Known as the "cancer tree", Camptotheca contains the alkaloid camptothecin that is used to treat ovarian, colorectal, and small-cell lung cancers. It has been used in China for hundreds of years to treat psoriasis and diseases of various internal . . . — — Map (db m144682) HM
Dioscorides noted that a drink of the seeds was a diuretic, a colic neutralizer, and brought on menses and abortion. The seeds or roots, prepared in wine, were effective in treating wounds from poisonous beasts. — — Map (db m144674) HM
Wild yam contains diosgenin, a chemical compound that can be converted in a lab (but not in the human body) to progesterone. This discovery paved the way for the invention of the modern oral contraceptive pill. Today, wild yam is used to calm . . . — — Map (db m144627) HM
According to Cherokee belief, the roots of sneezeweed and Veronica noveboracensis steeped in warm water acted as a contraceptive by preventing menstruation for two years. — — Map (db m144614) HM
Historic use for stomach ailments and inflamed eyes has been confirmed. Its antibiotic property makes it useful for vaginal infections. Its antibacterial property may help fight drug-resistant tuberculosis. — — Map (db m144681) HM
A cherished flower of New England women homesick for England, it was recommended that the whole herb, including the flowers, could be taken to treat wounds, ruptures and gout. — — Map (db m207118) HM
An excellent source of gamma linoleic acid, evening primrose helps regulate hormonal balance. Current research confirms its traditional use for alleviating menstrual ailments. It is also used to treat eczema and holds promise for alleviating other . . . — — Map (db m235695) HM
Sweet Cicely roots taste and smell like anise. Oil from the roots contains sugar, fats, resins and tannin. Chippewa Indians women drank the tea of the roots to aid in childbirth. — — Map (db m144601) HM
Sweet Cicely roots taste and smell like anise. Oil from the roots contains sugar, fats, resins, and tannin. Chippewa Indian women drank the tea of the roots to aid in childbirth. — — Map (db m235703) HM
Rosemary has an ancient history in the Mediterranean as an incense and perfume. It was the main ingredient in Hungary Water, one of the earliest European perfumes created for the Queen of Hungary in A.D. 1370. The scent became popular throughout . . . — — Map (db m144437) HM
A decoction of the root was used for female diseases and to bring on childbirth by some tribes; others used it to treat headaches and rheumatism. — — Map (db m144606) HM
The Chippewa made pemmican (high-energy food) by adding dried blueberries to moose fat and deer tallow. Native Americans also made a tea of blueberry roots to treat diarrhea and to ease childbirth. — — Map (db m144610) HM
It contains the yellow dye substance luteolin and produces a range of olives and grays on wool. The flowers were used by Roman women as a hair colorant, and ashes of the burned plant were used to restore graying hair. — — Map (db m207113) HM
Dioscorides noted that chaste maidens used the plant for bedding. He recommended burning leaves to fumigate venomous beasts. A poultice of the leaves relieved stings. — — Map (db m144677) HM
Cathy Hughes and WOL-AM have made an indelible mark on this Washington D.C. community. In 1982, Hughes purchased a building at the corner of 4th and H Streets and found it littered with almost 200 hypodermic needles and crack pipes. The home of her . . . — — Map (db m111969) HM
The elegant Romanesque portion of the Senate Square condominium complex started life in 1874 as the Little Sisters of the Poor House for the Aged. St. Aloysius Church member Ellen Sherman, wife of Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman, . . . — — Map (db m186806) HM
Henrietta Vinton Davis (1860-1941), a certified teacher by age 15, was the first black woman employed by the DC Recorder of Deeds. After serving there with Frederick Douglass, she went on to become an acclaimed actor and elocutionist (a . . . — — Map (db m187432) HM
Lois Mailou Jones (1905-1998), internationally acclaimed artist and teacher, lived here from the 1950s into the 1970s. Born and educated in Boston, Jones joined the Howard University Art Department in 1930 and stayed for nearly 50 years. She began . . . — — Map (db m111784) HM
This edifice is a replica of the Tomb of Mary. The Shrine as it appears today was constructed by the Crusaders in the 12th century. It is located just east of Jerusalem. — — Map (db m208439) HM
Of this House
The oldest part is one of the earliest buildings in this region.
