Booker T Washington National Monument

From blackwiki
Revision as of 08:09, 28 January 2021 by Antisdio (talk | contribs) (Created page with "The Booker T. Washington National Monument, located in Virginia, is a nod to one of the most influential icons of America born in slavery – Booker T. Washington. The monumen...")
(diff) ← Older revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)
Jump to navigation Jump to search

The Booker T. Washington National Monument, located in Virginia, is a nod to one of the most influential icons of America born in slavery – Booker T. Washington. The monument honors the birthplace of this notable African American educator, influential statesman, and orator during the nineteenth and twentieth century.[1]

This monument shows a shrunken log cabin, where one of America’s most influential Black leaders was born—as a slave on the former Burroughs Plantation. The 19th century farm buildings are reconstructions, but a subsistence-style garden remains to evoke what life was like for Booker T. Washington long before he became a symbol of Black education and empowerment. [2]

History

Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in 1856 in a log cabin on the tobacco plantation of James and Elizabeth Burroughs. In his autobiography, Up from Slavery (1901), Washington recounts the story of his hardscrabble childhood and evolution into a major educational and cultural figure of his time. The pragmatic Washington not only established in 1881 a school for African Americans in Alabama that became Tuskegee Institute but also helped lead America's blacks and whites to a better understanding of each other. A replica of the one-room cabin where he lived as a child has been constructed along with other outbuildings and a center for interpreting this history. In his autobiography, Washington wrote of his childhood home,

“The cabin was not only our living-place, but was also used as the kitchen for the plantation. . . . The cabin was without glass windows; it had only openings in the side which let the light in, and also the cold, chilly air of winter. There was a door to the cabin—that is, something that was called a door—but the uncertain hinges by which it was hung, and the large cracks in it, to say nothing of the fact that it was too small, made the room a very uncomfortable one . . . we slept in and on a bundle of filthy rags laid upon the dirt floor.”

Activities

In this monument there is several aktivities and area that visitor can explore or experience of African-American life in slavery era including :

  • Plantation Trail (Hiking)
  • Jack-O-Lantern Branch Heritage Trail (Hiking)
  • Picnic Area
  • Farm Area (Historic Sites)
  • Garden Area (Historic Sites)[3]

Hiking

The Plantation Trail is a ¼ mile loop through the historic area. It passes by reconstructions of the nineteenth century farm buildings similar to those that stood on the Burroughs Plantation when Booker T. Washington lived here as a boy. You are invited to explore the open buildings and read from the park brochure about the kinds of activities that took place in each.

In addition to the Plantation Trail, the monument provides an opportunity for a 1½ mile meandering walk through fields and forests on the Jack-O-Lantern Branch Trail. Trail guides are available at the visitor center.

Historic Sites

Begin your visit at the visitor center. Exhibits and an audio-visual presentation orient you to the life of Booker T. Washington. There is also a sales area with books and related items focusing on African American history. Uniformed park personnel and volunteers can answer your questions and assist you in making the most of your visit.

Ranger-guided walking tours of the historic area are offered on weekends. Contact the park for schedules.

At the farm area, sheep, pigs, horses and chickens help provide the mood to explore this recreated 1850s tobacco farm. Here visitors can learn about the historic breeds of animals that would have been here during Washington's time.

At the garden area, visitors can learn about the gardening techniques used by owners and slaves on the farm. The garden is an example of a typical subsistence garden of piedmont Virginia of the 1850s.[4]

Reference

  1. Booker T. Washington National Monument Guide. Outdoorsy. Retrieved January 28, 2021
  2. Nikki Ekstein and Claire Ballentine. The Best Anti-Racist Monuments to Visit in America. Bloomberg. Retrieved January 28, 2021
  3. Booker T Washington Monument. Nps.gov. Retrieved January 28, 2021
  4. Booker T Washington National Monument. Ohranger. Retrieved January 28, 2021