Art for the People

Historical marker location:

2420 16th Street Northwest, Columbia Heights, District of Columbia

( Marker can be reached from 16th Street Northwest north of Crescent Place Northwest, on the right when traveling north.)

Meridian Hill Park, National Historic Landmark

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.