Giant Panda

Historical marker location:

3001 Connecticut Ave NW, Smithsonian National Zoo, District of Columbia

( Marker can be reached from Olmsted Walk, 0.3 miles east of Connecticut Avenue Northwest, on the right when traveling east.)

Protecting Giant Pandas. Vulnerable

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.