Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site

Last updated
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House
National Historic Site
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House.jpg
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House
Location map Washington, D.C. central.png
Red pog.svg
Location within Washington, D.C.
USA District of Columbia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site (the District of Columbia)
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site (the United States)
Location1318 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington D.C., United States
Coordinates 38°54′28″N77°01′49″W / 38.90778°N 77.03028°W / 38.90778; -77.03028
Area0.07 acres (283 m2)
EstablishedOctober 15, 1982
Visitors8,570(in 2005)
Governing body National Park Service
Website Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site

The Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site preserves the house of Mary McLeod Bethune, located in Northwest Washington, D.C., at 1318 Vermont Avenue NW. National Park Service rangers offer tours of the home, and a video about Bethune's life is shown. It is part of the Logan Circle Historic District. [1]

Contents

The house is about five blocks north-northeast of the McPherson Square Washington Metro on the Blue and Orange Lines, and about five blocks south of the U Street Metro station on the Green Line. It is a half block southwest of Logan Circle.

About the site

The site consists of a three-story Victorian [2] [3] townhouse and a two-story carriage house. The carriage house contained the National Archives for Black Women's History, [4] until 2014, when the National Park Service relocated the records [5] to the National Park Service Museum Resource Center in Landover, Maryland. The archives and a research center at the property are open only by appointment. [6]

Bethune made her home in the townhouse from 1943 to 1955. [7] She purchased it for $15,500. [8] Bethune lived on the third floor, while the National Council of Negro Women occupied the first and second floors. The floor plan of the home remains unchanged from the days when Bethune lived there, and most of the furnishings are original to the home and owned by Bethune and the NCNW. [9]

Becoming a National Historic Site

After Bethune's death, title to the house passed to the National Council of Negro Women, who continued to use it as a headquarters. [10] The Council of the District of Columbia added the site to the D.C. Register of Historic Places in 1975, and began a major restoration of the home, carriage house, and grounds. [8] Archivist and historian Bettye Collier-Thomas was hired to manage the house, which the NCNW and the city hoped to turn into a research archive and museum. Collier-Thomas turned the museum into a nationally prominent one. [11] After a $150,000 restoration, it opened to the public as a museum in 1981. [12] The American Institute of Architects awarded the facade and first floor restoration effort a historic preservation citation of merit. [13]

The structure was proposed as a National Historic Site the same year, but the National Park Service controversially refused to conduct a study that would make this determination. [1] In 1982, Congress passed legislation requiring the United States Department of the Interior to sign an agreement with the National Council of Negro Women to further restore the house and carriage house, and to establish and maintain a museum and archives in the structure. [10] Although the NCNW would retain ownership of the house, it would "affiliate" with the National Park Service. [10] The museum and archives were established. Another $1 million in federal money was spent refurbishing, renovating, and conserving the house. [14] By 1987, the federal government was paying $300,000 a year to maintain the house and museum, with the remaining two-thirds of the museum's budget coming from corporations, foundations, and private citizens. [11] Collier-Thomas left the museum in 1989. [14]

The National Park Service purchased Council House in 1994 and renamed it the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site. [8] The National Council of Negro Women purchased as its new headquarters Sears House—an $8 million, six-story, 42,000-square-foot (3,900 m2) historic building at 633 Pennsylvania Avenue NW. [15] The Council House was transferred to the Park Service in October 1996. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol Hill</span> United States historic place and neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Capitol Hill is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C., located in both Northeast D.C. and Southeast D.C.. Bounded by 14th Street SE & NE, F Street NE, Southeast Boulevard SE, South Capitol Street SE. Dominated by the United States Capitol, which sits on the highest point of Capitol Hill, it is one of the oldest historic districts in Washington. Home to around 35,000 people in just under 2 square miles (5 km2), Capitol Hill is also one of the most densely populated neighborhoods. The name "Capitol Hill" is frequently used as a metonym for the U.S. Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Logan Circle (Washington, D.C.)</span> Place in the United States

Logan Circle is a historic roundabout park and neighborhood of Washington, D.C., located in Northwest D.C. The majority of Logan Circle is primarily residential, except for the highly-commercialized 14th Street corridor that passes through the western part of the neighborhood. In the 21st century, Logan Circle has been the focus of urban redevelopment and become one of Washington's most expensive neighborhoods. Today, Logan Circle is also one of D.C.'s most prominent gay neighborhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Height</span> American activist (1912–2010)

