Constructed between 1808 and 1818 through the use of enslaved labor, Arlington House was built for George Washington Parke Custis, grandson of George and Martha Washington. Originally named Mount Washington, Custis renamed the property Arlington…

The Keyes Port of Washington, also known as the Georgetown Port, lies at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and K Street NW where the river once met the road—and constituted one of the final stops for imprisoned Africans entering the American…

Originally owned by the first mayor of Washington D.C., Robert Brent, and located around 45 miles southwest of Capitol Hill in Northern Virginia, Aquia Creek Quarry played a significant role in the early development of Washington, D.C. Brent, an…

John Threlkeld held multiple political roles in the District’s early history, serving as Georgetown’s alderman and mayor in the 1790s. He also held multiple individuals in bondage throughout his lifetime. Estimates suggest that he owned…

As the seat of the Union at the intersection of the North and the South, Washington D.C. played a pivotal role in the Civil War. Throughout the progression of the conflict, D.C. constructed numerous fort sites around the city center to protect the…

Tudor Place is among the foremost Federal-era mansions in the nation, designed by William Thornton, architect of the U.S. Capitol. Construction of the house began circa 1794, was completed circa 1815, and was financed by an inheritance from the…

Built in 1828, this home served as Benjamin Ogle Tayloe's residence and a social, intellectual, and cultural center for the political elite. Described as a "salon" for scholarly discourse and a space for high-society gatherings, the Federal style…

Formerly called “The Rest,” the Lyles-Magruder House was once a part of Mrs. Magruder’s great estate, contemporary with other important estates such as Mount Vernon and Clean Drinking Manor. The building has incredible historical significance over…

Funded by one of the newly created Federal City’s leading families, Octagon House was physically constructed with enslaved labor. Originally built between 1799 and 1800 as a town residence for Colonel John Tayloe of Mount Airy, Richmond County,…