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Booker T. Washington National Monument

Coordinates: 37°7′10.58″N 79°43′53.45″W / 37.1196056°N 79.7315139°W / 37.1196056; -79.7315139
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Booker T. Washington National Monument
Bust of Booker T. Washington by James Barnhill, Booker T. Washington National Monument
Booker T. Washington National Monument is located in Virginia
Booker T. Washington National Monument
Booker T. Washington National Monument is located in the United States
Booker T. Washington National Monument
LocationFranklin County, Virginia, United States
Nearest cityRocky Mount, Virginia
Coordinates37°7′10.58″N 79°43′53.45″W / 37.1196056°N 79.7315139°W / 37.1196056; -79.7315139
Area198.8 acres (80.5 ha)
Built1956
Visitation24,361 (2012[1])
WebsiteBooker T. Washington National Monument
NRHP reference No.66000834
VLR No.033-0001
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966[3]
Designated NMONApril 2, 1956
Designated VLRJanuary 16, 1973[2]

The Booker T. Washington National Monument is a National Monument near the community of Hardy, Virginia, and is located entirely in rural Franklin County, Virginia.[4] It preserves portions of the 207-acre (0.90 km2) tobacco farm on which educator and leader Booker T. Washington was born into slavery on April 5, 1856. It provides interpretation of Washington's life and achievements, as well as interpretation of 1850s slavery and farming through the use of buildings, gardens, crafts and animals.

Congress authorized the Booker T. Washington Memorial half dollar to fund the purchase of the site.[5] This commemorative half dollar was the first US coin to feature an African American, and was minted from 1946 to 1951 at three different mints. 18 varieties of the coin were produced, and more than 1.5 million were sold (primarily to collectors). Yet, after the coin's production was finished, the BTW Commission owed more money than it had assets, and the Commonwealth of Virginia had to step in to provide funds to purchase the site.

The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966[3] and designated a National Monument on April 2, 1956.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "NPS Annual Recreation Visits Report". National Park Service. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  2. ^ "Virginia Landmarks Register". Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2013.
  3. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. ^ "Booker T. Washington National Monument". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
  5. ^ "Booker T. Washington Coin Act | U.S. Mint". www.usmint.gov. March 30, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  6. ^ "S. Rept. 107-199 - BOOKER T. WASHINGTON NATIONAL MONUMENT BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 2001". www.congress.gov.
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