Lincoln Terrace Park

A hush fell over the crowd as Charlotte Scott, a formerly enslaved woman, stepped forward. She clutched a five-dollar bill, the first she had earned as a free person. Right here in Lincoln Terrace Park, her small act of defiance sparked a movement. This five dollars was the seed money for a monument to Abraham Lincoln, a testament to freedom. Lincoln Terrace Park, originally part of L’Enfant’s 1791 city plan, holds a powerful story within its borders. It was once the site of Lincoln Hospital, a refuge for wounded Union soldiers during the Civil War. Even Walt Whitman walked these grounds, offering solace to the injured. Years later, it became the first public space to bear Lincoln’s name, designated as such in 1867. Charlotte Scott’s vision took shape. Donations poured in from other formerly enslaved individuals, primarily African American veterans. The Emancipation Memorial, designed by Thomas Ball, depicts Lincoln holding the Emancipation Proclamation. Before him, a kneeling Black man, modeled after Archer Alexander, the last man captured under the Fugitive Slave Act, extends his arm, shackles broken. Dedicated in 1876 on the anniversary of Lincoln’s death, the memorial drew a crowd of over 25,000. Frederick Douglass, a powerful voice for equality, delivered the keynote address. While the memorial became a popular attraction, it also sparked controversy. Douglass himself criticized the depiction of the kneeling man. He felt it perpetuated harmful stereotypes. Lincoln Terrace Park continued to evolve. In 1974, it welcomed another monument, this one honoring Mary McLeod Bethune. This statue became the first of a woman and the first of an African American on public park land in D.C. The Emancipation Memorial, originally facing the Capitol, was then rotated to face Bethune’s statue. So, as you stand in Lincoln Terrace Park, remember the layers of history beneath your feet. From a Civil War hospital to a symbol of emancipation, this park embodies the complex journey towards freedom and equality.