Robert Sewall bought the property and enlarged the house in 1799, and rebuilt and greatly altered it after war damage in 1814.
Residence and office of . . . — — Map (db m69271) HM
From June to December 1917 members of the National Woman's Party were imprisoned for picketing the White House to publicize the struggle to win the vote for Women. Those incarcerated in the District of Columbia's workhouse in Occoquan, Virginia . . . — — Map (db m71336) HM
Dedicated in memory of
Lola Beaver
1910 - 2006
Human and Animal Rights Advocate
Seamstress, Dancer, Choreographer
Owner - the Costume Studio
🎭
Established by D.C. Council as
"Lola Beaver Memorial Park" . . . — — Map (db m230703) HM
The Sewall-Belmont House & Museum, one of the oldest residential properties on Capitol Hill, has been the historic headquarters of the National Woman's Party since 1929. Named after Robert Sewall, the original owner of the site, and Alva . . . — — Map (db m70955) HM
Alethia Tanner, or "Lethe" as she was known, was born into slavery in 1781 on a plantation in Prince George's County, Maryland, where she lived and worked with her sisters, Laurana and Sophia, before coming to Washington in the early 1800s. . . . — — Map (db m234910) HM
Successful entrepreneurs get in the ring to fight for their businesses and communities every day. "Entrepreneurship is a Boxing Match," inspired by a poem by Shelly Olimâdè Bell, founder & CEO of Black Girl Ventures Foundation (BGV), highlights . . . — — Map (db m202317) HM
Cogswell Hall
dedicated to
Alice Cogswell
1805-1830
First deaf pupil of
Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet
Krug Hall
dedicated to
Walter J. Krug, '27
1905 — 1962
Professor of Biology
Dean of Men
The two . . . — — Map (db m130936) HM
Erected in 1874-1875 Helen Bradshaw Fay (1881-1957) Class of 1904 (Certificate of Graduation from Normal Department) Born in Washington, D.C., Fay lived her whole life on Kendall Green. In 1907, she taught at Kendall School for 39 years. . . . — — Map (db m96353) HM
Internationally renowned street artist Mr. Brainwash collaborated with former First Lady Michelle Obama to create a series of works to celebrate International Women's Day with Let Girls Learn, an initiative to help adolescent girls worldwide attend . . . — — Map (db m202319) HM
Yoko Ono (b. Tokyo, 1933) is an artist, peace activist, and human rights worker who has strongly influenced the Feminist movement. Since the late 1950s, she has been a forerunner of Conceptual art, often using collaboration, audience participation, . . . — — Map (db m111851) HM
The National Training School for Women and Girls was founded here in 1909 by Nannie Helen Burroughs (1879 - 1961). With its focus on the “three B's” — “Bible, bath and broom” — the school taught skills such as business, sewing, and printing. It . . . — — Map (db m103272) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m184992) HM
Of all the water lilies grown at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, the Victoria amazonica (formerly named Victoria regia), Victoria cruziana, and the hybrid, Victoria 'longwood' are among the most popular.
These . . . — — Map (db m141721) HM
Helen Fowler took over administration of the Shaw Gardens from her father in 1912. Under her guidance the gardens grew into one of the most extensive water plant businesses in the nation. By 1938, Shaw Gardens encompassed 42 ponds spread over nine . . . — — Map (db m141717) HM
Obstetrician Ionia Rollin Whipper (1872-1953) was a leader in health care services for the city's young women. Born in South Carolina to an illustrious family, Dr. Whipper was educated in the DC public schools before graduating from Howard . . . — — Map (db m187434) HM
A legendary figure of 'Solidarity' - the socio-political movement that initiated the fall of communism in Europe. One of the 100 women who defined the last century, according to the American newsweekly Time.
