Heritage Documentation Programs celebrates National African American History Month
February is National African American History Month. The Heritage Documentation Programs of the National Park Service explores the African American experience through architecture, engineering, and landscapes, as well as through mapping projects undertaken by the Cultural Resources Geographic Information Systems (CRGIS) program. Please join the Heritage Documentation Programs in celebrating the accomplishments of all Americans of African descent.
Featured Properties
HABS DC-775
HABS DC-775-A
Washington, DC
Mary McLeod Bethune, in her multiple roles as educator, organizer, and public policy activist worked endlessly in pursuit of what she called, "he unalienable rights of citizenship for Black Americans."
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Contraband Slave Camp Mapping Project
CRGIS
Over the course of the Civil War thousands of slaves fled through Union lines to freedom and settled in contraband camps. This mass movement played a defining role in the eventual emancipation of 4 million slaves in a few short years.
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HAER GA-138
Woodburg, GA vicinity
Born a slave in 1807, Horace King purchased his own freedom by excelling in the design and building of physical structures. In addition to becoming a renowned southern bridge builder, King served two terms as a representative in the Alabama House of Representatives.
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Gullah-Geechee Cultural Resource Mapping Project
CRGIS
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia
The population known as the Gullah in the Carolinas and Geechee in Georgia, live and celebrate a unique culture shaped by West African, Native American And European interaction.
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HABS DC-369
Washington, DC
The Carter G. Woodson house was the home of the "Father of Black History." In 1915, Dr. Woodson founded The Association for the Study of Negro Life and History which established Negro History Week. The house was Dr. Woodson's home from 1915 until his death in 1950.
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HABS GA 1171
HABS GA 2169-A through HABS GA 2169-F
Atlanta, GA
The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park is located in one of the oldest neighborhoods in Atlanta - the Upper Auburn Avenue area. As early as the 1880s Auburn Avenue became the center of Atlanta's black business and professional community. The interrelationship of residential, commercial, and religious architecture together with the strong African American cultural history is representative of the life and work of Dr. King.
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HALS DC-12
Washington, DC
Reversing previous laws prohibiting Blacks from serving in the military, Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, allowing for the recruitment and service of Blacks in the Union army. The 1st District of Columbia Colored Volunteers were stationed on Roosevelt Island; on June 30, 1863 the volunteer unit was renamed the 1st United States Colored Troops and was the first African American regiment formally mustered into federal service.
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HABS No. KY-288
Lexington, KY
The adage "knowledge is power" summarizes the importance of education within the African American community. One of the ways in which this philosophy materialized was through a partnership between Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald, and African American communities throughout the South.
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Buffalo Soldiers Mapping Project
CRGIS
In 2002, the NPS and the Desert
Southwest Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (DSCESU) began
a partnership with Howard University and Haskell Indian Nations
University. Designed to give undergraduate history students
experience in inventorying the significant data and sites associated
with the Buffalo Soldiers and to foster cooperation among the
African American and Native American communities, the effort
was titled "The Warriors Project." CRGIS created generalized
point locations for 215 out of the total 250 identified sites,
using existing data sources, such as the National Register of
Historic Places, Federal land boundaries, National Park boundaries
and the Geographic Names Information System created by US Geological
Survey.
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HABS GA-1170
HABS GA-1170-A through HABS GA-1170-C
Atlanta, GA
The phenomenal growth of African American enterprise in the post civil war period is typified by the "Sweet Auburn Historic District" located In Atlanta, Georgia. Civic and political leader, John Wesley Dobbs, referred to the bustling district as the richest street in the world!
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HAER CA-326
HAER CA-326-A through HAER CA-326-O
Richmond, CA
During World War II, many African Americans flocked to the shipyards of Richmond, California, seeking economic and social opportunities not afforded to them in their former hometowns. The Henry J. Kaiser ship-building enterprise not only served the nation abroad by masterfully producing wartime vessels, but its producers laid a foundation at home which challenged unequal economic practices and the broader case of civil rights.
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HABS LA-1193
HABS LA-1193-A through HABS LA-1193-H
HAER LA-11
Natchitoches, LA
Magnolia Plantation is a destination on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail. For a century after the war, the magnolia plantation served as a community center for creoles of color and blacks who resided and worked on the grounds as tenants and laborers.
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