100 Years of Afro-American History

Historical marker location:

4315 Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue Northeast, Deanwood, District of Columbia

( Marker is on Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue Northeast east of Minnesota Avenue Northweast, on the right when traveling east.)

By Jerome Johnson

The District was a major center of the slave trade in the 19th century: Prior to the Civil War, Washington, D.C. was home to one of the largest slave markets in the country. Slaves were bought and sold in public auctions held in the city, and many prominent politicians and businessmen owned slaves.