Dorothy Irene Height was an African-American civil rights and women's rights activist. She focused on the issues of African-American women, including unemployment, illiteracy, and voter awareness. Height is credited as the first leader in the civil rights movement to recognize inequality for women and African Americans as problems that should be considered as a whole. She was the president of the National Council of Negro Women for 40 years. Height's role in the "Big Six" civil rights movement was frequently ignored by the press due to sexism. In 1974, she was named to the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research, which published the Belmont Report, a bioethics report in response to the infamous "Tuskegee Syphilis Study.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Council of Negro Women</span> United States nonprofit

The National Council of Negro Women, Inc. (NCNW) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African-American women, their families, and communities. Mary McLeod Bethune, the founder of NCNW, wanted to encourage the participation of Negro women in civic, political, economic and educational activities and institutions. The organization was considered as a clearing house for the dissemination of activities concerning women but wanted to work alongside a group that supported civil rights rather than go to actual protests. Women on the council fought more towards political and economic successes of black women to uplift them in society. NCNW fulfills this mission through research, advocacy, national and community-based services, and programs in the United States and Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary McLeod Bethune</span> American educator and civil rights leader (1875–1955)

Mary Jane McLeod Bethune was an American educator, philanthropist, humanitarian, womanist, and civil rights activist. Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935, established the organization's flagship journal Aframerican Women's Journal, and presided for a myriad of African-American women's organizations including the National Association for Colored Women and the National Youth Administration's Negro Division.

National Capital Parks-East (NACE) is an administrative grouping of multiple National Park Service sites east of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C., and in the state of Maryland. These sites include:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site</span> National Historic Site of the United States

Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site at 1538 9th Street NW, in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C., preserves the home of Carter G. Woodson (1875–1950). Woodson, the founder of Black History Month, was an African-American historian, author, and journalist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary McLeod Bethune Home</span> Historic house in Florida, United States

The Mary McLeod Bethune Home is a historic house on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. Built in the early-1900s, it was home to Mary McLeod Bethune (1875–1955), a prominent African-American educator and civil rights leader, from 1913 until her death. It was designated a United States National Historic Landmark in 1974 It is now managed by the Mary McLeod Bethune Foundation as a historic house museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surratt House Museum</span> Historic house in Maryland, United States

The Surratt House is a historic house and house museum located at 9110 Brandywine Road in Clinton, Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The house is named for John and Mary Surratt, who built it in 1852. Mary Surratt was hanged in 1865 for being a co-conspirator in the Abraham Lincoln assassination. It was acquired by the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) in 1965, restored, and opened to the public as a museum in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's history sites (National Park Service)</span>

The National Park System preserves and interprets the history of women in American society. Many national parks, monuments and historic sites represent America's women's history as a primary theme, while numerous others address American women's history somewhere in their programs and preservation activities. The lists of sites below is not exhaustive, but includes sites closely related to themes in U.S. Women's History. Click here for an article on Women in the National Park Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial</span> Memorial by Robert Berks in Washington, D.C., U.S.

Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial is a bronze statue honoring educator and activist Mary McLeod Bethune, by Robert Berks.

Bettye Collier-Thomas is a scholar of African-American women's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs</span> United States historic place

Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, also known as the Minor House, is a historic National Association of Colored Women's Clubs clubhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. The two-and-one-half-story "T"-plan building was originally constructed in 1897 as a private dwelling for John and Sarah Minor; however, since 1927 it has served as the headquarters of the Indiana State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, a nonprofit group of African American women. The Indiana federation was formally organized on April 27, 1904, in Indianapolis and incorporated in 1927. The group's Colonial Revival style frame building sits on a brick foundation and has a gable roof with hipped dormers. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vivian Carter Mason</span>

Vivian Carter Mason was a staunch advocate for women's and civil rights as well as an ardent supporter of universal education. She served as an influential president of the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) from 1953 to 1957. She is well-known for founding the Women's Council for Interracial Cooperation in communities such as Norfolk and Arlington, Virginia, in 1945. Mason also founded the Committee of 100 Women, which allowed for underprivileged children of color in New York City to attend summer camp for free.

