A Guide to 

Women’s History

Sites in

Washington, D.C.

Prepared by 

The President’s Commission on the

Celebration of Women 

in American History

Women 

Who Made

History

Welcome to Washington,

D.C. During your stay in our

nation’s capital, we invite

you to explore the exhibits

and sites that pay tribute to

the women who shaped

America’s history.

Historians have just begun

to focus on the stories of the

heroic women who worked to

build a better tomorrow for

all Americans. As women’s

stories continue to emerge,

the grand monuments,

exhibits and historic sites of

this proud city will grow to

reflect a more inclusive and

complete portrait of our

national heritage. Please

note that exhibits are subject

to change. Visitors should

check for current status

before beginning any tours. 

Historic Sites:

Sewall-Belmont House National

Historic Site: Suffragist and Equal

Rights Amendment activist Alice

Paul moved into the historic SewallBelmont House in 1929 and turned the

house into the headquarters for the

National Woman’s Party. A large collection of

portraits and memorabilia of the women who led

the fight for suffrage, including the desk Susan B.

Anthony used to draft the 19th Amendment, is

displayed throughout the house, as are flags used

by suffragists who picketed the White House. 

Location: 144 Constitution Avenue, NE

Metro: Orange or Blue Line to Capitol South;

Red Line to Union Station

Phone: 202-546-3989

Hours:Tues-Fri., 10am-3pm; Sat., 12-4pm

Amenities: Docent-led tours, gift shop

www.nationalparks.org/guide/parks/

sewall-belmo-1727.htm

Mary McLeod Bethune Council

House National Historic Site: Mary

McLeod Bethune was a renowned

educator who founded BethuneCookman College, was vice president of

the NAACP and was the founder of the

National Council of Negro Women. As the first

national headquarters ofthe National Council of

Negro Women, the Bethune residence was a flurry of

activity from1943-1955. Today, the house holds both

the Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial Museum and

the National Archives for Black Women’s History.

Location: 1318 Vermont Avenue, NE

Metro: Orange or Blue Line to Farragut

North or McPherson Square

Phone: 202-673-2402

Hours: Mon-Sat., 10am-4pm

Amenities: Children’s programs, films,tours

and lectures.

www.stamponhistory.com/people/bethune.html

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Memorials:

Women in Military Service for

America Memorial: Since the

American Revolution, women have

gallantly served in our nation’s

armed forces. The first national

memorial honoring women’s service in

all military branches throughout our history is

prominently located at the ceremonial entrance to

Arlington National Cemetery. An interactive

computerized register of servicewomen allows

visitors to access information about women who

served. 

Location: Ceremonial entrance to Arlington 

National Cemetery

Metro: Blue Line to Arlington National

Cemetery

Phone: 703-533-1155

Hours: 8am-5pm, daily

Amenities: Gift shop

www.womensmemorial.org

Vietnam Women’s Memorial: Near

the Vietnam Veterans Memorial

stands a moving and dynamic statue

which captures the image of three

nurses in wartime. It serves as a vivid

reminder of the contributions women

made while serving in Vietnam. Altogether,

265,000 women served during the Vietnam War,

with 11,000 women serving in Vietnam. 

Location: Across from Vietnam Veterans

Memorial, Constitution Gardens, 23rd Street

and Constitution Avenue

Metro: Orange or Blue Line to 

Foggy Bottom-GWU

Phone: 202-634-1568

Hours: 24 hours a day, daily

Amenities: Gift shop

www.glennagoodacre.com

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Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial:

This sculpture offers its own tribute to

Bethune’s work as a national leader

and advocate for African-Americans.

Location: Lincoln Park, 13th and East

Capitol Streets, NW;Washington, D.C.

Clara Barton’s Missing Soldiers

Office: Clara Barton was known as

the “Angel of the Battlefield” for her

efforts to organize the donation and

distribution of supplies to the

frontlines of Civil War battlefields.

After the war, Barton continued her efforts by

assisting families searching for missing soldiers,

founding the American Red Cross and working

for the rights of women and African-Americans.

