Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum

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🎉It's a new month and we have a full calendar of free events! ⚡Highlights for June include:🛼Anacostia Skating Pavilion: ...
06/01/2026

🎉It's a new month and we have a full calendar of free events!

⚡Highlights for June include:
🛼Anacostia Skating Pavilion: 50 Years of Community on Wheels | June 6
🎵Juneteenth Freedom Celebration | June 19
☀️Solstice Celebration | June 20

🖼️Plus our latest exhibition "We Make History" is now open! Explore how history is made, shared, and preserved through local DC stories.

🔗Learn more about all of this month's events and let us know you're joining! https://anacostia.si.edu/events

🎉We Make History is now open! Join us and explore how communities in the Washington, D.C., region record their experienc...
05/30/2026

🎉We Make History is now open!

Join us and explore how communities in the Washington, D.C., region record their experiences and contribute to the nation’s story.

Plan your visit: anacostia.si.edu

“History has the power to inspire creative ingenuity, enhance positive images of ourselves, and cause us to pledge alleg...
05/29/2026

“History has the power to inspire creative ingenuity, enhance positive images of ourselves, and cause us to pledge allegiance anew to our heritage, values, and heroes.” —John R. Kinard, ACM's Founding Director, 1967–1989

The Anacostia Community Museum has documented the work of local change makers and history keepers since its founding in 1967. In collaboration with community members, the museum develops research, exhibitions, and educational programs. Together, we make history.

Join us tomorrow as we open "We Make History" and celebrate how history is made, preserved and shared. We can't wait to see you. Let us know you're joining: https://anacostia.si.edu/wemakehistory

In the late 1950s, Coach Neal Henderson became the first African American to play semi-pro ice hockey, initially for the...
05/28/2026

In the late 1950s, Coach Neal Henderson became the first African American to play semi-pro ice hockey, initially for the Salt Lake City Seagulls and later for teams in DC and Baltimore. In 2019, he became the first African American inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame.

In 1978 Coach Neal Henderson founded the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club the oldest minority youth ice hockey program in the United States. Based in Southeast Washington, DC, the club has trained and mentored over 1,500 area youth since its founding. The club’s equipment “bank” eliminates cost as a barrier to participation by providing free protective gear, skates, sticks, and pucks like this one.

Learn more about Coach Henderson and the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club in "We Make History" opening this Saturday May 30. Learn more: https://anacostia.si.edu/wemakehistory

This portrait of Emily Saunders Plummer (1816–1876) is on display in the upcoming exhibition "We Make History". Emily wa...
05/27/2026

This portrait of Emily Saunders Plummer (1816–1876) is on display in the upcoming exhibition "We Make History". Emily was enslaved at Three Sisters Plantation in Lanham, Maryland, when she met Adam Francis Plummer. They endured twenty-three years of separation before being reunited in December 1863.

While enslaved at Riversdale Plantation in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Adam Francis Plummer (1819–1905) learned to read and write in secret. He began keeping a diary on his wedding day, May 30, 1841, and documented his life with Emily Saunders Plummer and their children. His entries include lists of household goods, community history, and letters exchanged during the family’s forced separations.

Learn more about the Plummer family by visiting "We Make History" which opens this Saturday.

We are counting down to "We Make History", which opens this Saturday May 30 (with a special sneak peak on the evening of...
05/26/2026

We are counting down to "We Make History", which opens this Saturday May 30 (with a special sneak peak on the evening of Friday, May 29!) by spotlighting some of the powerful objects that will be on display.

Contralto Marian Anderson (1897-1993) wore this fur coat when she sang the National Anthem at John F. Kennedy’s presidential inauguration in 1961, becoming the only person to sing at two presidential inaugurations.

In addition to lifting her voice in song, Anderson vocally advocated for civil rights for African Americans, most famously at her nationally broadcast Easter Sunday concert at the Lincoln Memorial in 1939.

