A Retreat at Cedar Hill

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Frederick Douglass lived a life of incredible transformation, from a runaway slave to a world-renowned abolitionist and statesman. But every great advocate needs a place of peace. In 1877, Douglass acquired a beautiful Greek Revival and Italianate-style residence which he named Cedar Hill.

This eight-and-a-half-acre estate served as his private retreat, a sanctuary where he could reflect and write away from the intensity of the public eye. Though it was his personal haven, his legacy was too great to be lost; in 1900, Congress chartered a nonprofit to preserve the site. Today, you can walk the grounds of this historic home, feeling the quiet strength of a man who spent his life fighting for the equal rights of all Americans.

Updated June 2026