the DC Emancipation.

D5: Franklin Square/Emancipation Day Parade
Location: at 13th, 14th, I, and K Streets, NW, Washington, D.C.

Emancipation in Washington, D.C., occurred nine months earlier than the rest of the nation, making enslaved Washingtonians the "first freed" by President Abraham Lincoln on April 16, 1862. In 1866, the first commemorative Emancipation Day Parade occurred. Over 5,000 people marched from Franklin Square through downtown, stopping at the White House, and then returning to Franklin Square for speeches. There were over 10,000 spectators. After 1901, the speeches only continued in churches because of disagreements between parade organizers. The parade was revived in 2002.

D6: Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Location: 1411 W Street, SE, Washington, D.C.
Open: Oct 16 - April 14: 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. and April 15 - Oct 15: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
The last house tour departs 30 minutes before closing time.
Admission: free
For more information, visit: http://www.nps.gov/frdo


Underground Railroad conductor and antislavery and women's rights lecturer Frederick Douglass (1817--1895) resided in this house from 1877 until his death. His second wife, Helen Pitts Douglass, bequeathed the house to the Frederick Douglas Memorial and Historical Association. Joining with the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, the association opened the house to visitors in 1916. Inside the house is a virtual exhibit that features items owned by Frederick Douglass and highlights his achievements.

D7: Library of Congress
Location: 1st and Capitol Streets, SE, Washington, D.C.
Open: Mon-Fri: 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sat-Sun: 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Admission: free
For more information, visit: http://www.loc.gov/

The American Treasures of the Library of Congress exhibition features rotating originals of documents that shaped the nation. These documents include the first and final drafts of the Emancipation Proclamation and a letter from President Abraham Lincoln titled, "If Slavery Is Not Wrong, Nothing Is Wrong."

These items are not always on display as Library of Congress rotates them, but they can also be viewed online at: http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tr00.html#emproc

D8: Mary Ann Shadd Cary's House
Location: 1421 W St., NW,
the building is not open to the public

Mary Ann Shadd's (1823-1893) family often hid runaway slaves in their home. As an adult, Shadd lectured on abolition and taught at schools for African American children. In 1850, she moved to Canada where she founded its first anti-slavery newspaper, the Provincial Freeman, encouraging African Americans to immigrate to Canada. This made her the first black newspaperwoman in North America. After the Civil War, Shadd moved to Washington D.C., to this house, and taught for 15 years at public schools and Howard University. After studying law at Howard, Shadd became one of the first African American female lawyers. She also lectured widely on women's rights.

D9: National Archives
Location:Constitution Ave, between 7th and 9th Streets, Washington, D.C.
Open: Labor Day - March 31, daily: 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
April 1 - Friday before Memorial Day Weekend, daily: 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Memorial Day Weekend - Labor Day Weekend, daily: 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Admission: free
For more information, visit: http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/

In the main retunda where documents like the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution are kept, visitors can also view a water color of Elizabeth "Mumbet" Freeman, a former slave who achieved her freedom by petitioning the State of Massachusetts in 1781. The painting is by Susan Anne Livingston Ridley Sedgwick, completed in 1811.

Mumbet sought freedom after hearing the Declaration of Independence spoken. Mumbet was one of the first slaves to be set free in Massachusetts and in the newly founded United States of America. She was the first black woman to be set free due in large part to her own determination and character.

D10: National Museum of American History
Location: 14th St and Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, D.C.
Open: Currently closed for renovation
Admission: free
For more information, visit: http://americanhistory.si.edu/

The museum contains several exhibitions relating to African American culture and history.

__________________________________________________________________

National Women's History Museum
Administrative Offices
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Alexandria, VA 22304
703-813-6209
info@nwhm.org

Copyright © 2007 National Women's History Museum.