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

Drum and Spear Bookstore Site

1371 Fairmont Street, NW

— African American Heritage Trail, Washington DC —

Drum and Spear Bookstore Site Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, July 18, 2015

1. Drum and Spear Bookstore Site Marker

Inscription. The Drum and Spear Bookstore, founded in 1968 by Charlie Cobb, a former secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, specialized in books written by black authors, and books on Asian, African, and African American subjects. Growing out of DC's Civil Rights/Black Power movement, the store opened just before Black Studies took root as an academic discipline in colleges and universities. At the time only a handful of Afro-centric bookstores operated in this country. Quickly Drum and Spear evolved into a literary haven, where authors such as Toni Morrison and Amiri Baraka browsed the shelves alongside diplomats and students. The store operated from this building until 1974.

Erected by Cultural Tourism DC.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the African American Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1968.

Location. 38° 55.495′ N, 77° 1.925′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Columbia Heights. It can be reached from the intersection of 14th Street Northwest and Fairmont Street Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2701 14th Street Northwest, Washington DC 20009, 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.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Literary Lights (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Justice vs. Injustice (approx. 0.2 miles away); 1968 (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Latino Intelligence Center (approx. 0.2 miles away); Views of Justice (approx. 0.2 miles away); Campus to Army Camps and Back Again (approx. ¼ mile away); Welcome to the Former Residence of the Ambassadors of Spain! (approx. ¼ mile away); Pancho Villa Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.

Also see . . . Drum & Spear Bookstore. by Brian Gilmore, Poetry Quarterly, Volume 11, Number 2, Spring 2010. (Submitted on July 19, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland.)

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, July 18, 2015

2. Drum and Spear Bookstore Site Marker

The Drum and Spear Bookstore, 1970. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, July 18, 2015

3. The Drum and Spear Bookstore, 1970.

Close-up of photo on marker

Columbia Uptown Apartments image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, July 18, 2015

4. Columbia Uptown Apartments

14th Street and Fairmont Avenue image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, July 18, 2015

5. 14th Street and Fairmont Avenue

Crest Above the Front Door<br>Columbia Uptown image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Allen C. Browne, July 18, 2015

6. Crest Above the Front Door
Columbia Uptown

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 19, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 1,237 times since then and 60 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 19, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.