• Black museums in Washington D.C. house artifacts from slavery.maltreatment - slavery image by iMAGINE from Fotolia.com
  
  Visitors interested in learning about the African American experience in the U.S. can find numerous museums and cultural centers throughout the Washington D.C. area. In addition to private museums, the Smithsonian Institute houses a wide-array of African American historical materials. Visitors can explore the history of the African American experience through fashion, the civil war and Trans-Atlantic slavery.
  
  

Black Fashion Museum

• The Black Fashion Museum collection was established in 1979 by Lois K. Alexander Lane, a seamstress and boutique owner who explored the history of blacks in retail and fashion merchandising. Lane founded the Harlem Institute of Fashion in 1966. The Black Fashion Museum was made possible through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The museum has a collection of over 700 garments, 300 accessories and archival materials that were gathered by Lane. The collection highlights African American contributions to American fashion and design.
  
  National Museum for African
  
  American History and Culture
  
  PO Box 37012
  
  SI Building, Room 153, MRC 010
  
  Washington, D.C. 20013
  
  202-633-1000
  
  nmaahc.si.edu
  
  

Alexandria Black History Museum

• The Alexandria Black History Museum is dedicated to preserving African American experience. In particular, visitors can explore early Alexandria, Virginia, through the exhibit, Securing the Blessings of Liberty. In addition to a museum, the institution houses the Watson Reading Room and the African American Heritage Park. The museum offers lectures and tours of the museum, which includes over 3000 collections of original documents, photographs, artifacts from West Africa and religious objects.
  
  Alexandria Black History Museum
  
  220 N. Washington Street
  
  Alexandria, Virginia 22314
  
  703-746-4554
  
  alexandriava.gov
  
  

African American Civil War Memorial and Museum

• The African American Civil War Museum was open to the public in 1999. The museum chronicles the history of African Americans and their struggle for freedom, and houses a permanent exhibit, Slavery to Freedom. Other collections include exhibits on African American participation in the civil war, a national archive of Black troops during the civil war and an interactive educational kiosk.
  
  African American Civil War Memorial and Museum
  
  1200 U Street NW
  
  Washington, DC 20009
  
  202-667-2667
  
  afroamcivilwar.org
  
  

Sandy Spring Slave Museum

• The Sandy Spring Slave Museum houses collections that trace the Trans-Atlantic passage of Africans into the Americas. Collections at the museum include artifacts and historical documents from the Underground Railroad Movement and the Civil Rights Movement. The museum is open for tours by appointment only.
  
  Sandy Spring Slave Museum
  
  18524 Brooke Road
  
  Sandy Spring, MD 20860
  
  Sandyspringslavemuseum.org
  
  

Northampton Plantation Slave Quarters

• Northampton is in Maryland and was a tobacco plantation for three centuries. Visitors can view ruins of the plantation's manor house and slave quarters, which is an outdoor museum. In addition to providing educational programs to visitors, the slave quarter is an archeological site. Admission to the site is free.
  
  The Maryland-National Capital Park
  
  and Planning Commission
  
  6611 Kenilworth Avenue
  
  Riverdale, MD 20737
  
  301-627-1286
  
  pgparks.com