WHAT: First headquarters for the National Council of Negro Women and home to Mary McLeod Bethune.
Mary McLeod Bethune was born on July 10th, 1875. During her life she was a leader for women and an advisor to several presidents. She also quickly became a champion for equality among all races.
In 1904, after the building of the Florida East Coast Railroad brought hundreds of African Americans to the area, she rented a two-story house and worked hard to begin a school for African American girls. In October of this year the Daytona Literary and Industrial School for Training Negro Girls opened its doors.
In 1932 she founded the national Council of Negro Women and then became it’s president. By 1936, she had received national recognition for being appointed, by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the director of the National Youth Administration. She was also known by many for being the special assistant to the Secretary of War during WW II.
On May 18th, 1955 Mary McLeod Bethune died of a heart attack and was buried on the grounds of the Bethune-Cookman College.
