African American Civil War Memorial Asbury United Methodist Church www.asburyumcdc.org This church was founded in 1836 by freed blacks andslaves. In 2003, the National Park Service added the church to the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. 11th & K Sts. NW. (202) 628-0009. Ben’s Chili Bowl www.benschilibowl.com The Bowl has been a family-owned and operated landmark in DC for 50 years and is a gathering place for community and visitors alike today. During the tumultuous times following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., most of DC was shut down; Ben’s remained open. Stokely Carmichael of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), obtained special police permission to allow Ben’s to stay open after curfew to provide food and shelter for activists, firefighters and public servants desperately trying to restore order. 1213 U St. NW. (202)667-0909. Brookland washington.org Brookland became a popular neighborhood for middle-class African-Americans when racially restrictive housing covenants were ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1948. Poet Sterling Brown, former HUD Secretary Patricia Roberts Harris, painter Lois Malou Jones, andfirst black cabinet member Robert Weaver lived in this tree-lined neighborhood. This community borders the Old Soldiers Home, a property that includes President Lincoln’s Cottage. Civil War to Civil Rights Trail www.culturaltourismdc.org Immerse oneself in the history that shaped America’s character, and follow the walkingtrail's 21poster-sized placards on Cultural Tourism DC’s self-guided tour of downtown DC. Many of the stops are little-known sites that link the history of the city to the history of the nation. See the house where John Wilkes Booth conspired to assassinate President Lincoln; the home of Civil War nurse Clara Barton; and the hotel where Dr. King penned his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. Walkers are encouraged to follow the trail at their own pace and absorb the city’s character along the way. Visitors can download and audio tour online or pick up a companion booklets at Ford's Theatre. (202) 661-7581. Ebenezer United Methodist Church www.gbgm-umc.org/ebzumc Capitol Hill’s oldest independent black congregation was founded in 1834. It was the home to the first school for freedmen in the District. 400 D St. SE. (202) 544-1415. Emancipation Statue, Lincoln Park  washington.org The former siteof LincolnHospital (one of several visited by Walt Whitman visited) was designated a public park after the Civil War. In 1878 when the controversial Lincoln statue was dedicated, Frederick Douglass served as keynote speaker to an audience that included President Ulysses S. Grant. Today, the park also features alarger-than-life-size statue of African-American educator and activist Mary McLeod Bethune, founder of the National Council for Negro Women. 1301 East Capitol St. SE. (202) 673-2402. FranklinSquare Civil War soldiers camped here in 1861. This park was also an early rally point for Emancipation Day celebrations on April 16, 1862.Across from the square, the Franklin School was the site of Alexander Graham Bell's first wireless message. 13th & I Sts. NW. Frederick Douglass National Historic Site www.nps.gov/frdo The former slave who became one of the giants of the Civil War era, purchased this 21-room home in 1877. Known as Cedar Hill, Douglass’s final home is located across the Anacostia River, and offers spectacular view of Washington. Refurbished in 2007, the site offers exhibits, interpretive programs, and a film which tells the story of Douglass’ life. 1411 W St. SE. (202) 426-5961. Open daily 9 am-4 pm between mid-October and mid-April, Cedar Hill closes an hour later in summer months. FREE Lincoln Memorial www.nps.gov/linc This neoclassical temple on the west end of the National Mall is dedicated to the president who worked to keep America’s union together despite our bloodiest war. It is located across the Memorial Bridge from Arlington National Cemetery, where Robert E. Lee’s mansion looms in the distance, symbolically linking the north and south. The Civil War and Lincoln’s legacy is revealed by the structure’s design: 36 columns represent the number of states in the union at the time of the president’s assassination. A passage from the Gettysburg Address is engraved on one side and an excerpt from Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address is on the other. The iconic statue inside of Lincoln, seated and looking towards the US Capitol, was carved by Daniel Chester French. Look for the marker that commemorates the spot from which Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963. The National Mall at 23rd St. NW. (202) 426-6841. FREE Freedom Plaza A popular site for rallies and commemorations, the public space is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who wrote "I Have a Dream" speech at nearby Willard InterContinental. The plaza faces the National Theatre,a frequent venue for actor/assassin John WilkesBooth. 