Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site

Happy Father’s Day! Did you know? Maggie L. Walker named her first son, Russell Eccles Talmadge Walker. The name Eccles came from Mrs. Walker’s biological father, Eccles Cuthbert. In 1918, Russell and his wife, Hattie, gave birth to a daughter named Maggie Laura. Russell passed away five years later, but Maggie Laura preserved this picture of him, captioned “My Daddy,” as a treasured memento. How are you honoring your father(s) today?

Photo: Russell E.T. Walker at his desk, presumably at St. Luke Hall, ca. 1920 (NPS)

Alt Text: Black and white photo of a man wearing a suit and glasses while sitting a desk holding a pen and paper

Happy ! Maggie L. Walker was a member of the first generation of African Americans to come of age in the wake of slavery. For them, celebrating emancipation was an important way of asserting their freedom and dignity, especially during the rise of Jim Crow. Most celebrations in Virginia during Walker’s lifetime took place in early January to coincide with the anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. In October 1913, however, Walker was one of only two Black Virginians commissioned by Governor William Mann to represent the state at New York’s weeklong exposition honoring the proclamation’s 50th anniversary.

Photo: Maggie L. Walker studio portrait, ca. 1926-1930 (NPS)

Alt Text: A sepia-toned photograph of a woman in a black blouse smiling at the camera

“The Independent Order of St. Luke has won for itself a place among benevolent institutions as one of the most reliable in the country. It has proven its worth by the satisfaction it has given to beneficiary relatives of members who provided for them while they were living…. Such an organization should commend itself to every man, woman and child.”
-H.E. Barnett, writing in the St. Luke Herald, June 15, 1914

Photo: Maggie L. Walker (center, in black) surrounded by member of the Independent Order of St. Luke office force in front of St. Luke Hall, 1917 (NPS)

Alt Text: Large group of women wearing white blouses and dark dresses surrounding a woman in all black, posing on the sidewalk in front of a building

Happy National Corn on the Cob Day! The history of this photo in our collection remains a bit of a mystery to us, but it shows Maggie L. Walker (second from left) with fellow Independent Order of St. Luke members, A.F. Angel (center), Emeline Johnson (third from right), and three young people standing around a cornstalk in Philadelphia. The sign held by Angel is hard to read but appears to reference the corn as having been grown by a St. Luke council in the city. Is there a “kernel” of truth to that claim? Zoom in on the photo and try to read for yourself.

Alt Text: Six people standing around a cornstalk near a home

in 1920, Maggie L. Walker made her first known visit to the Whitelaw Hotel in Washington, D.C. Built in 1919, the Whitelaw was described by the Washington Bee as “the first hotel apartment of its size built for the exclusive use of colored people in this country.” Walker wrote in her diary that her experience at the hotel was “grand.” That memory must have stuck with her because she made another trip to the hotel seven years later. The building was closed in 1977 but has since reopened as an apartment building and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1993.

Photo: Front of the Whitelaw Hotel, ca. 1933 (Library of Congress)

Alt Text: Black and white photo of a five-story brick building with a recessed entrance

Roses were Maggie L. Walker’s favorite flower. So, if you’ve ever noticed the rose bushes in our courtyard, that’s why they’re there. Come for a visit soon and celebrate National Rose Month by enjoying a close-up look at these beautiful flowers in person!

Photo: A rose bush in our courtyard (NPS)

Alt Text: A bush with numerous pink roses in bloom situated behind a black metal bench

Happy First Ladies Day! We don’t know if Maggie L. Walker and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt ever met, but Mrs. Roosevelt did send Walker a letter.

In 1934, members of Maggie L. Walker’s fraternal organization, the Independent Order of St. Luke, began organizing a month-long celebration of her life and accomplishments. What became known as “Maggie L. Walker Month” was observed in October 1934, just two months before Mrs. Walker’s death. Albert R. Graves, who helped plan the celebration, wrote a letter to the White House asking for a statement in celebration of Walker’s life. A few weeks later, Graves received a note from First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, who congratulated Mrs. Walker for having achieved the satisfaction of accomplishing “a great deal” and being celebrated by her peers.

Photos: A typed letter sent from Albert R. Graves to the President of the United States, September 11, 1934; Letter written in response to Albert R. Graves, dated October 4, 1934, from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt (NPS)

Alt Text: Two typed letters exchanged in 1934

Happy International Jazz Day! During the 1920s and 30s, one of the most famous jazz bands in Richmond was the Hardy Brothers Orchestra. Headed by Westley and Henry Hardy, the band consisted of twelve musicians and played an early form of big band swing that became popular in the 1930s and 40s. The photo of the band seen here was featured in Maggie L. Walker’s newspaper, The St. Luke Herald, in December 1929. Six months later, in May 1930, a performance by the Hardy Brothers Orchestra and a speech by Walker were among the many features of a “Mother’s Day” program in Richmond sponsored by the Council of Colored Women.

Photo: Image of the Hardy Bros. Orchestra featured in The St. Luke Herald, December 21, 1929

Alt Text: Newspaper clipping showing a black-and-white photo of men dressed in tuxedoes posing with musical instruments

Honoring IOSL Gravesites in Richmond #111

in 1938, Mrs. Ella O. Waller – an Independent Order of St. Luke trustee and grand officer of its Juvenile Department – passed away.

Miss Ella Onley was born in about 1868 in Richmond to William and Marth (Wilson) Onley. Miss Onley was one of at least six children. Her parents and at least three of her siblings were born into slavery and had accounts with the Freedman’s Bureau.

By 1900, she and her sister were living in Richmond’s Carver neighborhood where they worked as laundresses. Miss Onley suffered a severe illness in 1902, the type and extent of which we were unable to determine. At the time of her illness, she was described as being “very popular and known by the best people in the city.”

Miss Onley married Benjamin T. Waller in 1903. Mr. Waller was one of eight children born to Absolom and Eliza Waller of Hanover County, Virgina. The new couple first moved into the home the new Mrs. Waller once shared with her sister. They eventually moved just a few doors away to a home they owned and lived in most of their married lives. We found no records to indicate that they had children.

Mr. Waller was a blacksmith, owning his own shop. Mrs. Waller was at times a maid and an agent in a jewelry store. Mrs. Waller was active in the IOSL, being a trustee and the grand officer of the Juvenile Department. She was also a member of the Queen Esther Temple No. 70, Improved Benevolent and Protective Order Elks of the World. The couple were members of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

Mrs. Ella Onley Waller passed away at home. She was survived by her husband and sisters Estelle and Ida. Husband Benjamin passed away about a year later. They are laid to rest in Evergreen Cemetery, Richmond.

Photo: Gravesite for Ella Onley Waller, taken by John Shuck and uploaded to Find A Grave in 2017; Ella Onley Waller, ca. 1920 (NPS)

Alt Text: Tall, rectangular-shaped stone marker with engraving design at the top as well as names and an excerpt from a poem below; sepia-toned photograph of a woman wearing glasses and a large cross pendant

Happy International Museum Day! Did you know that Maggie L. Walker helped preserve Frederick Douglass’ home in Washington, D.C.? Walker was part of a group of Black women who raised funds for the home’s maintenance and preservation starting in the 1910s. Their efforts paid off the home’s mortgage, restored the home, improved the grounds, and funded the construction of the caretaker’s cottage which is still part of the site today. The home has been an NPS site since the 1960s. Visit the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site the next time you’re in the D.C. area and take a ranger-guided tour of the home.

Photo: Frederick Douglass’ Washington, D.C. home (NPS)

Alt Text: A two-story home with columned front porch surrounded by grass and red flowers