*On this date in 1900, the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association (FDMHA) was chartered. This a non-profit group formed by Helen Douglass with the mission "to preserve to posterity the memory of the life and character of the late Frederick Douglass" and "to collect, collate, and preserve a historical record of his story.
Chartered by Congress, the FDMHA contains correspondence, minutes of meetings, reports, and other records relating primarily to preserving the Frederick Douglass Memorial Home (pictured) and African American history.
FDMHA includes materials documenting relations between the association and other African American organizations, especially the Frederick Douglass Housing Corporation. Established by Helen Pitts Douglass in 1916, the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs joined with the association.
These groups owned the house until 1962, when the federal government took the deed to the house through the National Park Service, intending to restore and preserve it.
