The remarkable Carter Woodson
Carter Woodson turned his modest DC rowhouse into the nerve center of Black history. The Harvard PhD worked from 1538 9th Street NW to launch Negro History Week in 1926.
He published books, ran a journal, and fought back against schools that taught Black kids to accept less. His week became Black History Month decades later.
Here’s how one man’s home office sparked a movement you can visit today at the Carter G. Woodson Home National Historic Site.
Harvard’s Second Black PhD Bought a Rowhouse That Changed America
Carter Woodson got his Harvard PhD in 1912, becoming only the second Black person after W. E. B. Du Bois to earn this honor.
He moved to D. C. and taught high school while facing racism daily. The American Historical Association took his money but wouldn’t let him attend their meetings.
Fed up with white scholars who twisted Black history, Woodson took action.
In 1922, he bought a Victorian rowhouse at 1538 9th Street NW for $8,000 to set up his education revolution.
Chicago’s 1915 Celebration Sparked a Bold Idea
Woodson went to Chicago in 1915 for a big event marking 50 years since slavery ended.
At the Coliseum, he joined thousands of Black Americans viewing exhibits showing Black achievements in art, books, and business.
The displays deeply moved Woodson, who saw the need for Black scholars to study their own history properly.
Before leaving Chicago, he met with other educated Black men at the Wabash Avenue YMCA to plan something that would change American education forever.
Five Scholars Met in a YMCA to Make History
On September 9, 1915, Woodson and four friends gathered in Chicago to create the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH).
His co-founders included doctor George Cleveland Hall, YMCA worker Alexander Jackson, government employee William Hartgrove, and businessman James Stamps.
They committed to studying “neglected aspects of Negro life and history” through research and publishing. Back in Washington, Woodson officially started the group and ran it from his home.
Money from His Life Insurance Launched a Journal
Woodson borrowed against his life insurance to print the first Journal of Negro History in January 1916.
This new publication gave both Black and white scholars a place to share research that mainstream journals turned down. From his home office, Woodson carefully edited each issue.
Despite money troubles during the Great Depression and both World Wars, the journal never missed a scheduled release under his watch, creating a lasting record of Black scholarship.
The Modest Home That Housed a Movement
Woodson used the basement and first floor of his three-story Victorian rowhouse for ASNLH work while living on the second floor.
The home buzzed with activity as typists helped Woodson write books, letters, and essays at all hours.
Throughout the 1920s, the house hosted nine yearly ASNLH meetings, with scholars coming from across the country to meet in Woodson’s living room.
The dining room became a library filled with rare books about Black history that Woodson collected.
A Press Release That Created Black History Month
From his D. C. home, Woodson sent out a press release on February 7, 1926, announcing the first Negro History Week.
He chose the second week of February because it had both Abraham Lincoln’s and Frederick Douglass’s birthdays, dates many Black communities already celebrated.
Woodson built on these existing traditions and gave them national structure.
Schools across America responded eagerly, flooding his home office with requests for teaching materials about Black historical figures.
Books Rejected by Publishers Found a Home in His Kitchen
Woodson started Associated Publishers in 1921 when mainstream companies refused to print books about Black history.
He ran the company from his home, publishing works by Black scholars that otherwise would have stayed hidden.
Every day at exactly 12:15 PM, staff met in Woodson’s kitchen for meetings where he gave orders and planned next steps.
The company printed textbooks, children’s books, and scholarly works, including “The Negro in Our History,” which sold over 90,000 copies.
Woodson Dictated His Famous Book to Home Stenographers
In 1933, Woodson wrote “The Mis-Education of the Negro” from his second-floor office, speaking to typists who wrote down his words.
This powerful book criticized American schools for brainwashing rather than teaching Black students, arguing schools taught them to accept lower positions in society.
He called for better Black education and fixing racist teaching materials. The book cost just $2 when first published but quickly spread through Black communities.
The Man Who Worked 18-Hour Days to Rewrite History
Woodson kept a tough schedule in his home office, often working from sunrise until midnight. Photos show him rarely smiling, focused on his mission.
He wrote over 20 books while running ASNLH, editing the journal, and managing Associated Publishers. In 1937, he created the Negro History Bulletin just for teachers.
His daily routine included personally wrapping publications and carrying them to the post office, sometimes making several trips with heavy packages.
A National Movement Grew from One Man’s Living Room
While Woodson’s home stayed ASNLH headquarters, branches formed across the country from New York to California.
Negro History Week spread to schools nationwide through the 1930s and 1940s, with teachers using Woodson’s materials to teach about Black contributions to America.
By the 1940s, some places in West Virginia and Chicago started celebrating for the entire month of February. The ASNLH created “kits” with posters, reading lists, and lesson plans that shipped from Woodson’s home.
From Weekly Celebration to Presidential Recognition
Woodson died of a heart attack at age 74 in his D. C. home on April 3, 1950, but his vision lived on. In 1976, ASNLH officially expanded Negro History Week into Black History Month, and President Gerald Ford issued the first national proclamation recognizing February as a time to honor Black achievements.
In 2006, Woodson’s home became a National Historic Site, preserving the place where one man’s determination changed how Americans understand their shared history.
Today, the National Park Service maintains the house at 1538 9th Street NW as a museum open to visitors.
Visiting Carter G. Woodson National Historic Site
Carter G. Woodson’s DC home at 1538 9th Street NW in Shaw neighborhood shows where he changed African American education forever.
You can only visit with a free ranger-guided tour that you need to book ahead on Recreation. gov. Tours have just 15-20 people and start right on time. The site has a small bookstore with a waiting area and bathrooms.
You can book up to 3 months early, but remember that large bags and strollers aren’t allowed inside the historic home.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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