Maggie Lena Mitchell Walker (1867-1934), daughter of a former slave, rose by her work with a black fraternal order to become the first American woman to establish and head a bank. In addition to serving as president of the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, now the Consolidated Bank and Trust Company—the oldest black-owed bank in continuous use in the country—Mrs. Walker was active in many civic and charitable causes. She was founder and president of the Richmond Council of Colored Women and employed her fund-raising talents to aid improved health care for African Americans. In 1904 she purchased a ca. 1883 Italianate town house in Jackson Ward and later enlarged it. The house is preserved and furnished exactly as she left it and has been acquired by the National Park Service for exhibition as the Maggie Lena Walker National Historic Site.

Established in 1978 and co-managed by Richmond National Battlefield Park, Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site is the country’s first national park devoted to the story of an African American woman. The site includes Walker’s fully restored and furnished residence which, as a house museum, serves as the primary visitor resource and the focus of public interpretation. In addition to Walker’s home, Maggie Walker NHS includes five adjacent historic buildings that provide a visitor center, auditorium, bookstore, exhibits, classroom, offices, and archival storage and research room. Though the Walker home has been individually listed in the National Register since 1975, the National Historic Site as established in 1978 lacked comprehensive National Register of Historic Places documentation. This updated documentation takes into account the full extent of resources within the park boundaries, establishes additional areas of significance, and creates a comprehensive list of contributing and noncontributing resources.
[NRHP Accepted: 5/2/2022]