Learn more about Anderson, and see this coat in person, in our next exhibition "We Make History" opening May 30. https://anacostia.si.edu/wemakehistory

✨Mark your calendars for this line up of powerful performances on the Main Stage entertainment featuring:🎤Host: Sir Harv...
05/20/2026

✨Mark your calendars for this line up of powerful performances on the Main Stage entertainment featuring:

🎤Host: Sir Harvey Fitz
🎵DJ Heat
🎵Black Alley
🎵Chuck Brown Band
🎵Autumn LaBella
🎵Play Back Theater
🎵Headlining Performance by Rapper IDK

✨Beyond the main stage get ready to enjoy a full day of family-friendly programming, including:
🖼️"We Make History", our newest exhibition will be on view
🌿Everyday Herbalism & Modern-Day Pickling Workshop
🥕Rooted Recipes Interactive Recipe Exchange
🛼The Art of Roller Skating: “Style” Roller Skating as American Folk Art
🦀What’s Cracking: History and Culture of the Black Community and Shellfish
🛼🎵After the main stage, enjoy a late skate experience in the museum parking lot featuring music by DJ B Sharp.

✨Join friends, family, and neighbors on June 19 from 10AM-10PM as we commemorate Juneteenth through storytelling, music, foodways, movement, and shared community experiences that honor the resilience, creativity, and culture.

🔗Learn more and let us know you're joining. https://anacostia.si.edu/juneteenth
We recommend registering for this event to get the most up to date information about the day. In the event of extreme weather, the event will move to Saturday, June 20.

Before social media, Washingtonians found out where to hear go-go music from recorded phone messages on the Go-Go Hotlin...
05/19/2026

Before social media, Washingtonians found out where to hear go-go music from recorded phone messages on the Go-Go Hotline and posters like this one.

Learn more about the District's official music when "We Make History" opens Saturday May 30. Learn more about the opening weekend: https://anacostia.si.edu/wemakehistory

This serving platter features a silhouette of a crab, often a symbol of Maryland's Chesepeake Bay. The artist, Mea Rhee ...
05/18/2026

This serving platter features a silhouette of a crab, often a symbol of Maryland's Chesepeake Bay. The artist, Mea Rhee of Good Elephant Pottery, is Korean American and describes the platter as a “love note to my home state”.

She specializes in hakeme (also known as gye-yal in Korean) slip work, a traditional ceramic technique of brushing white slip onto clay and produces buncheong-style (a form of Korean stoneware that dates to the Joseon dynasty) rustic stoneware that has been traditionally used in Korea as table and tea ware.

🎉We are celebrating the opening of "We Make History" with back-to-back After Dark events! Join us for live performances,...
05/15/2026

🎉We are celebrating the opening of "We Make History" with back-to-back After Dark events! Join us for live performances, small bites, and your first look at "We Make History". Must be 21+ years old to attend these events.

✨Friday, May 29 | 7-10PM with Marcus Mitchell
Be among the first to experience, We Make History, during an exclusive sneak peak! The night will be set to a vibrant, soulful soundtrack by acclaimed DMV saxophonist and pianist Marcus Mitchell, joined by his band and vocalist, creating an elevated after-hours experience. Guests will enjoy light bites provided by DCity Smokehouse and beverages, available while supplies last.

✨Saturday, May 30 | 7-10PM with Joi Carter
Celebrate opening night of We Make History with an unforgettable After Dark experience at the Smithsonian Anacostia Community Museum. The evening will feature a dynamic live performance by multi-faceted vocalist, Joi Carter, whose sound effortlessly moves across genres, joined by her band for an engaging musical experience. Guests will enjoy access to the exhibition alongside light bites by Lucy Beas Kitchen, complemented by a selection beverages, available while supplies last.

🔗Registration requested: https://anacostia.si.edu/wemakehistory

Address

1901 Fort Place SE
Washington D.C., DC
20020

Opening Hours

Monday 11am - 5pm
Tuesday 11am - 5pm
Wednesday 11am - 5pm
Thursday 11am - 5pm
Friday 11am - 5pm
Saturday 11am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

Telephone

(202) 633-4820

Website

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