Battery Ricketts

Historical marker location:

2782 Bruce Place Southeast, Woodland, District of Columbia

( Marker is at the intersection of Bruce Place Southeast and Raynolds Place Southeast, on the right when traveling north on Bruce Place Southeast.)

Civil War Defenses of Washington. 1861-1865.

The District was the site of the first U.S. public school for black students: The M Street School (later known as Dunbar High School) was founded in 1870 and was the first public school in the United States for black students. The school became known for its high academic standards and produced many notable alumni, including civil rights leader and educator Mary McLeod Bethune.