The main crop on the plantation where Booker T. Washington was born was tobacco. This photograph shows a man with draft horses preparing to plow a field. NPS Photo/ VIP Bill Tucker
Overview
Booker T. Washington was born a slave in April 1856 on the 207-acre farm of James Burroughs. After the Civil War, Washington became the first principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School. Later as an adviser, author and orator, his past would influence his philosophies as the most influential African American of his era. Come explore his birthplace.
Begin your visit at the Booker T. Washington Visitor Center. Pick up a park brochure and have your park passport stamped. Information desk staff are available to help you plan your visit. Kids can ask for a Junior Ranger activity book. Explore exhibits about Booker T. Washington's early life, from his birth into enslavement to his freedom at age nine. You can also watch the 13-minute film “Measure of a Man” about life on a Virginia plantation in the mid-1800s.
Explore Exhibits on Booker T. Washington’s Early Life
Free
Description
The Booker T. Washington Visitor Center features an exhibit providing an in-depth examination of life on a small tobacco plantation in Piedmont, Virginia. Two large circular displays help you experience what life was like for Booker T. Washington, who was born into enslavement in 1856, during the years leading up to and during the American Civil War, on James Burroughs' 207-acre tobacco plantation.
Booker T. Washington and his family were among the four million enslaved individuals emancipated throughout the South in 1865, following the arrival of Union troops at the Burroughs Plantation in Hale’s Ford, Franklin County. Although historical records do not confirm whether Union troops or formerly enslaved individuals rang the bell, Booker T. Washington National Monument recognizes it as a symbolic marker of freedom for the Washington family and other enslaved individuals.
Bring Your Dog for a Walk to Booker T. Washington NM
Free
Description
Booker T. Washington National Monument in Hardy, Virginia, is dog-friendly and permits leashed dogs on the grounds and the Jack-O’-Lantern Branch Heritage Trail. The park offers a quiet, low-traffic environment for walking dogs, with short, accessible trails and a combination of historical and natural features. Please adhere to the six-foot leash rule at all times and clean up after your dog to ensure responsible park use.
Take a Tour of the Historic Core on the Plantation Trail
Free
Description
A walk along the Plantation Trail evokes the atmosphere of an 1850s and Civil War-era tobacco plantation, reflecting Booker T. Washington’s childhood at the Burroughs plantation. The historic core includes points of interest and reconstructed mid-19th-century buildings. The Plantation Trail forms a 0.55-mile loop, passing structures including a horse barn, kitchen cabin, smokehouse, blacksmith shop, and a historic tobacco barn accessible to visitors along the trail.
Explore the Jack-O’-Lantern Heritage Branch Trail, a one-and-a-half-mile route through the fields and forests of Piedmont, Virginia. Much of this land was once part of the Burroughs plantation. The tour begins after you pass the tobacco barn. In about 0.2 miles, you will reach an intersection that marks the start of the loop, which you can follow in either direction. Trail guides are available at the visitor center.
Tobacco field being plowed by man with two draft horsesBack side of kitchen cabin and smokehouse in snow with blue sky and treesFour people dressed as enslaved people in front of the fireplace in cabinReconstructed kitchen cabin where Booker T. Washington was bornTwo re-enactors portraying enslaved people sitting in front of fire inside kitchen cabinVisitor CenterExhibits on outside of visitor center bathroomsBooker T. Washington Elementary School (Park Headquarters)Park trail and part of pastureHorse in barnWagon coming up trail to farm with people
