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Women in Preservation: Helen Pitts Douglass & Mary B. Talbert

Preservation has taken many forms since its start and, because of this, has cast a variety of impressions. Some people think of preservation as a largely wealthy and white endeavor, prioritizing high-style architecture, mansions, and estates. Some see preservation as, in the words of writer Ada Louise Huxtable, the work of “little old ladies in tennis shoes fighting bulldozers.” While examples of both of these exist (and those ladies are certainly a force to be reckoned with), the reality of preservation is much more diverse and multi-faceted. The restoration and preservation of the Frederick Douglass House in Washington, DC’s Anacostia neighborhood is a perfect example, made possible by passionate, determined women working to preserve the legacy of an American hero.

Frederick Douglass purchased his house, which he named Cedar Hill, in 1877 from the Freedmen’s Savings and Trust Company. He resided there from 1878 until his death in 1895. In his will, Douglass left the house to his wife, Helen Pitts Douglass. Helen Douglass knew her husband’s historic and cultural impact and dedicated the rest of her life to preserving their home so the public could one day visit, or as she put it: "to encourage the people throughout the various states to make pilgrimages to the Douglass estate."

Cedar Hill, 1890's

At Douglass's urging, Congress founded the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association (FDMHA) in 1900, with the goal of preserving the home and opening it to the public. The FDMHA took over the property after her death in 1903. The organization then partnered with the National Association for Colored Women (NACW) and eventually completed its first restoration in 1922. Though she did not live to see her goal realized, Helen Pitts Douglass laid the groundwork to save the home she shared with her husband and to preserve his legacy for years to come.


The restoration work, done through the partnership between the FDMHA and the NACW, was completed under the leadership of Mary B. Talbert. Talbert was a prominent African American civil rights and anti-lynching advocate. She was also a founding member of the Buffalo, New York branch of the National Association of Colored Women (later called the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs). She served as president of the NACWC from 1916 to 1921.


In 1916, under Talbert’s leadership, the NACWC agreed to help pay off the remaining mortgage on Cedar Hill. She published a call to action in The Crisis magazine, the official publication of the NAACP. In it, she wrote: “We believe the attainment of the goal depends upon the enlistment of every Negro, man, woman, boy, and girl in America. We seriously realize that it will require us to mobilize all the resources of our Association to show that we are not afraid to put ourselves on record as being able to save the home by one day’s co-operative effort.”

"...it will require us to mobilize all the resources of our Association to show that we are not afraid to put ourselves on record as being able to save the home by one day’s co-operative effort."

Her powerful campaigning was a success. The NACWC paid off the remainder of the mortgage in 1918, in time for the centennial year of Frederick Douglass’s birth. At their biennial meeting that year, they held a celebratory burning of the paperwork in front of a large audience, led by donor Madam C.J. Walker. In the following four years, the NACWC raised an estimated $11,000 for the restoration and maintenance of the home. Talbert was also elected president for life of the FDMHA. Cedar Hill remained under the management of the FDMHA until 1962, when President John F. Kennedy established the Frederick Douglass Home as part of the National Park System.

Talbert was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2005. Here, they say “Mrs. Talbert was a pioneer in international organizing efforts, gaining a voice for African American women and developing black female leadership. With conscious intent, she bridged the generation of 19th century abolitionists and freedom seekers: Tubman, Douglass, Truth, and others, and the developing civil rights leadership of the 20th century.”

Cedar Hill today

Helen Douglass and Mary Talbert created a movement that has preserved the legacy of Frederick Douglass into the 21st century. Today, thanks to their work, we can enjoy Cedar Hill as a National Historic Site. Though the home is closed to the public at this time, you can visit it virtually here!


The fight to preserve African American heritage sites is ongoing. Of the over 95,000 entries in the National Register of Historic Places, only 2% focus specifically on the experiences of black Americans. Today, activists and preservationists are working to expand that number and create a fuller and more inclusive picture of African American history.


Annapolis Connections: Frederick Douglass lived nearby in Anacostia, but he also had a summer cottage just outside Annapolis in Highland Beach! The house, known as “Twin Oaks,” is now the Frederick Douglass Museum and Cultural Center.


He is also honored at the Banneker-Douglass Museum in downtown Annapolis, and has a statue in the Maryland State House.


Carolyn Currin Preservation Assistant



Sources:

Casey Cep, “The Fight to Preserve African American History.” New Yorker. January 27, 2020. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2020/02/03/the-fight-to-preserve-african-american-history

“Cedar Hill: Frederick Douglass’s Home in Anacostia.” National Park Service.

“Mary Burnett Talbert.” Iowa State University Archives of Women’s Political Communication.

“Mary Burnett Talbert” National Women’s Hall of Fame. https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/mary-burnett-talbert/

“Preservation.” Frederick Douglas National Historic Site. https://www.nps.gov/frdo/learn/historyculture/preservation.htm

Walser, Lauren.“Mary Burnett Talbert: The Preservation Champion You Might Not Have Heard Of.” National Trust for Historic Preservation. May 21, 2014.

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