African American Civil War Museum DC

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The African American Civil War Memorial and Museum in Washington, DC commemorates the more than 200, 000 soldiers of the U.S. Colored Troops who served during the Civil War (1861-1865). Between 2011 and 2015, in honor of the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War, the museum will host a series of programs on the start of the war; emancipation; to the end of the war; and post war situations of the newly freed slaves.

The Memorial, designed by architects Devrouax and Purnell, was unveiled in 1998. It is the only national memorial to Colored Troops in the Civil War. The Spirit of Freedom sculpture stands ten feet tall and features uniformed black soldiers and a sailor. The sculpture is surrounded by a Wall of Honor, a memorial listing the names of 209, 145 United States Colored Troops (USCT) who served in the Civil War.

The Museum, located directly across from the Memorial, displays photographs, newspaper articles, and replicas of period clothing, uniforms and weaponry of the Civil War. The African American Civil War Memorial Freedom Foundation Registry documents the family trees of more than 2, 000 descendants of those who have served with USCT. Visitors can search for relatives who have registered in the Descendants Registry. The new location opened in 2011 with over $5 million of modern, highly educational exhibitions, which highlight the story of the African American Soldiers during the American Civil War.

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