Information Panel: A Gathering Place for Washingtonians, James Buchanan

Interpretive Panels: James Buchanan, A Gathering Place for Washingtonians

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Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Public Transit

A Gathering Place for Washingtonians
Since Meridian Hill Parked opened in 1936, Washingtonians from the diverse neighborhoods surrounding the park have gathered here for performances, community events, and political protest.

When tens of thousands of people flocked to Washington, DC, in the late 1930s and 40s for federal jobs created by the New Deal and World War II, government agencies created a series of free "Starlight" concerts in the park. From 1941 to 1944, Washingtonians lined the cascades and reflecting pool on summer evenings to hear classical and popular music, including a performance by the Von Trapp Family Singers.

When Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in April 1968, Washington, D.C. erupted in riots. Both the 14th Street business corridor north and east of the park and the U Street corridor south of the park were devastated. To help heal and unify the city, the "Summer in the Parks" concert series was created. The inaugural performance was held at Meridian Hill Park, featuring Broadway and film star Pearl Bailey. Twenty-thousand people attended.

Since 1969, the park has unofficially been called "Malcolm X Park" by the local community. As the site of the memorial to President Buchanan, Meridian Hill Park cannot officially be named for another person.

James Buchanan

Diplomat, Statesman, and Fifteenth President of the United States
Buchanan was our only bachelor president and relied upon his orphaned niece, Harriet Lane, to act as his First Lady during his years in the White House (1857 to 1861). In her estate, Harriet Lane Johnson made a bequest to fund a memorial to her uncle. Designed by architect William Gordon Beecher and sculpted by Maryland artist Hans Schuler, the memorial was dedicated on June 26, 1930. It features a bronze statue of Buchanan with stone figures of Law and Diplomacy at each end, representing Buchanan's career in public service.

Before becoming president, Buchanan served in the House of Representatives for nearly 18 years. He was Minister to Russia from 1832 to 1834, then a Senator until 1845. He declined an appointment to the Supreme Court by President Polk in 1844, serving instead as Polk's Secretary of State. In that post, he helped to negotiate the 1846 Oregon Treaty, which established the 49th parallel as the northern boundary of the western United States.

Hostilities in Congress over slavery, abolition, and secession made Buchanan's presidency difficult. His was plagued by financial panic and then a revolt of Mormons in 1857, which the press called the Utah War. On Buchanan's final day as president, March 4, 1861, he remarked to the incoming Lincoln, "If you are as happy entering the White House as I shall feel returning to Wheatland you are a happy man."

Visit the Meridian Hill Park website for more information.