The preserved estate of the famous abolitionist is one of the best monuments to prominent black citizens in Washington.
Washington is a black city with very few monuments to prominent African Americans. Cedar Hill is one of the best. Abolitionist, writer, political giant, and former slave Frederick Douglass spent the last 17 years of his eventful life at this estate in the hills of Anacostia. Located within the city limits just across the Anacostia River from the Capitol and the White House, Cedar Hill was a place of pilgrimage for journalists, politicians, and sympathizers who came to visit Douglass from 1877 until his death in 1895.
The grounds of Cedar Hill are picturesque, with the estate perched atop one of Anacostia’s highest and steepest hills, offering incredible views of downtown Washington. The interior of the house is only accessible during a free tour with a National Park Service ranger, which must be booked in advance. According to the guide, Frederick Douglass paid $6,700 for the house, which is roughly equivalent to $1.3 million in 2017 prices. The walls of the house are hung with portraits of great abolitionists — John Brown, Wendell Phillips, as well as Douglass himself, his wives, and children.
The house has a large armchair in which “The Lion of Anacostia” received visitors, a desk at which he wrote his famous speeches, various household items, and dumbbells. The bedroom of his first wife, Anna, was sealed after her death, but is now open to the public. When he married his secretary, Helen Pitts, a couple of years after Anna’s death, she took the adjacent bedroom, where her typewriter and sewing machine still stand. A ranger guide can point out with genuine enthusiasm the exact spot in the hall where Douglas fell dead in 1895.
The grounds also feature an exact replica of the stone cottage that Douglas used as his study, but it is not included in the tour.
The estate grounds and visitor center are open to the public, but the interior of the house can only be viewed during a guided tour.