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Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic SiteNCNW Members at a meeting
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Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site
Directions
1318 Vermont Ave, NW, Washington, DC. The Mary McLeod Bethune Council House NHS.
NPS Photo, Kenneth Chandler
The first headquarters of the National Council of Negro Women at 1318 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC.

By Car or Bus:

Note: Street parking is very limited. Make sure you read the signs. We suggest using mass transit for the later stages of your trip to the Site.

From Baltimore and Points North:

Take the Baltimore-Washington Parkway south to US Route 50 west (which becomes New York Avenue). Take New York Avenue to Massachusetts Avenue and continue west. Turn right onto 13th Street. Go one block and turn left onto 'N' Street. Go another block and turn right onto Vermont Avenue. 1318 is an half block up the street on the left.

From Virginia and Points South:

Take 14th Street north to Thomas Circle. Make a right off Thomas Circle onto Vermont Avenue. Cross over 'N' Street, and 1318 is one half block ahead on the left.

Via Mass Transit:

The closest Metrorail Station is McPherson Square on the Orange and Blue lines. On exiting the station, walk north on 14th Street until you reach Thomas Circle. Go around the circle to your right. Turn right onto Vermont Avenue. Cross over 'N' Street, and 1318 is one half block ahead on the left.

The Circulator bus line runs from Union Station with a stop at 14th and 'K' Streets. From the stop, walk north on 14th Street until you reach Thomas Circle. Go around the circle to your right. Turn right onto Vermont Avenue. Cross over 'N' Street, and 1318 is one half block ahead on the left.

By Metro bus, the closest are the 68 and 66 routes. Both can be boarded outside the 11th Street exit from the Metro Center stop on the Metrorail Red Line. Each bus stops at 'N' Street (the 68 on 13th Street, and the 66 on 11th Street). Walk left down 'N' Street to Vermont Avenue, turn right, and 1318 is one half block ahead on the left.

Mary McLeod Bethune wearing the Commander of the Order of the Star of Africa medal.  

Did You Know?
In 1949, President Harry S Truman appointed Mary McLeod Bethune as a United States Representative to the second inauguration of President William V. S. Tubman of Liberia, West Africa. She was awarded Liberia's most prestigious award, the Commander of the Order of the Star of Africa.

Last Updated: July 25, 2006 at 00:29 EST