African American History in Washington DC: Walking tour of the Shaw and LeDroit Park Neighborhoods

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The George M. Barker Company Warehouse is a historic structure, located in the Logan Circle-Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Designed by A.M. Poynton and built in 1906, it once served a a lumber, coal, and wood distribution warehouse. It is notable as one of the few examples of such buildings in a city that was never heavily industrial. Today, the structure is used by Bread for the City, a local organization which provides vulnerable D.C. residents with various social services.

2. Blanche K. Bruce House

This historic property in the Mount Vernon neighborhood was the home of Blanche K. Bruce while he represented Mississippi as a Senator from 1875 to 1881. Bruce was born in slavery, likely the son of his own master, and escaped the South to become a teacher in Lawrence at the end of the Civil War. He returned to the South and quickly became an influential member of the uneasy biracial coalition between white and Black voters. He became the first African American to fill a complete term in the Senate and remained in Washington where he later served as Registrar of the Treasury within the James Garfield and William McKinley administrations. Blanche Bruce married Josephine Beall Wilson, the first African American schoolteacher in Cleveland. Together, they were leading figures among the elite African American community of Washington. At the same time, their ability to remain in politics after the end of Reconstruction depended on their ability to accommodate white leaders of the Republican Party whose commitment to racial egalitarianism was tenuous at best. While the Bruces both worked to promote reforms that would benefit African Americans throughout the nation, the end of Reconstruction led to disfranchisement of African Americans in the South. Without a political base that could win elections on their own, African American political leaders were forced to help white officeholders in the Republican Party in return for the chance that they might be rewarded with political appointments-a circumstances that led Bruce and many other Black leaders to accept many compromises and occasionally accommodate white leaders rather than challenge them to do more for the welfare of nine million African American citizens. At the same time, Black community leaders were often able to secure a measure of patronage that often led to employment for a small number of African Americans within the government. Black leaders working within the Republican Party were also able to secure support for important measures and occasional victories in the long struggle for civil rights between the late 19th and early 20th century that served as harbingers for more substantive measure in the decades to come.

3. Paul Laurence Dunbar High School

Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., holds the title for the first public high school for African American students in the United States. It was established in 1870, with 45 students in attendance, and only one teacher. From 1870 until 1891, the school resided in many different locations, before finding a semi-permanent home on M Street. Finally in 1916, the high school moved to its present location at 1301 New Jersey Ave NW, where it is still open today.

4. Armstrong Manual Training School

The Armstrong Manual Training School was a school in the Washington, DC area for African American children. Built in 1902 and dedicated by Booker T. Washington, the Armstrong Manual Training School was one of many schools in Washington, DC dedicated to giving African American children access to quality education. Since 1964, the school has continued its educational function, but instead serves as the home of the Armstrong Adult Education Center, and continues to do so today. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in August of 1966.

5. Association for the Study of African American Life and History

The Association for the Study of African American Life and History was founded by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1915. Woodson and ASALH are the originators of what is now known as Black History Month. The goal of this organization was and still is to research and provide information about the history and accomplishments of the African American community. It is headquartered in Washington DC but has branches all over the world. ASALH remains one of the most important organizations for the preservation and study of African American history.

6. Mary Church Terrell House

The Mary Church Terrell House was built in the late 1890's. It became the home of Ms. Terrell who was a key figure in the fight of integration in Washington D.C. The original building witnessed the unraveling of D.C.'s integration laws that occurred throughout the 1890's. However, the house became a key icon in the Civil Rights movement due to its role in Mary Church Terrell's life.

7. LeDroit Park

LeDroit Park is a historic neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located to the southeast of Howard University and west of Bloomingdate. The neighborhood was founded in 1873 by businessman Amzi Barber, who originally developed and marketed it as a "romantic" (and exclusively white) neighborhood. In the 1940s, the area gained prominence as a haven for African-American intellectuals and professionals. Today, LeDroit Park is notable for its socioeconomic and cultural diversity, as well as many fine examples of 19th Century architecture.

8. Griffith Stadium, 1911-1965

Griffith Stadium was a baseball park that opened in 1911 and served as home to the Washington Nationals until 1961. Although it best known for being the home of the Washington Nationals, the stadium was also host to many other sporting events and teams. The World Heavyweight Boxing Match was held here in 1941, and the stadium also served as the home of the Homestead Grays, one of the most successful teams in the history of the Negro League. The field is also remembered for being one of the hardest to hit a home run in. After the Washington Senators left in 1960 to become the Minnesota Twins, the ballpark was used for one season by the D.C. expansion team, also called the Washington Senators. In 1965, the ballpark was torn down. Howard University Hospital was built on this site in 1975.

