Cedar Hill, Frederick Douglass’s house
HOUSE TOUR SCHEDULE
Ranger-guided tours of Frederick Douglass’s home, Cedar Hill, are given on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at scheduled times. For individuals and groups of 10 or less people, the times are 9 AM, 12:15 PM, 1:15 PM, 3 PM, and 3:30 PM. From April through October there is also a 4 PM tour.
Tour times for groups of 11 to 60 people are at 9:30 AM, 10:45 AM, and 2 PM. Such large groups must call (877) 559-6777 at least one week in advance to make a group reservation.
Space is limited to ten people per tour group, though depending on the number of park Rangers on duty and the expected crowd for the day, there may be two or even three tour groups entering the house during any given time slot. You may hear others in the house, but the entrance of each group is staggered to put ample time and space between them so a tour can be conducted without groups running into each other.
Tours are scheduled to last about 30 minutes, though the tour I was on ran for 45 minutes. All depends on how inquisitive is the group. Block off an hour of your time to be on the safe side when planning.
Tour times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Guided Tours web page for Frederick Douglass National Historic Site.
TICKETS
Tickets for the Cedar Hill Tour are free but must be obtained. You can do so at the Visitor Center on the day of the tour (free), or at least one day in advance online at Recreation.gov (there is a small service charge per ticket, $1 at the time of this writing). Groups calling to make a reservation will also be charged this fee per person. School groups are charged a flat $10. Unlike other National Park venues that hold a percentage of tickets for walk-up visitors, the only tickets available the day of the tour are those that were not reserved online.
Space on the tours is limited, so if you are attempting a visit on the weekends, during the summer, or on holidays, it is best to make a reservation. At other times you can most likely get a ticket on the day of the tour. However, keep in mind that most people show up just in time for the tour they want to attend, so you may be out of luck if a family or larger group of people arrives right before you. You may have to wait until the next tour, or even a tour later in the day. Unless you don’t have a credit card or can’t afford a buck, make it easy on yourself and make a reservation.
TOUR RULES
- Visitors must pick up tickets at the visitor center before the tour time.
- Visitors cannot join a tour after it has entered the historic house.
- Strollers, tote bags, backpacks, and other large bags are not allowed in the historic house.
- Eating, drinking, chewing gum, and smoking are not allowed in the historic house.
- Photography is permitted, but the flash must be off to protect light-sensitive objects.
HANDICAP ACCESSIBILITY
Cedar Hill, living up to its name, is situated at the top of a steep hill. Disabled visitors can drive to the top and park at the house, but they must stop at the Visitor Center first and let a Ranger know that they need to use the driveway.
Frederick Douglass’s Cedar Hill Home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
The house is two floors, and the only way to get to the top floor is by stairs. There are no elevators. Those in wheelchairs can tour the first floor only (unless carried upstairs), provided that the wheelchair is no wider than 27.5 inches, otherwise it will not fit through the doorways.
CEDAR HILL
Frederick Douglass and his wife Anna first moved to Washington, D. C., in 1872, living in a house on Capitol Hill on A Street. Prior to this, they lived in Rochester, New York. Their three sons lived in Washington, plus Douglass found himself often traveling there for business, so it made sense to move. Besides, their house in Rochester had just burned down—arson was suspected.
In September 1877, the couple moved to the Anacostia suburb of Washington to a house situated on a tall hill with a wonderful view of the Anacostia River and downtown Washington (at least back then). Douglass named the house Cedar Hill, and it is here that he lived from age 60 until he died seventeen years later in 1895. The Douglasses were the only black people in the neighborhood.
View from Frederick Douglass’s Cedar Hill home today, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
The house was built by John Welsh Van Hook between 1855 and 1859 and originally had fourteen rooms. The Douglasses expanded the house to twenty-one rooms during the time they owned it and also purchased an additional six acres surrounding the house in 1878. The house purchase itself came with nearly ten acres.
After Anna’s death in 1882, Douglass married Helen Pitts, a daughter of an abolitionist friend of his. This caused a big scandal because Helen was not only twenty years younger, but she was also white. Aside from the public controversy, Helen’s family quit speaking to her and Douglass’s children felt the marriage was an insult to their mother.
Douglass left Cedar Hill to Helen in his will, but because it did not have the required signatures, it was void and all property went to his children. Helen wanted to preserve the house, but the children wanted to sell it, so she had to raise $12,000 to buy it back. Once in her possession, she turned it into a museum / memorial to her husband. Seventy percent of the furnishings and personal items on display inside the house are original to the Douglass family.
At Helen’s urging, Congress created the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association (FDMHA) in 1900, and when she died in 1903, the house became the property of the Association. FDMHA partnered with the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs in 1916, and together they financed a restoration in 1922. Tours of the house were given as far back as 1910, but by the 1960s the owners could no longer raise the funds to keep the house in good repair. The group approached the federal government, and the house was sold to the National Park Service in 1962. Another restoration was done in 1972, and a third was done recently between 2004 and 2007.
HOUSE TOUR
Upon entering Cedar Hill you will find two parlor rooms situated on either side of the entrance hall. To the left is the East Parlor where Douglass entertained guests. To the right is the West Parlor where the Douglass family spent time talking and playing games. The entrance hall, by the way, is where Douglass dropped dead of a heart attack on February 20, 1895.
East Parlor of Frederick Douglass’s Cedar Hill home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
East Parlor of Frederick Douglass’s Cedar Hill home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Kerosene lamp and board game in the West Parlor of Frederick Douglass’s Cedar Hill home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Connected to the East Parlor is the library and office of Frederick Douglass. The desk on display is where he wrote his autobiography, The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass.
Frederick Douglass’s desk at his Cedar Hill home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
The dining room can be entered from either the West Parlor or the entrance hall. Unlike many dining rooms that are only used for special occasions, the Douglass family ate all meals here. There is a table in the kitchen as well.
Dining Room of Frederick Douglass’s Cedar Hill home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
The bedrooms are located on the second floor, and there are six in all. On display in Douglass’s room are his shoes and dumbbells he used for his daily work-outs.
Frederick Douglass’s room in his Cedar Hill home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Douglass’s shoes and dumbbells sit on his bedroom floor in his Cedar Hill home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
On the same side of the hall is a men’s guest room. All female rooms were on the other side of the hall.
Men’s guest room in Frederick Douglass’s Cedar Hill home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Helen’s room is located across the hall from Frederick’s. Regardless of whether they slept together, wealthy couples always kept separate rooms for the sake of appearance. Notice the ceramic pot at the foot of the bed in the photo below. This is a chamber pot, or portable toilet. Cedar Hill did not have indoor plumbing.
Helen’s bedroom in the Douglass’s Cedar Hill home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Anna Douglass lived at Cedar Hill for four years before dying in 1882 in her bedroom. She was sick during the last years of her life and was confined to a wheelchair. After her death, Frederick supposedly closed the bedroom door and never opened it again.
Anna Douglass’s bedroom in the her Cedar Hill home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
A woman’s guest room is next to Anna’s room. This is the only room in the house that is furnished with pieces that did not belong to the Douglasses.
Woman’s guest room in Frederick Douglass’s Cedar Hill home, Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
After touring the house you are welcome to stroll the grounds of Cedar Hill. There is a garden and a reproduction of one outbuilding. All other outbuilding that once existed have been torn down over the years.
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Last updated on November 22, 2024
