The Booker T. Washington National Monument is a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

near the community of Hardy, Virginia, and is located entirely in rural

Franklin County, Virginia Franklin County is a county located in the Blue Ridge foothills of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 54,477. Its county seat is Rocky Mount. Franklin County is part of the Roanoke metro ...

. It preserves portions of the 207-acre (0.90 km²)

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

farm on which educator and leader

Booker T. Washington Booker Taliaferro Washington (April 5, 1856November 14, 1915) was an American educator, author, and orator. Between 1890 and 1915, Washington was the primary leader in the African-American community and of the contemporary Black elite#United S ...

was born into

slavery Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

on April 5, 1856. It provides interpretation of Washington's life and achievements, as well as interpretation of 1850s slavery and farming through the use of buildings, gardens, crafts and animals. Congress authorized the

Booker T. Washington Memorial half dollar The Booker T. Washington Memorial half dollar was designed by Isaac Scott Hathaway and minted in silver between 1946 and 1951. The obverse depicts Booker T. Washington. The reverse shows the cabin in which Washington was born, now the Booker T. Wa ...

to fund the purchase of the site. This commemorative half dollar was the first US coin to feature an African American, and was minted from 1946 to 1951 at three different mints. 18 varieties of the coin were produced, and more than 1.5 million were sold (primarily to collectors). Yet, after the coin's production was finished, the BTW Commission owed more money than it had assets, and the Commonwealth of Virginia had to step in to provide funds to purchase the site. The site was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1966 and designated a National Monument on April 2, 1956.

References

External links

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Booker T. Washington National Monument

Booker T. Washington Slave Cabin Commemorative Coin
{{Authority control National Park Service national monuments in Virginia Museums established in 1956 Museums in Franklin County, Virginia African-American museums in Virginia Washington, Booker T. National Monument Farm museums in Virginia Protected areas of Franklin County, Virginia Protected areas established in 1956 National Register of Historic Places in Franklin County, Virginia Cultural depictions of Booker T. Washington Statues of activists Statues of politicians Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Slave cabins and quarters in the United States 1956 establishments in Virginia

See also

References

External links