History attractions prepare for inaugural in DC

2009-01-01T10:34:00.000-08:00

Associated Press, December 30, 2008

WASHINGTON — With Barack Obama moving into the White House next month and the 200-year anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birth on Feb. 12, dozens of D.C. exhibits and attractions in early 2009 are touching on the inauguration, the nation’s political and social history and its progress from the struggle for civil rights.

Some unique sites are in the middle of Washington yet off the beaten path for most tourists. One example, Decatur House, was the first neighbor of the White House, built on Lafayette Square in 1818. The house, once an unofficial residence for secretaries of state, includes slave quarters within steps of the White House.It’s a sensitive subject. It’s an important subject, though,” museum director Cindi Malinick said of an exhibit on black history in the White House neighborhood. “The more we discuss it and discuss … how these people lived and worked and got through their lives, I think the better off we all will be as a society.”

Decatur House, now administered as a museum by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, holds one of the few remaining examples of what urban slavery was like in 19th century America, Malinick said.

It was in the slave quarters, known as the Gadsby wing, that 15 members of the King and Williams families lived together in three rooms of the building behind the red-brick main house. They were considered the property of hotel and tavern owner John Gadsby. Gadsby was also said to have made a fortune in the slave trade.

A 2002 renovation uncovered the original floor, walls and fireplaces of the slave quarters, which are on view in the exhibit, “The Half Had Not Been Told Me: African Americans on Lafayette Square.” The title of the exhibit is drawn from a Frederick Douglass quote; the show remains on view through at least March. Reservations are recommended for the $5 tour. “Certainly, given the magnitude of the new president that’s coming, this is a really special place,” Malinick said.

Obama visited the home in February to film a campaign commercial during the primaries held in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.

Washington D. C. map

2009-01-01T10:31:00.000-08:00

Washington D. C.

2009-01-01T06:35:00.000-08:00

Washington D.C.

History attractions prepare for inaugural in DC

Washington D. C. map

Washington D. C.