Downtown Heritage Trail Historical Markers

43 entries match your criteria.

Downtown Heritage Trail Historical Markers

A set of three walking tours in Washington, DC featuring Civil War and Civil Rights related sites.

By Devry Becker Jones (CC0), March 8, 2019

Chinatown Marker

1 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Chinatown — e.10 — Chinatown — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

dragons to bring rain, prosperity, and friendship

More than 280 dragons, crowned by 700 glazed tiles, look down from the Chinatown Friendship Archway before you. Symbols of the spirits that bring rain and . . . — — Map (db m130938) HM

2 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Chinatown — e.6 — Chinatown — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

dragons to bring rain, prosperity and friendship

More than 280 dragons, crowned by 700 glazed tiles, look down from the Chinatown Friendship Archway before you. Symbols of the spirits that bring rain and . . . — — Map (db m130937) HM

3 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Chinatown — e.5 — Mary Surratt's Boarding House — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

"The nest in which the egg was hatched." President Andrew Johnson, April 1865.

The building at 604 H Street, today Golo's Chinese Restaurant, is intimately connected to the assassination of . . . — — Map (db m16585) HM

4 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Chinatown — e.9 — Mary Surratt's Boarding House — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"The nest in which the egg was hatched." President Andrew Johnson, April 1865

The building at 604 H Street is intimately connected to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's . . . — — Map (db m211841) HM

5 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Downtown — W.3 — Asbury United Methodist Church — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

"...watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen... ...teach them to your children and to their children and to their children after them." Deuteronomy 4:9 Stories . . . — — Map (db m70316) HM

6 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Downtown — W.3 — Asbury United Methodist Church — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"…watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen… …teach them to your children and to their children and to their children after them." Deuteronomy 4:19

. . . — — Map (db m143564) HM

7 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Downtown — W.2 — Franklin Square — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

"going into the country"

This urban oasis exists because President Andrew Jackson needed water. The site of excellent springs (a rare commodity in the early city when everyone was dependent on private wells), . . . — — Map (db m29594) HM

8 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Downtown — W.2 — Franklin Square — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"Going into the country"

This urban oasis exists because President Andrew Jackson needed water. The site of excellent springs (a rare commodity in the early city, when everyone was dependent on private wells), . . . — — Map (db m211818) HM

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9 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Downtown — W.4 — New York Avenue Presbyterian Church at Herald Square — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

"The churches are needed as never before for divine services." President Abraham Lincoln

So said President Lincoln from his pew in New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. While other churches . . . — — Map (db m32926) HM

10 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Downtown — W.4 — New York Avenue Presbyterian Church at Herald Square — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"The churches are needed as never before for divine services.

So said President Lincoln from his pew in New York Avenue Presbyterian Church. While other churches were occupied by the federal government and . . . — — Map (db m211822) HM

11 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Downtown — W.5 — The United States Treasury — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

Billions for the war, and a bunker for the president The grand, pillared United States Treasury building that stands before you, its first section designed by Robert Mills in 1836, was the financial command center for the Union. It . . . — — Map (db m130407) HM

12 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Downtown — W.5 — The United States Treasury — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

Billions for the war and a bunker for the president The grand, pillared United States Treasury building that stands before you was the financial command center for the Union during the Civil War. It was here between 1861 and 1865 . . . — — Map (db m130491) HM

13 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Federal Triangle — .1 — Market Space: Yesterday’s Town Square — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

Hay for the horses, produce for the table, live chickens for the pot, and a hat for your head.”

