Historical Society of Washington, DC

The Historical Society of Washington DC was founded in 1894 and known as the Columbia Historical Society until it took on the current name in 1988. The mission of the society is to collect, preserve and respect the history and topography of the District of Columbia.

This is a membership organization where members gathered to listen to each other and deliver papers; these papers have been published by the society along with other interesting items of interest. When the society began and the membership started to increase, all members were white due to a large segregation in the city.

With the collection of items growing rapidly the Society was making do with rented and donated rooms, but finding their own area was a must. The Society was given the home of Christian Heurich by his wife Amelia Heurich; the society took possession of the house when she passed in 1956. This then resulted in staff being employed for the Society. A director was hired in 1959.

The role of the Historical Society of Washington is to provide an education of the past and to promote a better understanding for the future of Washington. This is done by providing free public programs to the community along with affordable workshops which feature eminent historians and writers. Many of the interactive programs, lectures, films and tours provided at the society are hands-on.