Booker T. Washington National Monument | |
 Bust of Booker T. Washington byJames Barnhill, Booker T. Washington National Monument | |
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| Location | Franklin County, Virginia,United States |
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| Nearest city | Rocky Mount, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 37°7′10.58″N79°43′53.45″W / 37.1196056°N 79.7315139°W /37.1196056; -79.7315139 |
| Area | 198.8 acres (80.5 ha) |
| Built | 1956 |
| Visitation | 24,361 (2012[1]) |
| Website | Booker T. Washington National Monument |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000834 |
| VLR No. | 033-0001 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966[3] |
| Designated NMON | April 2, 1956 |
| Designated VLR | January 16, 1973[2] |
TheBooker T. Washington National Monument is aNational Monument near the community ofHardy, Virginia, and is located entirely in ruralFranklin County, Virginia.[4] It preserves portions of the 207-acre (0.90 km2)tobacco farm on which educator and leaderBooker T. Washington was born intoslavery 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 theBooker 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 theNational Register of Historic Places in 1966[3] and designated a National Monument on April 2, 1956.[6]
Media related toBooker T. Washington National Monument at Wikimedia Commons| International | |
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