African-American Landmarks

African American Civil War Memorial

Washington, District of Columbia
The memorial commemorates the service of 209,145 African-American soldiers and sailors who fought for the Union in the American Civil War.

African American Museum in Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19106
Built in 1976 for the nation's Bicentennial, the African American Museum in Philadelphia was the first institution funded and built by a major city to preserve, interpret and exhibit the heritage of African Americans.

African-American Research Library

Fort Lauderdale, Broward County, Florida, 33311
The African-American Research Library and Cultural Center is a general-service library, as well as a research facility and cultural center containing more than 75,000 books and related materials that focus on the experiences of people of African descent.

America's Black Holocaust Museum

Milwaukee, Wisconsin
The museum is the only memorial dedicated specifically to the victims of the enslavement of Africans in the United States.

Baltimore Civil War Museum

Baltimore, Maryland, 21202
Originally the President Street Station, this site and the rail line were key elements of the "underground railroad" by which many slaves escaped to the north before the Civil War.

Bethel Baptist Church, Parsonage, and Guardhouse

Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, 35207
The Bethel Baptist Church, Parsonage, and Guardhouse are associated with the first organized movement of the modern civil rights movement. The Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights was headquartered here from 1956-1961.

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, 35203
Opened in November of 1992, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute is a large interpretive museum and research center that depicts the struggles of the American Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and 1960s.

Black American West Museum and Heritage Center

Denver, Colorado, 80205
Started in 1971 by a Denver barber, the Museum contains a remarkable collection of items used by black pioneers in the West. It is housed in the former home of Justina Ford, the first licensed black woman doctor in Colorado.

Brown Chapel A.M.E. Church

Selma, Dallas County, Alabama, 36703
This church was a starting point for the Selma to Montgomery marches in 1965 and played a major role in the events that led to the adoption of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site

Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas, 66612
Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site was established in Topeka, Kansas, on October 26, 1992, by the United States Congress to commemorate the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision aimed at ending racial segregation in public schools.

Florida A&M University

Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, 32307
Although it has had different names, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University was founded in 1887, and in 1891, it was designated Florida's land-grant institution for African-Americans.

Foster Auditorium

Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, 35487
This multi-purpose facility was built in 1939 and is most famous as the site of of the "stand in the schoolhouse door" incident. On June 11, 1963, Governor George C. Wallace blocked the entrance to prevent registration of African Americans.

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

Washington, District of Columbia, 20020
This is the home of one of the most famous African Americans in United States history. Perched high on a hilltop, the site offers a sweeping view of the U.S. Capitol and the Washington D.C. skyline.

Great Plains Black History Museum

North Omaha, Nebraska
The museum is located in the Webster Telephone Exchange Building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

John Gilmore Riley House

Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, 32301
John G. Riley was born a slave and died a millionaire. His home in Tallahassee has been turned into a museum dedicated to African-American history and culture. It is one of two original homes in an area that was once a middle-class black neighborhood.

Levi Coffin House

Fountain City, Wayne County, Indiana, 47341
The Levi Coffin House served as a station on the Underground Railroad. The slave girl, Eliza, whose story is told in Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, was one of the slaves who stayed at this way station.

Little Rock Central High School

Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas
In 1957, nine African-American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, were denied entrance to the school in defiance of the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling ordering integration of public schools.

Muhammad Ali Center

Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky, 40202
The Muhammad Ali Center is a non-profit museum and cultural center in Louisville, Kentucky. Dedicated to boxer Muhammad Ali, a native of Louisville, it is located in the city's West Main District.

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Cincinnati, Ohio
Using the theme of the Underground Railroad, the Center attempts to inform people of the issues important to Freedom in the past, present and the future. The hope is that everyone will use their voice to promote Freedom for all.

Oak Alley Plantation

Vacherie, St. James County, Louisiana, 70090
Oak Alley Plantation is a historic plantation located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, in the community of Vacherie, St. James Parish, Louisiana.

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church

Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, 35203
Called the First Colored Baptist Church of Birmingham when it was founded in 1873, this was the first black church to organize in Birmingham. In September 1963, the church was the target of a racially-motivated bombing that killed four girls.

The Old Slave Mart Museum

Charleston, South Carolina, 29401
Constructed in 1859, the building is believed to be the last extant slave auction facility in South Carolina. Today, the building houses the Old Slave Mart Museum.

Union Bank Building

Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, 32399
Opened in 1841, the Union Bank Building is said to be the oldest surviving bank building in the state. It is now an extension of the Florida A&M University Black Archives, Research Center and Museum.

University of Alabama

Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, 35487
Founded in 1831, UA is the flagship school of the University of Alabama System. Its athletic teams are nicknamed the "Crimson Tide" because crimson is one of the school colors. UA is composed of a campus of approximately 1,000 acres (4 km²).