Viewable only from the street until its scheduled

opening in 2003, Clara Barton’s Missing Soldiers

Office offers rare insight into the assistance

Barton provided to countless families searching

for lost soldiers. The papers and artifacts

discovered at this sight are a tribute to Barton’s

lifetime commitment to others. An enlarged

replica of the original sign for the office is

expected to be unveiled and viewable from the

street beginning in the spring of 2000. 

Location: 437-441 7th Street, NW

Metro: Red or Yellow Line to Gallery Place

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1 Across from Vietnam Veterans Memorial,

Constitution Gardens, 23rd St. andConstitution Avenue

2 14th Street and 

Constitution Ave., NW

3 700 Pennsylvania Ave., NW4 The U.S. Capitol, between Independence

and Constitution Avenues

5 144 Constitution Avenue, NE6 437 - 441 7th Street, NW7 1250 New York Avenue, NW8 1318 Vermont Ave., NE9 Lincoln Park, 13th and East Capitol 

Streets, NW

10 1734 N Street, NW11 The FDR Memorial, alongside Tidal 

Basin in West Potomac Park

12 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, VA13 Ceremonial entrance to Arlington

National Cemetery

14 Boundary Channel Exit on I-395 South

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suffragist and temperance leader Frances Willard

of Illinois; and Mother Joseph ofWashington, a

nun and architect who led a group of missionaries

to the Pacific Northwest Territories in 1856. 

Location: The U.S. Capitol, between

Independence and Constitution Avenues

Metro: Orange or Blue Lines to Capitol South,

Red Line to Union Station

Phone: 202-224-3121 

Hours: 9am-8pm, daily

Amenities: Guided tours, gift shops

www.senate.gov/~dpc/women/ 

suffragist.html

Museums:

National Museum of Women in the

Arts:This museum features the

accomplishments of women in the

arts, with a collection that includes

artwork created by women from many

nations and spanning different eras.

The collection exists because Washington

philanthropist Wilhelmina Cole Holladay and her

husband began acquiring art by women in the

1960s as they noticed a dearth of art by women in

museums. In addition to a permanent display of

artwork from a wide variety of disciplines, the

museum holds educational programs, produces

publications, hosts special exhibits and supports

research.

Location: 1250 New York Avenue, NW

Metro: Red Line to Metro Center

Phone: 202-783-5000

Hours: 10am-5pm, Mon-Sat.; 12-5pm, Sun.

Amenities: Education/Research Center,

Mezzanine Café, gift shop

www.nmwa.org

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Eleanor Roosevelt Statue: The FDR

Memorial features a statue of

Eleanor Roosevelt that recognizes

her not for her role as First Lady, but

for her service as the United States’

Representative to the United Nations.

At the United Nations, Eleanor Roosevelt was the

driving force behind the Universal Declaration of

Human Rights, a document that helped set the

tone for the post-Cold-War world. In her lifetime,

Eleanor Roosevelt was known as First Lady of the

World; and, as Adlai Stevenson said, “Eleanor

Roosevelt would rather light a candle than curse

the darkness, and her glow warmed the world.”

The dignity and eloquence of this statue pay

tribute to a woman who did the best she could

every day of her life to work for equality, civil

rights, human rights and justice. 

Location:The FDR Memorial, alongside Tidal

Basin in West Potomac Park

Metro: Orange or Blue Line to Smithsonian or

Foggy Bottom-GWU

Phone: 202-426-6841

Hours: 8am-midnight, daily

Amenities: Bookstore

U.S. Capitol — Women’s Suffrage

Monument: Three of the leaders of

the suffrage movement: Elizabeth

Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and

Lucretia Mott, are represented by a

marble statue in the U.S. Capitol

Rotunda. The suffrage statue was stored in the

basement for years until a group of women raised

the funds to move it to its present location.

