Lincoln Park was renamed in 1867 to its current name by a decree of Congress and was the first location to be named for President Lincoln. The park is the largest capital park in the United States. Featured in the park are two memorial statues, one showing President Abraham Lincoln dressed in his frock coat and holding the Emancipation Proclamation. Frederick Douglass gave the keynote address at the presentation of the monument in front of President Ulysses S. Grant and his cabinet.
The other monument features an elderly Mary McLeod Bethune resting on her cane and handing a copy of her legacy to two young black children. Mary McLeod Bethune was a civil rights activist, and an educator. Her statue was raised on the anniversary of her 99th birthday, July 10th 1974. Over 18,000 people were there to see the first statue to honor a black woman in Washington, DC.
Lincoln Park Washington DC