She worked hard her whole . . . — — Map (db m200391) HM
You are standing in front of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania.
The Spanish Baroque style mansion is all that remains of what was once a duplex, or double, embassy building designed by George Oakley Totten for Mary Foote Henderson's . . . — — Map (db m82711) HM
A social activist, recognized by Yad Vashem as one of the Righteous Among the Nations, who during World War II saved approximately 2,500 Jewish children.
She was born in 1910 in Warsaw. As a little girl she learned the Yiddish language . . . — — Map (db m200394) HM
The first woman to sail around the world solo. Sailor, traveller, and naval architect. Often referred to as 'the first lady of the oceans'.
She remembered her circumnavigation not only as an interesting chapter in her life, but also for . . . — — Map (db m200428) HM
The first researcher of the Cult of Spirits and Shamanism in Siberia.
She was the second European to receive a doctorate in Anthropology and taught at many of the world's universities.
A researcher of customs, author of books and . . . — — Map (db m210085) HM
A distinguished surgical pioneer who performed the first full face transplant in the United States.
'If you have dreams, you have to be stubborn, and then you can achieve something. Nothing happens overnight', says Professor Maria . . . — — Map (db m200399) HM
At the age of 36, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for the study of radioactivity (1903).
She won the Nobel Prize (1911) in Chemistry for the discovery of new elements - Polonium and Radium.
During World War I, she drove a . . . — — Map (db m210079) HM
Physicist and chemist. The first and only woman in the world to receive the Nobel Prize twice, as well as the only scientist honored in two different fields of the natural sciences.
She was recognized as one of the greatest scientists of . . . — — Map (db m200396) HM
As you look up the hill, you can see Peter C. L’Enfant’s 1791 plan for Washington ended up here in front of you at Boundary Avenue, now Florida Avenue. Back then, when people walked or rode in horse-drawn vehicles, it was hard to climb this . . . — — Map (db m130707) HM
A prize-winning artist recognized by the Berlin magazine Bazaar as one of the 12 best painters in Europe.
It was said of her that she didn't paint the eyes but expressions, not lips but a smile or a sob. She could detect the inner . . . — — Map (db m200401) HM
An outstanding prose writer and essayist. Winner of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Literature and The 2018 Man Booker International Prize for the novel Flights. A lover of nature, animals and other people.
In Olga Tokarczuk's books, objective . . . — — Map (db m200420) HM
Polish women were among Europe's first to gain electoral rights. They came from various backgrounds, differed in education, experience and political views, but shared one goal - to win equal rights for women and end their banishment to the . . . — — Map (db m200390) HM
Maria Skłodowska-Curie, born in 1867 in Warsaw, was a visionary scientist whose discoveries paved the way for effective cancer treatments and created the foundations of several scientific disciplines.
Maria Skłodowska-Curie was . . . — — Map (db m175121) HM
[Marker depicts individuals in historical fashion styles in DC from the 19th and 20th centuries.]
Elizabeth Keckley
Dressmaker
1818, Dinwiddie, VA ~ 1907, Washington, DC
"Art still has . . . — — Map (db m163274) HM
The first woman to reach the summit of the most dangerous mountain in the world - K2. The first European woman to conquer Mount Everest. One of the greatest climbers in history.
At the top of Mount Everest she left a small stone brought . . . — — Map (db m200429) HM
The ninth woman in the world and the first Polish woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The inventor of new literary genres based on humour, irony and grotesque.
The Nobel Committee awarded Wisława Szymborska the Nobel Prize . . . — — Map (db m200402) HM
Even before the nation's capital was sketched out in 1791, this spot, where River Road met the Georgetown-Frederick Road, attracted activity. John Tennally opened a tavern and inn across River Road from this sign. By the early 1800s, a hamlet . . . — — Map (db m184984) HM
The U.S. Navy arrived across the street at 3801 Nebraska
Avenue during World War II, taking the Colonial style red-brick campus of Mount Vernon Seminary for secret “essential wartime activities.” Soon more than 5,000 workers occupied the . . . — — Map (db m130931) HM
You are standing in the heart of Bloomingdale. Noted DC developer Harry Wardman, responsible for 180 Bloomingdale houses, was one of many builders who built here between 1890 and 1910.
