Historic Grounds Report, Historical Data: Frederick Douglass Home
Toogood AC. 1968. Historic Grounds Report, Historical Data: Frederick Douglass Home. Historic Grounds Report. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
The Historic Grounds Report on the Frederick Douglass Home, ENCP-H-12, has been written to provide the reasonably detailed historical data needed for the restoration and interpretation of the grounds and outbuildings to reflect Douglass’ life and his years spent at Cedar Hill. The National Park Service plans to restore the estate to its appearance in 1895, the year Douglass died. In addition, the National Park Service aims to provide recreational facilities for the visitors to Cedar Hill. The abundant planting of the grounds and the open countryside all around Cedar Hill reflected Douglass’ strong love of nature. Although most of the area bordering on the property has since been developed and much of the greenery has faded out, it is possible and advisable to emphasize in the restoration and interpretation of the grounds the spiritual and physical reinforcement Douglass received from his natural surroundings. While a general layout of the estate in 1895 could be defined in this report, it was not possible to give an accurate and complete description of the grounds and outbuildings from the available photographs, maps, letters, and public records of the period. For this reason, it was necessary to rely heavily on an interview with Mr. Pierre M. Taylor who first knew Cedar Hill as a boy of seven in 1908, a full thirteen years after Douglass’ death. Although his memory checked well against established information on the grounds, on must allow for the possibility of human error and for the changes that probably occurred between 1895 and 1908. Furthermore, since he later lived at Cedar Hill with his wife as caretaker, from 1929 to 1939, he probably remembered some things from that decade, over thirty years after the planned date of restoration.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Toogood, Anna
- Date of Issue
- 1968-05
- Publisher
- U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service
- Units
- FRDO , HIST , NCR
- Keywords
- Abolitionist, Anacostia, carriage house, Cedar Hill, Cultural Resources, ehistory, Frederick Douglass, Growlery, Historic Preservation, Journalism, outbuildings, Restoration, Slavery, Stable, Washington D.C., Works Progress Administration
- Subjects
- CRIS-CL: 600033: Frederick Douglass Nat'l Historic Site