14th St. & Pennsylvania Ave. NW. National Museum of American History americanhistory.si.edu It is little wonder that the Smithsonian Institution is known as “America’s Attic.” This museum collects artifacts of all kinds—from gowns to locomotives—to preserve for the American people an enduring record of their past. The Civil War-era is represented by artifacts including Abraham Lincoln’s top hat and chairs from the courthouse at Appomattox. Items including the Woolworth’s lunch counter, site of the student sit-in in Greensboro, NC, preserve the history of the civil rights movement. 14th St. & Constitution Ave. NW. (202) 633-1000. Open daily; closed Dec. 25. New York Avenue Presbyterian Church www.nyapc.org Presidents including Lincoln and Clinton have worshipped at this storied congregation. In 1954, Rev. George Docherty preached a Lincoln Day sermon to a congregation that included President Dwight David Eisenhower. The sermon, entitled "One Nation Under God," prompted members of Congress to amend the Pledge of Allegiance and insert the phrase "under God." Dr. King preached from this pulpit during the civil rights movement. 1313 New York Ave. NW. (202) 393-3700. Old City Hall The siteof the 1848 fugitive slave case known as the "Pearl" affair, in which abolitionists unsuccessfully attempted to sail 77 slaves up the Chesapeake Bay to safety. A building provided offices for Frederick Douglass when he served as a U.S. marshal. Designed in part by George Hadfield, architect of Robert E. Lee's Arlington House in what is now Arlington Cemetery, the building was rededicated in 2009 as the District Court of Appeals. 4th & 5th at E St. NW. The Phillips Collection www.phillipscollection.org A modern museum of art, this Dupont Circle gem houses many masterpieces including the multi-paneled “Migration” series by Jacob Lawrence (1941) depicting the movement of hundreds of thousands of African-Americans from the south to the north between the First and Second World Wars. Lawrence was an impassioned chronicler of the twentieth century African-American experience. 1600 21st St. NW. (202) 387-2151. Supreme Court www.supremecourt.gov  The seat of landmark rulings including Brown vs. Board of Education and Loving vs. Virginia, the Supreme Court is open for public tours, and oral arguments are open to the public. 1 First St. NE. (202) 479-3000. The White House www.whitehouse.gov Currently the residence of the United States’ first African American President and First Family. At the time of the Civil War, the executive mansion was much smaller, and quite crowded with the Lincolns and their young family. Conditions were also much less sanitary. Sewage emptied onto the Ellipse, fueling diseases like smallpox and typhoid, which may well have claimed the life of Lincoln’s young son, Willie. The White House Visitors Center, located at 15th and E Sts. NW, sheds light on the building’s history and its role in the Civil War. 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. (202) 456-7041. Touring the building requires advance arrangements. Visitors must contact their Congress member up to six months in advance to book timed tours. Tours are available Tues.- Sat., 7:30 am-12:30 pm, barring private events, for groups of ten or more. FREE The Willard InterContinental Washington www.washington.intercontinental.com Few hotels in America can boasts a history as storied as the Willard InterContinental. One hundred years after Emancipation, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. worked on his "I Have a Dream" speech at this fine hotel. In February 1861, members of Congress met here in an effort to avert the impending war. Amid countless assassination threats, Lincoln was smuggled into the hotel prior to his first inauguration. His hotel bill is on view in the history gallery. The Willard was a natural gathering place for both Union and Confederate sympathizers. Julia Ward Howe wrote the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” as she listened to Union troops singing “John Brown’s Body” as they marched below her window. John Wilkes Booth also frequented the Willard. Legend has it that Ulysses S. Grant coined the term “lobbyist” here,for the favor-seekers who bothered him as he savored cigars and brandy in the hotel lobby. 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. (202) 628-9100. |
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