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Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

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Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

This is the official page of the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site.
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The Frederick Douglass National Historic Site preserves and interprets Cedar Hill, where Frederick Douglass lived from 1877 until his death in 1895. Born into slavery, Douglass escaped to spend his life fighting for justice and equality for all people. His tireless struggle, brilliant words, and inclusive vision of humanity continue to inspire and sustain people today.

07/29/2026

Frederick Douglass was born in Talbot County, Maryland, and lived the first twenty years of his life enslaved in that state. Although they would not have met until both made their way north, his story closely mirrors that of another notable abolitionist--Harriet Tubman. Tubman was born four years after Douglass and lived and an hour down the road in Dorchester County!

Today, the place of Frederick Douglass's enslavement is commemorated with a historical marker, and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park marks hers. Both of these historic figures, although they used largely different tactics to achieve it, worked tirelessly to bring about an end to enslavement, and their motivation was rooted in the experiences they both had from those dark days that had come before.

Who do you look to when you need an ally in something?

Photo: A ranger gives a talk in front of the Harriet Tubman Mural in downtown Cambridge, MD (NPS Photo)

07/28/2026

It is easy, sometimes, to see historic figures as larger-than life. From a modern perspective, you might look at Frederick Douglass and see the great orator, statesman, and abolitionist that histories contemporaneous and modern both depict him as, but that can lead you to miss the most personal and human details about a person. For instance, a sense of humor! This is a sculpture found in the Frederick Douglass house entitled "L'Ours Dentiste" (The Dentist Bear) by Christophe Fratin. A small, absurd knickknack is all that it takes to break through a stone-faced facade; anyone who owns this little piece isn't 100% serious 100% of the time, that's certain! What funny things do you keep around for yourself?

Photo: "L'Ours Dentiste" in Frederick Douglass's study. (NPS Photo / T Murphy)

07/25/2026

Martin Robison Delany was an American Abolitionist and an early influential proponent of Black nationalism. He was also a journalist, physician, military officer, and writer. Trained as a physician's assistant, he treated patients during the cholera epidemics of 1833 and 1854 in Pittsburgh, even though many doctors and residents fled the city out of fear of contamination. Starting in 1847, Delany would work alongside Frederick Douglass in Rochester, New York to publish the anti-slavery newspaper known as "The North Star". Douglass handled the editing, printing, and publishing while Delany traveled to lecture, report, and generate subscriptions for the paper.

Photo: Major Martin R. Delany, ca. 1865 (National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution)

07/24/2026

In November 2022, this multiple-through arch bridge spanning the Anacostia River was completed, replacing the original swing bridge built in the 1950s. In 1965, that bridge was renamed the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in honor of the famed abolitionist, writer, and statesman. There had been serious discussion regarding who the bridge would be named after. Franklin D. Roosevelt, Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington and Herbert Hoover were all suggested.

What are your favorite ways to honor trailblazers in history?

07/23/2026

On June 2, 1872, in the middle of the night, a fire broke out in the Douglass’s Rochester, NY home in a case of suspected arson. Anna Murray Douglass was asleep in the family home on South Avenue, as well as her oldest child Rosetta, Rosetta's husband Nathaniel Sprague, and their young children. At this time, Frederick Douglass was away on political business and travelled all night to return home after hearing the news. He found his family safe, but naturally traumatized and distraught after learning of the malicious nature of the fire.

While everyone was thankful they survived, they lost all of their belongings, including 16 volumes containing "The North Star" Newspaper, "The Douglass Monthly", and "The Frederick Douglass Paper". Soon after, the family moved to Washington, D.C. to begin a new life somewhere a bit safer for African Americans. Today the site that once occupied their home in Rochester is the location of the Anna Murray Douglass Academy School No. 12.

Has there been a time when you have had to start over? How did you handle it?

