On August 12, 1922, the home of the abolitionist Frederick Douglass was dedicated a national museum. Douglass acquired the home in 1878. When he died in 1895, Douglass’s widow established the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association. Until 1962, the organization owned the home the home with the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs. Eventually, the federal government assumed ownership of the home in order to restore it.
