Barney Circle in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Seafarers Yacht Club

1950 M Street, SE

— African American Heritage Trail, Washington DC —

Seafarers Yacht Club Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 7, 2015

1. Seafarers Yacht Club Marker

Inscription. The Seafarers Yacht Club is the oldest African American boat club on the East Coast. It was founded in 1945 by Lewis T. Green, Sr., a vocational arts teacher in the DC Public Schools who built boats as a hobby. Needing a dock, he contacted the U.S. Department of the Interior about renting this site but was ignored until Mary McCleod Bethune and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt intervened. Members of "Green's" Boat Yard (later, "Seafarers"') improved the marshy land, built docks and a clubhouse. The club also promoted boating safety and community service. The annual Anacostia River Cleanup Day evolved from efforts started by the Seafarers in 1985.

Erected 2003 by Cultural Tourism DC.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Fraternal or Sororal Organizations • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the African American Heritage Trail, the Eleanor Roosevelt, and the Mary McLeod Bethune series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 1945.

Location. 38° 52.757′ N, 76° 58.465′ W. Marker is in Southeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Barney Circle. Marker is on M Street Southeast east of Water Street Southeast, on the right when

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traveling east. The marker is on the fence outside the Seafarers Yacht Club compound where M Street narrows to one lane and may not be passable farther to the northeast. CSX freight trains pass to the north. Automobile parking at all marinas on the river are apparently reserved for "members only". Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1950 M Street Southeast, Washington DC 20003, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Fourth Street M.E. Church Memorial (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Leonard P. Matlovich (approx. 0.2 miles away); Benjamin Franklin McAlwee (approx. ¼ mile away); Congressional Cemetery Government Lots (approx. ¼ mile away); Levi Casey (approx. ¼ mile away); Gadsby Vault (approx. ¼ mile away); Pushmataha (approx. ¼ mile away); The Public Vault (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Southeast Washington.

More about this marker.
[Caption:]
Boats moored at the Seafarers Yacht Club, 1970.
Seafarers Yacht Club

Also see . . . Seafarers: Our Place on the River. (Submitted on October 9, 2015, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland.)

Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 26, 2019

2. Seafarers Yacht Club Marker

Marker is on the fence in front of the building.

The Seafarers' club house and picnic area image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 7, 2015

3. The Seafarers' club house and picnic area

The Seafarers Yacht Club marina - off the Anacostia River image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Richard E. Miller, October 7, 2015

4. The Seafarers Yacht Club marina - off the Anacostia River

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 8, 2015, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. This page has been viewed 575 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 9, 2015, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. 2. submitted on October 26, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4. submitted on October 9, 2015, by Richard E. Miller of Oxon Hill, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.