Additionally, the National Statuary Hall

Collection also includes tributes to Jeanette

Rankin of Montana, the first woman to serve in

the U.S. Congress; Esther Hobart Morris of

Wyoming, the nation’s first woman justice of the

peace; educator Florence Sabin of Colorado;

civic leader Maria Sanford of Minnesota;

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Military Women’s Corridor - The

Pentagon: A corridor of the

Pentagon is devoted to the women

who fought and assisted the military

during our nation’s wars. A replica of

the Vietnam Women’s Memorial,

biographies and personal belongings contribute to

the exhibit. Special attention is given to Dr. Mary

E. Walker and Rear Admiral Grace Hopper. Walker,

a Civil War battlefield surgeon, is the only woman

recipient of the Medal of Honor. Among many other

accomplishments, Hopper is recognized as the

computer genius and mathematician who created

the COBOL computer language.

Location: Boundary Channel Exit 

on I-395 South

Metro: Blue or Yellow Line to Pentagon

Phone:703-695-1776

Hours:9am-3pm,Mon.-Fri.;closed weekends

and federal holidays 

Amenities:Guided tours,gift shop,snack shop

Tours subject to change

www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pentagon

General Federation of Women’s Clubs

(GFWC): Recognized as one of the

world’s largest and oldest women’s

volunteer organizations, the GFWC

works locally in an estimated 6,000

clubs throughout the United States.

The organization also operates around

the globe in more than 20 countries to support the

arts, promote education, work toward world

peace and cultural understanding and protect

natural resources. A National Historic Landmark,

GFWC headquarters also houses the Women’s

History and Resource Center

Location: 1734 N Street, NW

Metro: Red Line to Dupont Circle

Phone: 202-347-3168

Hours: 9am-5pm, Mon.-Fri.

Amenities:Tours by appointment only

www.nurelm.com/gfwc

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Exhibits: 

National Museum of American

History: From Parlor to Politics

examines the emerging forces

impacting women’s lives including

the organization of women’s groups,

the rising concern for social issues and

the fight for equal rights and suffrage. First Ladies:

Political Role and Public Image looks into the

different ways First Ladies have chosen to fulfill

the role as public hostesses, promoters of social

change, political allies and cultural activists. This

display contains personal and campaign items, as

well as an exhibit of Inaugural gowns.

Location: 14th Street and 

Constitution Avenue, NW

Metro: Orange or Blue Lines to Smithsonian

Phone: 202-357-2700

Hours: 10am-5:30pm, daily

Amenities: Cafeteria, gift shops, audio tours

americanhistory.si.edu

Newseum:Trailblazing women

journalists including Ida B. Wells,

Nelly Bly, Margaret Bourke-White,

Barbara Walters, Oprah Winfrey, and

many others are recognized for their

breakthroughs and contributions to the

media. In nearby Freedom Park, the names of 50

women are included on a memorial to journalists,

which honors those who lost their lives covering

various conflicts and investigating corruption and

other illegal activities.

Location: 1101 Wilson Boulevard.,

Arlington,VA

Metro: Orange Line to Rosslyn

Phone: 703-284-3544 or 888-NEWSEUM

Hours:10am-5pm Wed.-Sun.;closed holidays 

Amenities: Gift shop

www.newseum.org

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National Archives and Records

Administration: History becomes

interactive at the National Archives

and Records Administration.

Visitors can examine firsthand the

actual historical documents that trace

the origins of great American social movements.

Documents relating to women in American

history include papers from the women’s rights

movement, the development of the Equal Rights

Amendment and Title IX regulations. Visitors

should call in advance of any visit as access to

documents may require the assistance of

archivists.

Location: (Research) 700 Pennsylvania 

Avenue, NW

Metro:Yellow Line to Archives-Navy Memorial

Phone: 202-501-5205 or 202-501-5400

Hours: 8:45am-5pm, Mon-Wed.;

8:45-9pm,Tues.,Thurs., Fri.; 8:45-4:45, Sat.

Amenities: Gift shop, tours of research

facilities by appointment only

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The President’s Commission on the

Celebration of Women in American History

U.S. General Services Administration

Department of Communications

1800 F Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20405 

http://www.gsa.gov/staff/pa/whc.htm
The President’s 

Commission on the 

Celebration of Women in 

American History

U.S. General Services Administration

Department of Communications

1800 F Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20405 

http://www.gsa.gov/staff/

pa/whc.htm