Here you will see one of the city's most venerable African American churches, the magnificent U.S. Jefferson Davis attended one of its churches before the Civil War, and President Lincoln attended another during the conflict. The West Loop takes you into a former residential neighborhood.Start this loop at the National Archives, accessible from the Archives/Navy Memorial Metro station at Seventh Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, NW. This is the neighborhood of Clara Barton, Walt Whitman, and John Wilkes Booth, and an area often visited by Abraham Lincoln. The Center Loop, the heart of the Downtown Heritage Trail along Seventh, F, and Tenth streets focuses on Washington at the time of the Civil War as well as Lincoln's assassination.Watch as Sam Edelstein, a former staff member at Cultural Tourism DC, visits sites along the Downtown Heritage Trail and highlights the exciting and fun places and people you will meet along the way.ĭesigned so that you may enter at any point along the trail, the tour is arranged in three one-hour loops: put the finishing touches on his "I Have a Dream" speechĬultural Tourism DC has 17 self-guided heritage trails for people to experience the distinct neighborhoods of Washington, DC. A Renaissance palace style office building-turned-building museum.The city's oldest synagogue, now a museum of Jewish history.A church that was used as a hospital during the Civil War.The home and office of famed Civil War nurse and American Red Cross founder Clara Barton.The alley down which John Wilkes Booth fled after shooting President Lincoln.A former boarding house frequented by the Lincoln conspirators.The trail focuses on Washington's experiences during the Civil War as well as the continuing challenge to realize the American dream of equal rights for all citizens. Martin Luther King Jr., Walt Whitman, and other great Americans whose lives were intertwined with the history of the nation and its capital city.
Walk in the footsteps of Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, the Reverend Dr. Walkers are encouraged to follow the trail at their own pace, sampling neighborhood character, businesses, and restaurants along the way.įor more information, email us at call 20. Discover the little-known sites that link the history of the city to the history of the nation. African American Heritage Trail BookletĬheck out the Civil War to Civil Rights audio tour hosted by NPR's Korva Coleman!įollow the signs on this self-guided Cultural Tourism DC Neighborhood Heritage Trail to learn more about Washington's Downtown, just east of the White House.Ĭivil War to Civil Rights: Downtown Heritage Trail's 21 poster-sized, illustrated signs combine storytelling with historic images.A Brief History Of African Americans In Washington, DC.About The African American Heritage Trail.