All this and more could be had right here during the Civil War. The triangular area just ahead to your left . . . — — Map (db m27529) HM

14 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Judiciary Square — e.6 — A Courthouse Reborn — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

The old City Hall/Courthouse endured hard use, was abandoned, and then was transformed. In 2009 it re-opened as the DC Court of Appeals, redesigned by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners, which modernized the interior while preserving . . . — — Map (db m58612) HM

15 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Judiciary Square — e.5 — Building Out the Square — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

The Great Depression (1929-1941) meant economic catastrophe for millions of Americans, but in Washington it meant a building boom as the Federal Government staffed up to the end the economic crisis. In 1931 alone Congress approved new . . . — — Map (db m61823) HM

16 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Judiciary Square — e.1 — Chief Justice John Marshall — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

A bronze likeness of Chief Justice John Marshall, visible on your way to the next Heritage Trail sign, keeps watch over John Marshall Park to your right. Marshall is remembered for molding the U.S. Supreme Court into today's authoritative body. . . . — — Map (db m56495) HM

17 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Judiciary Square — e.8 — Lillian and Albert Small Jewish Museum — Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington — Civil War to Civil Rights, Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported missing

“The neighborhood was our whole life.” Albert Small, born in the neighborhood in 1902. This is the oldest surviving synagogue building in Washington. Constructed in 1875 by Adas Israel Congregation, and . . . — — Map (db m29761) HM

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18 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Judiciary Square — e.2 — Old City Hall — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

witness to the end of slavery in the nation’s capital. This imposing Greek Revival building was Washington’s first city hall, designed by George Hadfield and built between 1820 and 1850. It house the city court and an elected mayor . . . — — Map (db m29655) HM

19 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Judiciary Square — e.1 — Senator Daniel Webster — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

"Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable," Senator Daniel Webster, January 1830

Senator Daniel Webster, eloquent advocate for the preservation of the Union and a political . . . — — Map (db m182451) HM

20 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Judiciary Square — e.3 — Senator Daniel Webster —

"Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable," Senator Daniel Webster, January 1830

Senator Daniel Webster, eloquent advocate for the preservation of the Union and a political . . . — — Map (db m211839) HM

21 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Judiciary Square — e.4 — Sitting in Judgment — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

This imposing, Greek Revival style structure was designed by George Hadfield as Washington's first City Hall/Courthouse. Throughout its history, the building has housed the local and federal courts for DC, presided over by judges appointed by . . . — — Map (db m58366) HM

22 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Judiciary Square — e.3 — The National Building Museum — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

“It’s too bad the damn thing is fire proof.” General William Tecumseh Sherman, 1887 The nation’s only museum dedicated to American achievements in architecture, urban planning, construction, . . . — — Map (db m48661) HM

23 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Judiciary Square — e.7 — The National Building Museum — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

The nation’s only museum dedicated to American achievements in architecture, urban planning, construction, engineering, and design is appropriately housed in one of the most extraordinary structures in the nation’s capital. Constructed . . . — — Map (db m113434) HM

24 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .7 — "Woodies" comes to F Street — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

"Alvin, Washington, D.C., is the place for us."

So wrote Samuel Walter Woodward to his business partner, Alvin Lothrop, in 1879. The young entrepreneurs were looking for a new location for their innovative dry . . . — — Map (db m37223) HM

25 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .7 — "Woodies" comes to F Street — Civil War To Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"Alvin, Washington, D.C., is the place for us."

So wrote Samuel Walter Woodward to his business partner, Alvin Lathrop, in 1879. The young Massachusetts entrepreneurs were looking for a new location for their . . . — — Map (db m211830) HM

26 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .5 — Abraham Lincoln Walked Here — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

"Tonight, beautiful women, perfumes, and the violins’ sweetness…

At 10:30 p.m. on March 4, 1865, a tired and gaunt President Lincoln arrived at this site, his wife Mary in white lace and silk with purple and . . . — — Map (db m204444) HM

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27 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .5 — Abraham Lincoln Walked Here — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"Tonight, beautiful women, perfumes, and the violins' sweetness…

At 10:30 PM on March 4, 1865, a tired and gaunt President Lincoln arrived at this site, his wife Mary in white lace and silk with purple and . . . — — Map (db m211838) HM

28 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .2 — Ceremony at the Crossroads — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

“Imagine a great avenue [with] solid ranks of soldiers, just marching steady all day long, for two days. ...” Walt Whitman.

