East Capitol St., between 11th & 13th Sts. NE · (202) 690-5155
Metro: Eastern Market
The largest park on Capitol Hill is home to DC’s original memorial to Abraham Lincoln. Congress named the park Lincoln Square in honor of the slain president in 1867, and the Emancipation Group Statue that now marks the site was dedicated on April 14, 1876, eleven years after Lincoln’s death. In the statue, Lincoln is portrayed with the Emancipation Proclamation in hand before a kneeling African-American man, whose shackles have been broken. At the opposite end of the park you’ll find the Mary McLeod Bethune statue, which honors the noted educator and activist.
Insider's Secret: The Emancipation Group Statue was largely paid for by newly freed slaves who wanted to pay their respects to Lincoln. The fundraising campaign was launched by Charlotte Scott, an African-American woman living in Virginia, who offered up the first $5 she earned in freedom. The slave figure depicted in the statue is Alexander Archer, the last person captured by the Fugitive Slave Act.
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