A unique museum and monument, the African American Civil War Memorial and Museum opened in 1999 to commemorate the little known contribution to the Civil War made by African Americans.
There are 209,145 names listed on the wall of Honor of the memorial, 80% who survived the war to come home and start lives with their families as free men and women. This museum uses photographs, documents and audio visual equipment to document their stories, and conducts ongoing and extensive research to further identify and catalog the African American involvement in the war.
Over the past decade, the museum staff and volunteers have made contact with more than 5,000 families that are descendants of the soldiers whose names are engraved on the Wall of the monument. Through this work, the museum has obtained the nation's largest collection of rare books, artifacts and research material on the African American Civil War soldiers' legacy of freedom.
Ongoing permanent exhibits include "Slavery to Freedom: Civil War to Civil Rights" portraying the African American struggle for freedom in the United States. The museum also includes a descendants' registry, now including more than 2,000 descendants with their family trees, letters and other documents.
The African American Civil War Memorial is located at the corner of Vermont Avenue and U Street NW in Washington DC, at the eastern entrance to the U St/African-Amer Civil War Memorial/Cardozo Metro station. The museum is located two blocks west of the memorial in the historic U Street neighborhood.
Attraction Information
- Museum Hours:
- Monday through Friday: 10am to 5pm
- Saturdays: 10am to 2pm
- Admission:
- Free
- Metro Stop:
- Greenline to the U Street/African-American Civil War Memorial Station
- Contact:
- Museum Location: 1000 U Street, NW, Washington DC
- Memorial Location: 1200 U Street, NW, Washington DC
- Phone: 202-667-2667
- Website: www.afroamcivilwar.org
