USDOT

Historical marker location:

301 Water Street Southeast, Navy Yard, District of Columbia

( Marker can be reached from Water Street Southeast just west of 4th Street Southeast, on the left when traveling west. Reported permanently removed.)

Marker installed: 2019

Then & Now

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.