National Archives for Black Women's History is an archive located at 3300 Hubbard Rd, Landover, Maryland. It is dedicated to cataloguing, restoring and preserving the documents and photographs of African-American women. The collection work began in 1935 and was formalized into the National Archives for Black Women's History in 1978. Originally housed at 1318 Vermont Avenue, Washington, D.C., in the carriage house of the former home of Mary McLeod Bethune, which is now a National Historic Site, the archive was controversially moved in 2014 by the National Park Service citing concerns over the inadequacy of the original site for preservation of its collection.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violet Lopez Watson</span> Jamaican-American clubwoman

Violet Mae Lopez Watson was a Jamaican-born American clubwoman and community leader. She was a co-founder with Mary McLeod Bethune of the National Council of Negro Women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ida E. Jones (historian)</span> American historian and archivist

Ida E. Jones is an American historian and author who is the University Archivist at Morgan State University, the first archivist in the university's history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daytona Normal and Industrial School</span> School in the United States

Daytona Normal and industrial School, originally Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls was established in Daytona Beach, Florida by Mary McLeod Bethune in 1904. Bethune was active in voter registration and campaigning for women's suffrage. Her school was reportedly threatened by the Ku Klux Klan and she stood vigil to protect it.

Venice Tipton Spraggs was an American journalist. She is known for being the Washington Bureau Chief for The Chicago Defender.

References

  1. 1 2 Latimer, Leah. "Bethune Home Is Center of Historical Site Debate." Washington Post. May 26, 1982.
  2. ↑ Ewert, Sara Dant and Rothman, Hal. Encyclopedia of American National Parks. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2004, p. 406; Kaiser, Harvey H. The National Park Architecture Sourcebook. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2008, p. 441; Danilov, Victor J. Women and Museums: A Comprehensive Guide. Lanham, Md.: AltaMira Press, 2005, p. 29.
  3. ↑ Some sources say the house is Second Empire in style. See: Vorhees, Mara. Washington, D.C. Melbourne, Australia: Lonely Planet Publications, 2004, p. 91; Fitzpatrick, Sandra and Goodwin, Maria R. The Guide to Black Washington: Places and Events of Historical and Cultural Significance in the Nation's Capital. New York: Hippocrene Books, 2001, p. 151; Murphy, Kevin D. and Kurzaj, Radek. The American Townhouse. New York: Abrams, 2005, p. 155; "Bethune Home Gets Official National Landmark Status." Jet. December 30, 1991-January 6, 1992, p. 7.
  4. ↑ Moker, Molly. The Official Guide to America's National Parks. New York: Fodors Travel, 2009, p. 109.
  5. ↑ Ruane, Michael E. (26 February 2014). "National Park Service to go ahead with Moving Archives from Bethune House". The Washington Post . Washington, D.C. Archived from the original on 19 November 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  6. ↑ "National Archives for Black Women's History". National Park Service . Washington, D.C.: US Department of the Interior. 20 September 2019. Archived from the original on 22 October 2019. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  7. ↑ Pohlen, Jerome. Progressive Nation: A Travel Guide With 400+ Left Turns and Inspiring Landmarks. Chicago: Chicago Review Press, 2008, p. 174.
  8. 1 2 3 Holland, Jesse J. Black Men Built the Capitol: Discovering African-American History In and Around Washington, D.C. Guilford, Conn.: Globe Pequot Press, 2007, p. 93.
  9. ↑ Minetor, Randi. Passport to Your National Parks Companion Guide: National Capital Region. Guilford, Conn.: Falcon, 2008, p. 82.
  10. 1 2 3 Eisen, Jack. "Bethune's Home Will Be A National Historic Site." Washington Post. September 24, 1982.
  11. 1 2 Elder, Charles. "Funds Sought to Keep Bethune's Legacy Alive." Washington Post. April 27, 1989.
  12. ↑ "Black Women's Museum Dedicated." Washington Post. November 12, 1981.
  13. ↑ Suave, Frances. "Architects Laud Bethune Museum's Restoration." Washington Post. October 20, 1982.
  14. 1 2 Jackson, Leigh. "Bethune Founder Leaves To Take Temple U Post." Washington Post. November 16, 1989.
  15. ↑ "Council of Negro Women Buys Building." Washington Post. December 9, 1995.
  16. ↑ Trescott, Jacqueline. "An Affirmative Action." Washington Post. September 21, 1996.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.