National Historic Sites · District of Columbia
Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
National Park Service source material · single source. Source dates and reuse information are available beside each field.
Check the official park website for current access, conditions and visitor information.
Introduction
Background: 1
Before Dr. Carter G. Woodson, there was very little accurate written history about the lives and experiences of Americans of African descent. Today a National Historic Site, Dr. Woodson’s home served as the headquarters for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Dr. Woodson established Negro History Week here in 1926, which we celebrate today as Black History Month.
Geography
Designation: 3
National Historic Site
State or territory: 4
District of Columbia
Park Map - Carter G Woodsen Home National Historic Site: 5
Map scope: Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
Carter G Woodsen Home National Historic Site Park Map
History and culture
People: 6
Dr. Carter G. Woodson is known as the "Father of Black History" because he was a greatly accomplished individual force. However, it is important to understand that he had the help of others that shared his passion. Together, they accomplished the lofty goal to change the perception defining African American History as an important and inseparable component of American History. Read more about some of Dr. Woodson's associates and mentees that helped to realize this goal and shine the never-dimming light on the truth of American History.
Black History Dream Team: 7
We all have that teacher that inspires us; that makes us want to know more and guide us. Certainly, both Dr. Carter G. Woodson and Mary McLeod Bethune were these type of teachers. They had a lot in common and shared a friendship while both living in Washington, D.C. These two individuals shaped the course of American history and were instrumental in the creation of Negro History Week, known today as Black History Month. But, before they were shaping American history, they were shaping the minds of many young African Americans with their shared passion for education, equality, and civic engagement.
Mary McLeod Bethune began her career as an educator in 1896, teaching at the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute in Augusta, Georgia founded by Lucy Craft Laney. While at Haines under Laney's leadership/mentorship, Bethune adopted the philosphy of educating girls and women to improve the conditions of Black people. After a year at Haines, she was transferred to the Kindell Institue in Sumter, South Carolina where she met and married her husband. After marrying, having her son, and moving to Florida, she dreamt of opening her own school for Black girls. This dream became real on October 3, 1904 when she opened the Daytona Literary and Industrial Training Institute for Negro Girls in Daytona Beach, Florida, with only $1.50, five little girls, and faith in God. That institution has developed to what we know today as Bethune-Cookman University, and she enlisted the help of her church and community and did what many today would believe is impossible.
History & Culture: 8
Learn more about the man who co-founded ASALH, started Negro History Week, and institutionalized the study of African American history.
Learn more about the pioneering work done by Dr. Woodson and others from out of this American treasure that is now a national historic site.
Dr. Woodson did not work alone. Many of his associates and mentees carried forward the work of researching and sharing Black History.
View a video that explains why Dr. Woodson selected February for the observance of "Negro History Week," now known as "Black History Month".
Learn more about the professional relationship and friendship of Dr. Carter G. Woodson and Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune.
Learn how the noted author and anthropologist documented a survivor's story of one of the last slave ships to arrive in the U.S.
Visitor information
Visitation
Sources & field notes
Source records (12)
Select a numbered reference to open a source card. Retrieval dates describe this edition’s source capture, rather than an independent verification or the date of the underlying information.
Background · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site · NPS / Victoria Stauffenberg. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Catalog image date
- 02/23/2019
- Source scope
- Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Public domain:Full Granting Rights
- Rights
- Public domain:Full Granting Rights
Designation · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
State or territory · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
Park Map - Carter G Woodsen Home National Historic Site · National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source scope
- Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site
- Download
- Official map PDF ↗
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Public domain; NPS map
- Rights
- Public domain; NPS map
People · People — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- December 23, 2024
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
Black History Dream Team · Black History Dream Team — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- August 12, 2023
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
History & Culture · National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party material may have separate rights. No images copied.
Physical Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Mailing Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Telephone · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Recreation visits · National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics. Open source ↗
- Information date
- 2025
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Methodology
- NPS reporting unit; annual total is the sum of 12 monthly recreation visit estimates.
- Reporting unit
- Carter G. Woodson Home NHS
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.