Logan Circle in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Logan Circle, Just Ahead
A Fitting Tribute
— Logan Circle Heritage Trail —
Some of the City's finest Victorian Houses ring Logan Circle. While the area appears on the L'Enfant Plan of 1791, it took Alexander “Boss” Shephard's improvements to make these grand houses of the 1870s and '80s possible.
Three Union leaders of the Civil War set up housekeeping on the new Iowa Circle, as Logan Circle was originally named. General Eliphalet Whittlesey of Number 8 worked for the Freedman's Bureau after the war and helped start Howard University. Captain Allen V. Reed, wartime commander of the USS Kansas lived at 6 Logan Circle; his daughters remained there into the 1930s. General Benjamin Brice, Paymaster general, lived at number 20.
Most notable was former Union Army General John A. Logan. On June 12, 1885, African American bands played and a crowd cheered as Logan arrived home at Iowa Circle. The recently re-elected U.S. senator from Illinois was known for promoting civil rights and establishing Memorial Day in 1868. After thanking the crowd, Logan invited all inside, where he reportedly shook a thousand hands. In 1901 veterans joined Congress to fund the circle's monument to Logan.
By 1930 nearby Howard University had attracted many affluent black families to Logan Circle. With U Street's “Black Broadway” so close, and segregation barring African Americans from white-owned hotels, entrepreneurs converted some large houses into lodgings that catered to black travelers. Myrtle Williams, who opened the Cadillac Hotel at 1500 Vermont Avenue in 1941 explained, “We like to travel, but we could never find a decent place where a colored person could lay his head.” The Negro Green Book listed DC's welcoming accommodations.
Erected 2012 by Cultural Tourism DC. (Marker Number 6.)
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and the Logan Circle Heritage Trail series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1883.
Location. 38° 54.641′ N, 77° 1.75′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in Logan Circle. Marker is on Vermont Avenue Northwest south of Q Street Northwest when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1532 Vermont Avenue Northwest, Washington DC 20005, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. If These Mansions Could Talk (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Korean Legation in Washington, D.C. (within shouting distance of this
Photographed By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), December 2, 2017
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 8, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. This page has been viewed 690 times since then and 40 times this year. Last updated on March 8, 2019, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1. submitted on January 8, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. 2. submitted on December 2, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on January 8, 2015, by Allen C. Browne of Silver Spring, Maryland. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.