(NPS Photo)

07/22/2026

Nathan and Mary Johnson were prominent and affluent African American entrepreneurs in New Bedford, Massachusetts who played a significant role in supporting freedom seekers escaping slavery. They helped Frederick Douglass and at least 700 others seeking freedom, providing assistance and refuge within New Bedford’s thriving African American community. The Johnsons owned a block of properties in New Bedford, including the home where Frederick Douglass spent his first years after escaping slavery. Many freedom seekers settled in New Bedford because of the city’s diverse population and its connection to major industries. Historically the whaling and maritime trades occupations were more welcoming to people of all races. Right across from the Johnson home is "Abolition Row Park", where a statue of Frederick Douglass honors his legacy and the community that helped him begin his life as a free man.

NPS Photo

07/21/2026

"I believe that if the slaveholder would be sober for a moment he would consider the sinfulness of his position—hard-hearted as he is, I believe there is humanity enough if we could get him sober—we could get a public opinion sufficiently strong to break the relation of master and slave." - Frederick Douglass, an address delivered in Cork, Ireland, 1845.

Although Douglass kept bottles of wine in his home, ready to serve to his frequent dinner guests, he did not drink himself as he was a longtime proponent of the Temperance Movement, which stood for total abstinence from consuming alcohol. The Temperance Movement found many allies among both abolitionists and suffragists, and Frederick Douglass was known to criticize how alcohol was given to enslaved people as a means of control and establishing dependency. Nevertheless, many Temperence advocates understood the difficulties of expecting everyone else to agree with remaining alcohol-free, just as Douglass did, hence the bottles of Bordeaux we see today in his pantry.

What is something you feel strongly about, but are willing to compromise on with others?

(NPS Photo/W Levi)

07/18/2026

On May 12, 1862, Robert Smalls became a hero. After three Confederate officers went ashore for the night, Smalls and the other enslaved crew remained aboard the USS Planter, a Confederate Navy ship Smalls was forced to work on. That evening, Smalls asked the captain for permission for the crew’s families to visit, a common request which was granted under the condition they leave before curfew. Once everyone arrived, the plan began. Disguised in the captain's uniform, Smalls took control of the ship and expertly guided the Planter past each checkpoint giving all the correct signals along the way. He successfully sailed himself, his family and every other enslaved person on the ship through the South Carolina waters to freedom at 23 years old. A year later during the Civil War, Smalls would become captain of the Planter. The vessel became a supply boat along the coast until the end of the war.

Who are some heroes or heroines who have inspired you?

NPS Photo

07/17/2026

"In one point of view, we the abolitionists and colored people, should meet this decision, uncalled for and monstrous as it appears, in a cheerful spirit. This very attempt to blot out forever the hope of an enslaved people may be one necessary link in a chain of events preparatory to the downfall, and even complete overthrow of the slave system." - Frederick Douglass.

In 1858, the Supreme Court ruled against Dred Scott, an enslaved man who had been brought to free states by slaveholders, who was now attempting to sue for his freedom. The court infamously ruled that not only were federal territories open to slavery, but that African Americans could not be considered citizens. The outrage brought by the ruling served as a major catalyst to the outbreak of the Civil War just three years later. In a speech, Frederick Douglass recognized the potential for this ruling to rally many in the North against such a vast expansion of slavery's reach.

How do you find silver linings in difficult or even tragic situations?

Photo: Library of Congress/Public Domain

07/16/2026

Segregated trains were a long-standing practice in many railroad companies across the U.S., remaining a visible symbol of Jim Crow for decades. In 1841 when travelling from Lynn, Massachusetts to Newburyport, Frederick Douglass and his friend James Buffum were forced off the train by the employees for trying to sit in the first-class, whites only car. Both sides came to blows. Incidents like this highlighted the disparity and unfair treatment of African Americans in public transportation for generations, but also fueled struggle for change.

A similar incident occurred in in 1854, when Elizabeth Jenning Graham, a Black schoolteacher, was dragged off a streetcar by the conductor after resisting demands that no Blacks were allowed onboard. Protests were staged by Black churches and groups in NYC, with Mr. Douglass also covering Graham’s unfair treatment in his newspaper. Graham successfully sued the Third Avenue Railroad Company, setting a legal precedent that helped other cases of discrimination desegregate New York’s public transport by 1865.

Photo: Public Domain/Library of Congress

Address

1411 W St SE
Washington D.C., DC
20020

Opening Hours

Tuesday	9am - 5pm
Wednesday	9am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.nps.gov/frdo

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