The Ida Mae Francis Tourist Home is in the city of Harrisonburg, northeast of the downtown historic district.  The house has a corner location in a portion of the historically African American neighborhood known as Newtown. Constructed ca. 1908 for Ida Mae Francis and her husband, Henry, the house became known to African American travelers as a safe place to stay when coming to or passing through Harrisonburg. The home was listed in several editions of The Green Book, a guide featuring businesses across the nation that welcomed Black travelers during Jim Crow, in the 1950s and into the early 1960s. 1962 was the last year the Ida Mae Francis Tourist Home was listed in the Green Book and the last year the house operated as a tourist home. The family continued to live in the home, with Ida Mae passing away in 1976 at the age of 101.