Developed in the mid-19th century as one of the District’s first suburbs, Anacostia and its residents played a key role in shaping the city we know today. A walking tour led by historian and author John Muller traces its history and significance with a focus on the man that came to be known as the “Lion of Anacostia,” Fredrick Douglass, who lived in the neighborhood from 1877 until his death in 1895.

Blending historic research and contemporary neighborhood affairs and news, our guide will lead the group on a walk through time, exploring one of Washington City's most misunderstood and sacred communities. Stories of presidents, local personalities, famed resident Frederick Douglass, 19th-century architecture and neighborhood folklore will be woven throughout. 

Questions and photography are encouraged throughout the walking tour! 

John Muller, author of Frederick Douglass in Washington, D.C.: The Lion of Anacostia (2012) and Mark Twain in Washington, D.C.: The Adventures of a Capital Correspondent (2013) has been a local reporter in Old Anacostia and adjacent communities for the past decade for a variety of print and online publications 

Muller has presented widely throughout the DC-Baltimore metropolitan area at venues including the Library of Congress, Newseum, Politics and Prose, American Library in Paris and local universities. He is currently working on a book about the lost history of Frederick Douglass on Maryland's Eastern Shore. Muller has been featured on C-SPAN’s BookTV and C-SPAN’s American History TV, as well as in the pages of the Star Democrat and the airwaves of WDVM (Hagerstown) NBC4 (Washington), WPFW, WAMU, WYPR and Delmarva Public Radio.

This is a private walking tour of the Anacostia neighborhood conducted by an authorized local historian. 

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