Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune
The theme for Black in Historic Preservation’s 2026 Program is "Been Preservation."
A key component of the program is a series of profiles of Black preservation ancestors that highlight their preservation activities and Black people's agency in the preservation field, prior to the passage of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
In honor of Frederick Douglass’ birthday, February 14, 2026, we present a profile of another Black history maker, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, and her lesser-known preservation activities at his house, Cedar Hill.
Who
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune
Founder, Bethune-Cook University
Active Preservation Year(s)
1937 - 1938
Preservation Activities
As the Director of Negro Affairs for the National Youth Administration (NYA), she led them in restoring the grounds, pathways, and historic structures at Cedar Hill (National Park Service later rebuilt the shed – photo of the recreated shed is in this post)
Preservation Portfolio
Frederick Douglass’ Cedar Hill Home (Washington, DC)
In 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration established the National Youth Administration (NYA), a federal New Deal agency within the Works Progress Administration (WPA).
To read the primary source, a 1937 newspaper article in The New York Age, that details Dr. McLeod Bethune’s and the NYA’s preservation activities, click on the newspaper clipping below.
The New York Age, 1937 (Source: Newspapers.com)
