Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

The famous abolitionist, writer, lecturer, statesman, and Underground Railroad conductor Frederick Douglass (1817--1895) resided in this twenty room home on Cedar Hill from 1877 until his death. Abraham Lincoln referred to him as the most meritorious man of the nineteenth century.

Douglass was born a slave on Maryland's Eastern Shore and was given the name Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey. The exact date of his birth is unknown. It was about the year 1817. His mother was a negro slave and his father was a white man. At an early age, he learned to read and write, and escaped to freedom in the North, changing his name to Douglass to avoid recapture. Eventually he settled in Rochester, New York, and was active in the abolitionist cause. He was a leader of Rochester's Underground Railroad movement and became the editor and publisher of the North Star, an abolitionist newspaper. After the Civil War, Douglass came to Washington, DC, and served as the marshall of the District of Columbia and was appointed recorder of deeds for the city. In 1889, President Harrison appointed him minister-resident and consul general of the Republic of Haiti and charge d'affaires for the Dominican Republic. During all of this activity, Douglass remained an outspoken advocate for the rights of African Americans. Though not directly associated with Douglass' involvement in the Underground Railroad, this National Historic Site helps us to better understand the life of the man who is recognized as "the father of the civil rights movement."

Address: Cedar Hill is located at 1411 W Street SE, in Anacostia, a neighborhood east of the Anacostia River in Southeast Washington, D.C.

Telephone: (202) 426-5961

Metro: Anacostia (Green Line)

Hours: mid-Oct-mid-April: Daily 9 am - 4 pm
mid-April-mid-Oct.: Daily 9 am-5 pm

Admission: Free

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Welcome Sign - Douglass Home Visitor Information Center

Frederick Douglass house is run by the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior, and is designated a National Historic Landmark

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Welcome plaque at Frederick Douglass house

Plaque reads: "Also known as Cedar Hill, this site encompasses the estate owned by Frederick Douglass from 1877 until his death in 1895. In honor of Douglass' work as an author, orator, abolitionist, statesman, and civil rights leader, this site is...

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Congressional Record at Douglass House

This copy of the Congressional Record signifies Congress' approval for funding to the Douglass house and reads, in part: "108th Congress, 1st Session, H. Res. 224. Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should provide...

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Library in house? Museum? separate structure from house?

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Movie Reanactment - Frederick Douglass Whipped

Frederick Douglass was not whipped until the age of 16 which was "late" for most slaves ... he is perhaps the most famous escaped slave besides Harriet Tubman.

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Douglass statue in visitor's center

A bronze statue of Frederick Douglass stands in the visitor's center of the Douglass home located in the Anacostia neighborhood of Washington, DC

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1845: Douglass' first book

The former slave was an eloquent speaker and writer; of his first book he opined: "... the publishing of my Narrative was regarded by my friends with mingled feelings of satisfaction and apprehension. They were glad to have the doubts and insinuations...

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Abbreviated Frederick Douglass family tree

in photographic form. This chart shows Douglass' first wife's photograph and photos of four of their five children; below them is a photo of Douglass' second wife.

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Gladys B. Parham

Gladys Parham was the last caretaker of Cedar Hill (aka Frederick Douglass house) from 1965 until 1972, but she stayed on and worked part-time for the house until her death in 1983

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