These Victorian rowhouses were designed for . . . — — Map (db m130827) HM
Bloomingdale of the 1940s and '50s was a village of high expectations. Within a block of this sign lived four young women who grew up to be judges.
Anna Diggs Taylor rose to chief judge of the U.S. District Court in Michigan. The . . . — — Map (db m130843) HM
You are entering Bloomingdale. Its name recalls the estate of Navy Commander George Beale, who served in the War of 1812, and his wife Emily, the daughter of Commodore Thomas Truxton. The estate occupied the land now bounded by Florida . . . — — Map (db m110508) HM
Elizabeth Proctor Thomas (1821-1917), a free Black woman whose image appears on each Brightwood Heritage Trail sign, once owned 11 acres in this area. Known, respectfully in her old age as "Aunt Betty," Thomas and her husband James farmed and . . . — — Map (db m72830) HM
The School Building Just Ahead of You Opened In 1912 as the Military Road School, the area's third public elementary for African Americans. For decades it was the only public school serving black children in Upper Northwest and nearby . . . — — Map (db m110235) HM
This is a selection of people, renowned in their perspective professions, who at one time called Burleith their home.
•Actress Nancy Ordway (1914-2005), a 1940s radio star, lived at 1710 35th Street. She starred in the nationally broadcast . . . — — Map (db m113388) HM
Founded by Mary Day and her teacher, Lisa Gardner, in 1944, the Washington School of Ballet has grown from one studio on the first floor of this corner building into the headquarters of the Washington Ballet. The Washington Ballet is comprised of . . . — — Map (db m112378) HM
• 1957: First integrated Episcopal church in DC
• 1969: Began Loaves & Fishes feeding program; hot meals still served every Saturday and Sunday at Noon
• 1975: Ordained four women to the priesthood, resulting in the ordination of . . . — — Map (db m142192) HM
Meridian Hill Park might never have been built had it not been for the determination of Mary Foote Henderson (1846 - 1931). For 22 years, she lobbied Congress for funds to buy the land and build the park. Congress's 1910 vote to authorize . . . — — Map (db m63934) HM
The New York Avenue Presbyterian Church with this planting commemorates and honors the
80th Anniversary of Presbyterian Women in Cuba
Founded in 1927 by missionary Edith McHouston of Lexington, Virginia, celebrated in Camajuani, . . . — — Map (db m211821) HM
"…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
Lafayette Park has long served as a place for political and social demonstrations. People continue to exercise their right of free speech here, using Lafayette Park as a stage and the White House as their audience. Demonstrations often take the . . . — — Map (db m178332) HM
Elizabeth Hobbs Keckley (1818-1907), born into slavery in Virginia, was hired out as a seamstress. With money from clients, she bought her own and her son's freedom in 1855. She gained renown as a dressmaker after moving to Washington, where First . . . — — Map (db m141279) HM
On August 24, 1814, President James Madison rode out to Bladensburg, Maryland, to observe the state of the American troops defending the nation's capital. U.S. General William Winder, now sure of the direction of the British approach, marched . . . — — Map (db m87590) HM
When the historic character of Lafayette Square was severely threatened during her husband’s administration, it was preserved with the vision and dedicated efforts of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. This view from Decatur House is dedicated to . . . — — Map (db m32135) HM
Human Being is my attempt to break the wall of xenophobia associated with the Arabic language. Over time, the worldwide Arabic population and the Arabic language has increasingly portrayed in a negative light. The media strongly focuses on . . . — — Map (db m164290) HM
Josephine Butler (1920-1997) was a tireless and dedicated community activist. As a young woman she organized the first union of black female laundry workers in DC and the country.
