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Plan a Road Trip > Explore America > National Parks > Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site |
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3215 E Broad St, Richmond, VA 23223-7517
Phone: 804-771-2017 or 804-226-1981
Fax: 804-771-2226
Open All Year
Overview. Maggie Lena Walker is known in history for becoming the first woman to found and serve as president of a U.S.-chartered bank. She was born in Richmond in 1867 to a former slave and grew up in what was once a powerful political subdivision in the Jackson Ward section of downtown Richmond. The neighborhood is now a National Historical Landmark district with Walker's home as a focal point.
At the age of 14, Walker joined the Order of St. Luke, a Virginia fraternal organization for African Americans. Walker was elected Grand Secretary Treasurer in 1899. During her tenure there, she came up with the idea of starting a banking and insurance company tailored specifically to the needs of black businessmen who were unable to get assistance from white companies. The St. Luke Penny Savings Bank was founded in 1903 with Walker at the helm. During the first several years after its inception, it became the largest black-owned bank in the country and remains among the top ten largest today. As a result of a merger in 1930 the bank became the Consolidated Bank and Trust Company, and it is currently located at First and Marshall streets in Richmond. Walker was also a member of the NAACP board and a member of the Virginia Interracial Commission.
Walker moved into this home in 1904 and lived there until she died in 1934. The two-story, 28-room Victorian-Italianate house has been restored to its 1920s and 30s appearance with some original family furnishings.
What to see and do. The site is open Monday through Saturday from 9 AM to 5 PM year-round (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day). You can take guided tours of the house museum or see a film, on request, about Walker's life. Also on display are interpretive exhibits about Walker's accomplishments. Guided tours are on a first-come, first-served basis only; for groups of ten or more, phone ahead to make a reservation. Location: 600 N 2nd St in Richmond.
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