It took two days for the grand parade of 200,000 . . . — — Map (db m14875) HM

29 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .2 — Ceremony at the Crossroads — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"Imagine a great wide avenue [with] solid ranks of soldiers, just marching steady all day long for two days…"

As described by the great American poet Walt Whitman, the grand parade of 200,000 Union . . . — — Map (db m154355) HM

30 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .3 — Clara Barton, Angel of the Battlefield at Home — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

“I have paid the rent of a room in Washington… retaining it merely as a shelter to which I might return, when my strength should fail me under exposure and labor at the field.” Clara Barton, December . . . — — Map (db m36174) HM

31 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .3 — Clara Barton: Angel of the Battlefield at Home — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"I have paid the rent of a room in Washington… retaining it merely as a shelter to which I might return, when my strength should fail me under exposure and labor at the field." Clara Barton, December 1863

. . . — — Map (db m211424) HM

32 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — e.2 — Ending Slavery in Washington — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

To your right at the end of Indiana Avenue is Washington's first City Hall/Courthouse. Across Sixth Street is the H. Carl Moultrie I Courthouse, a successor to the original courthouse. The Old City Hall/Courthouse opened in 1822, with . . . — — Map (db m56124) HM

33 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — W.7 — Freedom Plaza — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

“I have a dream.” Martin Luther King, Jr. August 1963

The block-long plaza at 13th and Pennsylvania Avenue just ahead to your left honors civil rights leader Martin Luther King with the . . . — — Map (db m28528) HM

34 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — W.7 — Freedom Plaza — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"I have a dream." The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., August 1863

The block-long plaza at 13th and Pennsylvania Avenue to your left is named Freedom Plaza to honor Civil Right leader the . . . — — Map (db m211827) HM

35 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .6 — John Wilkes Booth’s Escape — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

“My brother saw Booth as he came down the alley and turned into F Street.” —Henry Davis, 1902

Twelve-year-old Henry Davis and his brother often looked out the back window of their Ninth . . . — — Map (db m148286) HM

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36 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .6 — John Wilkes Booth's Escape — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"My brother saw Booth as he came down the alley and turned into F Street."

Twelve-year-old Henry Davis and his brother often looked out the back window of their Ninth Street home before they went to bed. They . . . — — Map (db m211836) HM

37 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .8 — Pennsylvania Avenue — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

“Main Street” for the city and the nation.

Just a few steps ahead is Pennsylvania Avenue the inaugural parade route for every president since Thomas Jefferson and “Main Street” for local Washington since the . . . — — Map (db m29651) HM

38 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .8 — Pennsylvania Avenue — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"Main Street" for the city and the nation

Just a few steps ahead is Pennsylvania Avenue, the inaugural parade route for every president since Thomas Jefferson and "Main Street" for local Washington since the . . . — — Map (db m211829) HM

39 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — W.1 — The Church of the Epiphany — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

“Carpets, cushions, and hymnbooks were packed away… ambulances began to stop… lastly come the surgeons....” Margaret Leech, Reveille in Washington.

Church spires dominated the . . . — — Map (db m131862) HM

40 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — W.1 — The Church of the Epiphany — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"Carpets, cushions, and hymnbooks were packed away… ambulances began to stop… lastly come the surgeons…" Margaret Leech, Reveille in Washington

Church spires dominated the . . . — — Map (db m211561) HM

41 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — .4 — The Roots of Freedom and Equality — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

“It is known to you that events have transpired within the last few days, deeply affecting the peace and character of our community.”

With these words, city officials tried to calm the angry mobs gathering on . . . — — Map (db m25271) HM

42 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — W.6 — The Willard InterContinental Hotel — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail —

"This hotel, in fact, may be much more justly called the center of Washington and the Union than either the Capitol, the White House, or the State Department...." Nathaniel Hawthorne, Civil War reporter for The Atlantic . . . — — Map (db m211824) HM

43 ► District of Columbia, Washington, Northwest Washington, Penn Quarter — W.6 — The Willard Inter-Continental Hotel — Civil War to Civil Rights — Downtown Heritage Trail — Reported permanently removed

"This hotel, in fact, may be much more justly called the center of Washington and the Union than either the Capitol, the White House, or the State Department...." Nathaniel Hawthorne, Civil War reporter for the Atlantic . . . — — Map (db m10905) HM

Include	Historical Markers
Include	War Memorials