I love taking historic home field trips with my family. Scroll to the end to check out the article I wrote for Simple Homeschool to learn more about why historic homes are such a special part of our learning. In the meantime, I want to share our most recent historic home visit because it was a special experience.
Cedar Hill is the former home of abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and within seconds of arrival, I immediately learned how well the name fits the location. It is indeed at the top of a high hill. Purchased by Douglass in 1887, the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site is located in Anacostia, one of Washington D.C.’s oldest neighborhoods. The entire area is rich with African American history, and Cedar Hill is its most famous artifact.
[Our family] vision requires me to release the idea of history as a mere academic subject. It’s more expansive than that, and the reframe is crucial. History is a family treasure to be woven into the fabric of our days.
A PLACE TO BELONG, Chapter 9
Upon arrival, we entered the visitor’s center to find a small lobby area with a life-size statue of Douglass, a tiny gift shop, various quotes from his speeches and writings, and a few pieces of memorabilia. After a short wait, we entered the theater and watched a 19-minute film called “Fighter for Freedom: The Frederick Douglass Story.” Following the film, we headed up a long flight of outdoor steps to the front door of the home.
The only way to see inside the house is through a tour guided by rangers from the National Park Service. I highly recommend that you plan ahead for this experience because even though tickets are free, timed reservations are required, and they were sold out when we arrived. Feeling quite disappointed, we lingered just in case people from the next group failed to show up, and that tactic paid off. We were able to take the “no-show” spots and enjoyed a wonderful tour with a fantastic ranger.
We’d learned about Frederick Douglass through our history studies, but to prepare for the trip, we re-read the books below. I talk about this in my book, but I find it important to prepare my kids for historic homes, museum exhibits, and other places that may not naturally interest them if we go without any context or background information. By the time we arrived at Cedar Hill, they knew Douglass, and seeing his home was highly engaging for all of us, including my youngest kiddo, who was only seven.
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If your family lives near DC or will be visiting in the future, be sure to put Cedar Hill on your list! And while you’re at it, enjoy a few of the other historic African American homes in the area. Most are well-preserved and nothing compares to standing in the homes of some of our country’s most inspiring men and women.
If the idea of taking historic home field trips with your kids resonates with you, check out my book A PLACE TO BELONG to learn more about how to naturally weave cultural learning into everyday family life. I also share other field trips and more @heritagemomblog. See you there!
Thank you so much! I’m so excited as we live near Baltimore and I had NO idea this existed. We are in the middle of reading Frederick Douglass’ personal narrative right now and we are also planning to go see an exhibition of his portraits at the National Portrait Gallery. Thanks for this wonderful and perfectly timed post!
Wow, that really is perfect timing! I love when things work out nicely like that. I think your family will really enjoy being in his actual home. It was such a cool experience.