Hillbrook in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The School of the Three Bs
A Self-Reliant People
| | Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail | |
Atop this hill are the sprawling grounds on which Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879-1961) founded the National Training School for Women and Girls in 1909. Burroughs was an outspoken advocate for women's rights, civil rights, and religious activism. Determined to teach her students to become independent women, she stressed the three Bs Bible, Bath, and Broom with lessons in Godliness, physical cleanliness, and housekeeping. But she didn't limit her charges' horizons: they also learned dressmaking, printing, and entrepreneurship.
The school grew quickly. In fact its presence helped Lincoln Heights and the greater Deanwood community developed from sparsely settled hamlets to a desirable residential community. But when Burroughs had first proposed opening a vocational boarding school for young African American women, few believed that such an institution was possible or practical in Washington. Even her friend Booker T. Washington (1857-1915), the foremost champion of black vocational education, advised Burroughs that such schools were more appropriate in southern locations. Washington said that DC's black population "could
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Over 55 years, the school trained thousands from the United States, Africa, and the Caribbean. In 1964 its trustees abandoned the vocational curriculum and created the Nannie Helen Burroughs School, offering nursery through sixth grade. The Progressive National Baptist Convention, owner of the school, has its headquarters on the grounds.
Across 50th Street is Washington & Sons Funeral Home, in business here since the 1920s. At one time this family-run neighborhood institution operated two additional funeral homes in Northwest DC.
Erected 2009 by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 3.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Industry & Commerce • Religion & Religious Structures • Women. In addition, it is included in the Greater Deanwood Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1909.
Location. 38° 53.894′ N, 76° 55.771′ W. Marker is in Northeast Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Hillbrook. It is at the intersection of Nannie Helen
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: National Training School for Women and Girls / Nannie Helen Burroughs (a few steps from this marker); In Memory of Nannie Helen Burroughs (within shouting distance of this marker); Dr. Nannie Helen Burroughs (within shouting distance of this marker); From Rural to Residential (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Lederer Gardens (about 700 feet away); A Whirl on the Ferris Wheel (about 800 feet away); Howard D. Woodson Residence (approx. 0.2 miles away); Watts Going On
Another marker is no longer nearby. A Day at the Picture Show (was approx. 0.2 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 783 times since then and 49 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 31, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
