Smokey Bear Blue Spruce

Historical marker location:

The National Mall, District of Columbia

( Marker is at the intersection of 14th Street Southwest (U.S. 1) and Jefferson Drive Southwest, on the right when traveling north on 14th Street Southwest.)

Picea pungens.

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.