Mary McLeod Bethune House

This historic home was purchased by Bethune in 1913 and was her home until her death in 1955. The home is located on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University and contains artifacts from Bethune's long career as an educator and civil rights activist. The college dates back to a school for girls that Bethune founded in 1904. That school merged with a nearby school for boys and grew to become Bethune-Cookman College. The home has been recognized as a National Landmark and has welcomed famous Americans, from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to Jackie Robinson. All of the furniture, art, and artifacts on display in the home are original and belonged to Bethune.

Mary McLeod Bethune was one of seventeen children born into slavery and the only one in her family who had the opportunity to attend school. To do so, she walked eight miles each day and shared her newfound knowledge with her family. Growing up in these conditions inspired her to want to make a change. Mary McLeod Bethune became a teacher, where she hoped to inspire others and initiate her voice of change and knowledge. Bethune founded the Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Negro Girls in Daytona, Florida, in 1904. Starting with only five students, she helped grow the school to more than 250 students over the next years. Bethune served as the school's president, and she remained its leader even after it was combined with the Cookman Institute for Men. The new institution became known as Bethune-Cookman College and was one of the few places where African American students could pursue a college degree.

Bethune was an internationally renowned educator. However, her accomplishments ranged far beyond the college and the field of education. In 1935, she founded the National Council of Negro Women, and also that year, she was awarded the NAACP’s prestigious Spingarn Medal for distinguished merit and achievement. In 1936, Mrs. Bethune became the highest-ranking African-American administrator in the federal government after being appointed director of the National Youth Administration’s Office of Minority Affairs by President Franklin Roosevelt. In 1945, she was chosen by the U.S. State Department to serve as an official consultant at the San Francisco Conference, where the United Nations Charter was drawn up and signed. Among the home’s highlights is the guest bedroom where her close friend, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, stayed when visiting Daytona Beach.

Bethune- Cookman University Website National Registrar Information System