In the 1950s Butler shepherded the Adams and Morgan elementary . . . — — Map (db m141278) HM
Katharine Meyer Graham (1917-2001) worked at the Washington Post as a young woman, after her father, Eugene Meyer, bought the paper in 1933. Meyer made Katharine Graham's husband, Philip Graham, the Post's publisher, but she took over the job after . . . — — Map (db m141280) HM
When President John F. Kennedy took office in 1961, the historic residences surrounding Lafayette Square were facing near-certain demolition for new office buildings. It was through the vision and dedicated efforts of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy . . . — — Map (db m206475) HM
1864
David L. Morrison was a developer who sold flour and feed to the U.S. government during the Civil War. Reuben B. Clark made land investments, owned a grocery store, and served as Washington, D.C.’s jail commissioner.
1917
M. Frank . . . — — Map (db m32827) HM
"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
[Sketch of townhouses along Jackson Place, NW - the western border of Lafayette Square - behind which the White House Conference Center was constructed in the 1960s & 70s.]
Dedicated to those whose spirit and vision helped to preserve . . . — — Map (db m32421) HM
Site of dwelling house owned by Ex-President of the United States James Madison 1828 to 1836 ———— Home of his widow Mrs. Dolly Payne Madison 1837 to 1849 ———— Home of Rear Admiral Charles Wilkes, . . . — — Map (db m2174) HM
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
Established with the support of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, the White House Historical Association was founded November 3, 1961, to enhance the understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of the White House and to educate the public about its rich . . . — — Map (db m206474) HM
”. . . Now I shall plant, if at all, more for the public than for myself.”
John Quincy Adams, diary entry for July 5, 1826, shortly before beginning the first major planting program at the White House. Massachusetts . . . — — Map (db m61677) HM
Alma Thomas (1891-1978), the nationally acclaimed abstract artist, lived in this house from 1907 until her death. In 1924 she became the first graduate of Howard University's Art Department — and possibly the first black woman in the country to earn . . . — — Map (db m110908) HM
Senator Blanche Kelso Bruce (1841-1898) and his wife Josephine Beall Willson Bruce (1853-1923), leaders of Washington's “aristocrats of color,” lived here from 1890 to 1898. Born in Virginia, Blanche escaped slavery during the Civil War, attended . . . — — Map (db m119125) HM
Charlotte Forten Grimke House
has been designated a National Historic Landmark
This site possesses national significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America. — — Map (db m7125) HM
The General Federation of Women’s Clubs is an international women’s organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of other through volunteer service. Founded in 1890, it is one of the world’s largest and oldest . . . — — Map (db m32128) HM
Murdered in a violent ambush whilst working to alleviate the suffering of the Afghan people on the 2nd of June 2004 in Khair Khana, Afghanistan — — Map (db m112636) HM
Myrtilla Miner (1815-1864), born near Brookfield, NY, was an idealistic white teacher who came to Washington to teach African Americans. In 1853, with funding from northern abolitionists, she paid $4,000 for a three-acre site at 20th and N . . . — — Map (db m89607) HM
(Upper Inscription): They comforted the dying, Nursed the wounded, carried hope to the imprisoned, gave in His name a drink of water to the thirsty. (Lower Inscription):To the memory and in honor of The Various Orders of Sisters who . . . — — Map (db m10176) HM
The Washington Club has occupied this Italian neoclassical mansion since 1951. Elizabeth Blair Lee (1818-1906), daughter of presidential advisor Francis Preston Blair, established the club in 1891 for women interested in literary, social, and . . . — — Map (db m125562) HM
John Cavanaugh (1921-85), a nationally admired sculptor, had his studio nearby at 1818 18th Street NW and was called "Master of Hammered Lead Sculpture" and "Mayor of Dupont Circle".
This garden extends a collection of Cavanaugh's work close . . . — — Map (db m143991) HM
Fire Fact, Sunday February 7, 1904
Great Baltimore Fire, several DC fire companies answered Baltimore Chief's urgent telegram, "Desperate fire here. Must have help at once." DC, responding by railway flatcar, was accompanied by New York . . . — — Map (db m112660) HM
