Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site

Maggie L. Walker - 1864-1934

While we were in Richmond visiting Brennan and Hannah this past December, we visited the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site. Like us, our kids enjoy National Park sites. Also like us, and maybe like you, we had no idea who Maggie L. Walker was and why she would merit a national historic site dedicated to her. We were interested in finding out.

Turns out, Maggie was quite the woman. Born in 1864 during the U.S. Civil War, she was the daughter of a former slave. According to the NPS website, “Maggie Lena Walker devoted her life to civil rights advancement, economic empowerment, and educational opportunities for Jim Crow-era African Americans and women. As a bank president, newspaper editor, and fraternal leader, Walker served as an inspiration of pride and progress. Today, Walker’s home is preserved as a tribute to her enduring legacy of vision, courage, and determination.” Considering the times and the fact that she was Black and female, her achievements were utterly remarkable. Read more about Maggie here.

Ranger-led tours of Maggie’s house are available and we arrived just in time to take one. The house is located in the historic Jackson Ward District. “Richmond at the turn of the 20th century had one of the nation’s most thriving black business communities. The hub of this activity was Jackson Ward with its fraternal organizations, banks, insurance companies, and other institutions, all founded and run by blacks.”

We toured the house and found the Ranger to be very knowledgeable about Maggie, her family, her life, the house and the neighborhood. The tour was quite an eye-opener and combined with a walk to the Walker Memorial Plaza afterward, it provided a historical peek into a rich, thriving Black heritage community.

It was a feel-good place… a chance to learn about Maggie and celebrate her outstanding success story. If you’re ever in Richmond, be sure to give her a visit.