Georgetown in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Georgetown Theater, Slave Pen, and the Marshall Family

Georgetown African American Historic Landmark

— 2020 —

Georgetown Theater, Slave Pen, and the Marshall Family Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 23, 2023

1. Georgetown Theater, Slave Pen, and the Marshall Family Marker

Inscription. From 1760 to 1850, at 1351 Wisconsin Avenue stood John Beattie's slave auction house—one of the more humiliating and degrading sites in slavery. (It's the old Georgetown Theater, formerly the Dumbarton Theater.) Beattie's slave pen was nearby, at 3206 O Street. After the Civil War, Wisconsin Avenue at O Street became a hub for the African American community, with streetcar lines, barbershops, and beauty salons. In the 1910s, African American Marshall bought 3206 O Street and property at 3226, 3228, and 3230 O Street. (Francis Scott Key had owned 3226 O Street a century earlier.) John and his wife, Della, lived at 3228 with their children, John Jr., Susie, and Celia Esther. Customers came to 3260's second floor to Esther's Beauty Salon. On the first floor were shoe shiners, hat blockers, and cleaners. During holidays, John Jr. kept and sold live turkeys in the basement.

Erected 2020 by Georgetown African American Historic Landmark Project.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1760.

Location. 38° 54.474′ N, 77° 3.827′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Georgetown.

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It is at the intersection of O Street Northwest and Wisconsin Avenue Northwest, on the left when traveling east on O Street Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1400 Wisconsin Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20007, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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 the North Atlantic Region,

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: A Drugstore Like No Other (within shouting distance of this marker); Montgomery Tavern and Slave Pen (within shouting distance of this marker); Dumbarton United Methodist Church / Methodism's Mother Church of Washington (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); St. John's Episcopal Church, Georgetown Parish (about 400 feet away); St. John's: 200 Years of History (about 400 feet away); Colonel Ninian Beall (about 400 feet away); Georgetown's Watering Holes (about 400 feet away); John Lutz (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 23, 2023

2. Georgetown Theater, Slave Pen, and the Marshall Family Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on October 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 23, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 1,148 times since then and 138 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 23, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.