Just in time to close out Black History Month, Cultural Tourism DC, in partnership with the Historic Preservation Office of the D.C. Office of Planning, is unveiling its first African-American Heritage Trail marker. The marker is to be placed at the Recorder of Deeds office at 515 D Street, NW.

The Recorder of Deeds office is historically significant because in 1881 President James A. Garfield appointed American abolitionist and reformer Frederick Douglass as Recorder of Deeds for the District. Ten African-Americans followed in the position. In addition to its historial significance, Cultural Tourism DC notes that the building contains a series of seven murals on the theme of “the contribution of the Negro to the American Nation,” as well as other works of art by African-American artists.