As one of the city’s oldest civic organizations and the only one focused on its history, the DC History Center has been preserving and elevating the stories of local people, neighborhoods, and institutions for over a century. It houses an expansive collection documenting everyday Washington, available to all patrons upon request. Public programming brings history to life for hundreds of thousands of residents who attend its book talks, panel discussions, exhibits, walking tours, annual conference, and events across all eight wards. Lesson plans, activities, and professional development for local K-12 educators, alongside student field trips, ensure young people can apply historical research methods and connect the past with the present. Local history is made by neighbors on the ground – and the DC History Center ensures we know our past to build our future.
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