9. The Howard Theatre

When Howard Theatre opened its doors in 1910, it was the first major Black-owned theater in the United States. Legendary performers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Smokey Robinson, Cab Calloway, and the Supremes all played to sell-out crowds at this venue. White and Black political leaders, including Franklin Deleano Roosevelt, also addressed crowds at this theater. In the era of segregation, this venue was more than simply a theater, it was a place where Black artists and musicians could perform with dignity and Black crowds could enjoy first-class accommodation. For the residents of Washington, the Howard Theatre was not simply a venue, it was an institution, a place where Black families could feel at home and Black performers could start their career. The theater became a national landmark in 1974, but a decline of employment opportunity in the area, combined with public housing and urban renewal programs, changed the nature of the surrounding neighborhood. As crime gripped the area in the 1970s, the theater was forced to close. As the neighborhood experienced progress, local residents began a preservation effort. From 2006 to 2012, the building was restored and re-opened. Much of the interior is different from how the theater looked in the early 1900s, but thanks to a $29-million restoration effort, the facade of the theater matches its original appearance.

10. Dorsch's White Cross Bakery (Wonder Bread Factory)

Dorsch's White Cross Bakery, located in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C., is a building complex that provides office, retail, and event space. Formerly a bakery complex, the buildings represent the Districts's once prominent baking industry. Featuring craftsman-style elements, the S Street structures are amongst the most notable examples of industrial and commercial architecture in the city.

11. African American Civil War Memorial and Museum

The African American Civil War Museum opened to the public in January 1999 to honor the heroic struggle for freedom and civil rights of the Americans of African descent. The museum both highlights and commemorates the role of African Americans in the United States Civil War, particularly those that served in United States Colored Troops (USCT) regiments. The museum collection comprises a wide assortment of photographs, newspaper articles, replicas of period clothing, weaponry, and uniforms. Using photographs, documents, and state of the art audio and visual equipment, the museum helps visitors understand the African American's heroic and largely unknown struggle for freedom.

12. Evans-Tibbs House

The Evans-Tibbs House is a historic home in Washington, DC’s Shaw neighborhood. Built in 1894, the house is particularly notable for being the residence of the first African American opera singer of international fame, Lillian Evans Tibbs. For some time after her death, her grandson housed an art gallery in the home. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in September of 1987.

13. Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage

The Thurgood Marshall Center for Service and Heritage is a community center named to honor the well-known civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall. It is located in what used to be the Twelfth Street YMCA, the first-African American YMCA. The building that now houses the Thurgood Marshall Center has a long history of enriching the lives of African Americans who likely would not have had the opportunity for this experience otherwise. During its days as the Twelfth Street YMCA and Anthony Bowen YMCA, this building welcomed African Americans who often had nowhere else to go for enrichment because of segregation. Now, years later, this building is being put back to use for many of the same purposes. The building of the Thurgood Marshall Center has been named a National Historic Landmark.

14. Carter G. Woodson Memorial Park

Completed in February 2015, this memorial park is dedicated to Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who is widely regarded as "The Father of Black History." The park is located near his Washington DC home, which is a National Historic Site, as well as the Black community's YMCA where often dined. Woodson was the second African American to graduate with a Ph.D. from Harvard University. He established the leading academic journal related to African American history. He also founded the organization now known as the Association for the Study of African American History and Life (ASALH). Finally, Woodson created "Negro History Week" as an annual celebration of Black history and culture that has now been expanded to Black History Month and is commemorated each February .

15. Carter G. Woodson Home

Dr. Carter G. Woodson is often called the Father of Black History. He is best known for being the founder of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. At the start of the ASALH, he led meetings and gatherings for the organization at his home at 1538 9th Street NW in Washington DC. In 1970, the ASALH moved from Woodson's house to its headquarters on 525 Bryant Street. The Carter G. Woodson Home is now a National Historical Landmark (The Carter G. Woodson Home).

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

African American History in Washington DC: Walking tour of the Shaw and LeDroit Park Neighborhoods

Created by Cassandra Vance on November 17th 2018, 2:09:52 pm.

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This tour begins at the former home of Carter G. Woodson, the most influential historian of the 20th century known for launching the celebration of "Negro History Week". The African American Heritage Trail identifies more than 200 sites that are important in local and national history and culture. The tour includes a variety of buildings on the National Register of Historic Places and landmarks throughout the Shaw and LeDroit neighborhoods related to African American history.

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African American History in Washington DC: Walking tour of the Shaw and LeDroit Park Neighborhoods

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