Black history sites on the DC tour routes

What is the African American Civil War Memorial?

A National Park Service memorial to the United States Colored Troops, with 209,145 names etched on stainless steel panels.

The Park Service counts over 200,000 African American soldiers and sailors who served the Union. The 175 regiments of the USCT made up about one-tenth of the Union Army. The private tour stops for about 20 minutes at the African American Civil War Memorial Museum, with commentary outside the building.

Can you see Frederick Douglass's house on the tour?

You get a stop there, not a visit inside: both driving tours list 15 to 20 minutes at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site, and the house is only open on ranger-led tours.

Douglass lived at Cedar Hill from 1877 until his death in 1895. Read visiting Cedar Hill for how to go inside.

What is the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House?

The townhouse at 1318 Vermont Avenue NW that was the first national headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women, from 1943 to 1966.

It was also Bethune's last home in Washington, from 1943 to 1949, and the Park Service opens it for tours on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The small-group drive lists a 30-minute stop. The private tour's itinerary mentions the Bethune statue in Lincoln Park, which the NCNW erected in 1974.

Why is the Lincoln Memorial on a Black history tour?

Because of what happened on its steps: Marian Anderson's Easter concert in 1939 and Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.

The Daughters of the American Revolution refused her the use of Constitution Hall, so Anderson sang on the memorial steps on Easter Sunday, April 9, 1939, to an integrated crowd of 75,000. On August 28, 1963, Dr. King spoke there at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. In the Park Service's words, Anderson's concert "has become part of the popular consciousness of race relations in the United States."

What is special about the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial?

It is the first memorial on the National Mall to honor an African American individual, with an official dedication date of August 28, 2011.

Its address, 1964 Independence Avenue SW, refers to the year the Civil Rights Act became law. The design shows a Stone of Hope hewn from a Mountain of Despair, after a line in the "I Have a Dream" speech, and cherry trees surround the memorial in early spring (National Park Service).

Which sites do the tours only drive past?

On the small-group drive: LeDroit Park, Paul Laurence Dunbar Senior High School, the Howard Theatre, Howard University and the Carter G. Woodson Home, among others.

Carter G. Woodson established Negro History Week from his home in 1926, the observance now celebrated as Black History Month. The house is a National Historic Site, and the Park Service has announced a grand reopening with a new visitor center and exhibits.

What about the history of slavery in the capital?

The private walking tour covers it on foot, from Lafayette Square and Decatur House to the C&O Canal and the museum.

Slavery ended in the District on April 16, 1862, when President Lincoln signed the DC Emancipation Act, eight and a half months before the Emancipation Proclamation. The National Archives records that commissioners approved petitions for the freedom of 2,989 people. Washington still marks April 16 as Emancipation Day.

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Can you visit these sites without a tour?

Yes: the memorials on the Mall are open 24 hours, and the Park Service houses open on their own schedules.

Cedar Hill needs a ranger tour to go inside (Tuesday to Saturday), the Bethune Council House opens Thursday to Saturday, and the sites sit in different quadrants of the city. A driving tour links them in one morning; on your own, plan on Metro, rideshares and more time.

Frequently asked questions