Black History
A Look At Frederick Douglass’ Home Almost 100 Years After National Shrine Declaration
Tara Buckner visited the Washington, D.C. home of abolitionist and orator Frederick Douglass during a business trip to the nation’s capital in 2018. She still remembers the elegant wallpaper, the curated collection of family heirlooms, and the china.
“I believe he brought it back from the islands,” she said. “And, they have it all set up in the pantry.”
Douglass moved into the house which he called Cedar Hill in 1877. In 1922 it was declared a National Shrine, and the federal government recognized the hilltop home in the Anacostia neighborhood as a National Historic Site in 1988.
During a library reading, biographer David Blight, who won a Pulitzer for Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, shared with the audience the historical context for Douglass’ commitment to living in Washington. Blight recalled that it was the winter of 1866 and Republicans had appointed a committee to study Reconstruction, seeking ways to stabilize the formerly enslaved and ensure access to opportunity.
“In the midst of those hearings, Douglass is in Washington,” Blight said. “He didn’t live here yet. He’s not going to live here until 1872…although right at the end of the war he was trying to get to Washington, he was trying to get to the center…he was trying to get somewhere near or inside Republican politics if he could.”
According to Blight, Douglass — an admired statesman — led a delegation of 12 other Black leaders to the White House to see President Andrew Johnson. They did not have an appointment but asked for one which Johnson granted. However, Johnson was not “terribly welcoming.”
Blight stated, “But what ensued that day was probably one of the worst encounters between a group of Black leaders and an American President ever, in our history.
It was a disaster one might say.”But, Douglass was not dissuaded. When Rutherford Hayes was elected, Douglass became the marshall of the District of Columbia. It marked the first time a Black man successfully received a federal appointment requiring Senate approval.
Douglass’ ability to overcome a lifetime of discrimination is why Buckner felt compelled to visit the home which Douglass had purchased for $6,000.
She remarked, “His experience coming out of having been separated from his mother at a young age, being flogged, sneaking to learn to read and write speak to the very existence of the terrible life of slaves.”
With the growing popularity of Juneteenth, Douglass’ famous speech in 1852 questioning the relevance of the Fourth of July to the enslaved has received renewed interest. Yet, for Buckner, whose daughter was born on the holiday, the Fourth now has added meaning.
“I feel as a descendant of slaves…every day is a question so for me to have my baby on the Fourth solidifies my story as an American in this country,” she explained.
But despite what Douglass queried in his speech, Buckner in 2020 can claim the Fourth of July and “rejoice” along with many others, in part, because of his “extraordinary” accomplishments and sacrifices often first envisioned at the quiet respite he called home.
In Arkansas a formerly all-Black school, Ouachita County Training School, has launched a national fundraising effort to restore the campus following its designation as a site on the National Register of Historic Places. One of the first corporate donations to OCTS, located in Bearden, Arkansas, came from the Katherine Anthony Foundation.
Anthony’s nephew, Steve, and CEO of Anthony Timberlands, presented a $10,000 check to the historic committee.
“We are happy to support the work of the Greater Bradley District Association and the Ouachita County Training School committee in their efforts to maintain the infrastructure and grounds of the training school, which is such an important part of the Bearden community,” Anthony said.
The National Park Service listed OCTS on the prestigious register in 2023.
“Since we received the news, we have been excited and motivated to raise the fund necessary to preserve this part of our history!” Virginia Ashley, committee president said. “We recognize the pivotal role OCTS played in educating several generations of young people who started right here and went on to contribute greatly to the Black middle class and the world.”
The gift of education
For education advocates, December holds a special place in American history. During the Christmas Season in 1952, the Supreme Court first heard arguments to eliminate segregation in the nation’s public schools. But, it took two more years before the Court issued its landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, declaring segregation unconstitutional.
During the 1950s, OCTS educated Black students in the small southern town south of Little Rock, which became known internationally for The Little Rock Nine and their efforts to integrate Central High School. In Bearden, several Rosenwald Schools had consolidated to create the larger OCTS campus that educated students from the first through the 12th grades.
“I have such wonderful memories of my days as a student at OCTS,” recalled Pearlie Newton, a retired educator and executive director of the OCTS historic committee. “My dad helped pour concrete at the campus, my husband and I met there and it was in one of the classrooms that my goal to become an educator took shape.”
Despite the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision eliminating “separate but equal” schools, OCTS remained segregated until 1971 when it merged with the white school district in the area. An association of Black Baptist churches known as the Greater Bradley District Association purchased the campus for use as its headquarters.
Pastor and Association Moderator, Verna Thompson, said, “We are excited about the renovation and look forward to holding our church services and meetings in a modernized facility that holds so much historic significance.”
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