Georgetown Black History Walking Tour

March - May 2025, tour is offered the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month at 2pm.
June - August 2025, tour is offered the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month at 10am.
Someone visiting Georgetown today may see it as another wealthy enclave in a continuously gentrifying Washington, DC. However, this charming area has a diverse history. Originally a busy port for the export of tobacco, it was also the site of an active slave trade, and at one point African Americans counted as 30% of the Georgetown population. Descendants of those enslaved peoples and black free folk have lived in Georgetown for generations, but their contributions to its history do not often receive the same recognition. This tour will reveal the stories of the black citizens who made their mark on one of DC’s oldest neighborhoods.

The tour starts at 3206 O Street NW DC and ends at the Mt. Zion Cemetery, at 2501 Mill Rd. NW. There is a half-way stop at Thomas Sweet Shop for a bathroom break and refreshment.

Meeting Point

3206 O St NW

3206 O St NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA

Guests will meet in front of Fiola Mare on the waterfront side of the Georgetown Waterfront.

What's included:

• Over 2 hours of historic information offered by an experienced guide.

What to expect:

Duration: between 2 hours and 2 hours, 30 minutes

3206 O St NW

3206 O St NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA

The gothic-style Healy Hall was built at the direction of, and named for, Georgetown University's only black President, Patrick Healy.

10 minutes

Pomander Walk Northwest

Pomander Walk NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA

Pomander Walk used to be Bell's Court, owned by Alexander Graham Bell. Bell's Court was characteristic of alleyway communities throughout DC, where you had a close-knit black community.

10 minutes

Thomas Sweet

3214 P St NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA

The tour takes a half-way stop at Thomas Sweet for refreshment and a bathroom break.

15 minutes

3146 O St NW

3146 O St NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA

The row houses at this address used to serve as holding pens for the enslaved. The pens were torn down by an Irish entrepreneur who had themselves spent their childhood as an indentured servant in the West Indies.

10 minutes

3044 P St NW

3044 P St NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA

The house of Emma Brown, who was one of the first black teachers in DC to reach the level of Principal.

Pass by without stopping

1332 29th St NW

1332 29th St NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA

The Mount Zion United Methodist Church is one of the oldest black congregations in Georgetown.

10 minutes

Rose Park

26th Street, O Street, Washington DC, 20007, District of Columbia

This historic park was the site of numerous political rallies and community gatherings for the black community in Georgetown.

10 minutes

Mount Zion and Female Union Band Society Cemeteries

2501 Mill Rd NW, Washington, DC 20007, USA

This is the oldest cemetery in Georgetown, which contains the remains of enslaved and free black citizens.

10 minutes