Site of Rhodes Tavern

Historical marker location:

555 15th Street Northwest, Penn Quarter, District of Columbia

( Marker is at the intersection of F Street Northwest and 15th Street Northwest, on the right when traveling west on F Street Northwest.)

Marker installed: 1999

1799 - 1984

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.