Black History Month Father’s Shaw home restored

Carter G. Woodson, the father of Black History Month, has done a great many things. He received his PhD at Harvard University, established Negro History Week in 1926, and even founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History, now called the Study of African American Life and History. One additional thing he has done is lived in this c. 1872-constructed home in Shaw, which has now been restored, thanks to the National Park Service.

From 1922 to 1950, Woodson lived in the three-story brick home, which has hosted celebrities like Langston Hughes, Charles Wesley, and Myra Colson Callis.

According to DCist, the site became a historic landmark in 1976. In the 1980s, it became vacant with broken windows and rotted wood inside. A full restoration began in 2015.

This year, from April 21 through 23, the home will be open again for visitors to tour at 1538 9th Street NW. Some of the highlights of the tour include the original mantelpieces painted to look like marble and the rehabilitated staircase.

Reservation information is expected to be available soon on the National Park Service’s website.

• The Shaw Home Of Carter G. Woodson, The Father Of Black History Month, Has Been Restored [DCist]