DuSable Museum museum, Chicago, Illinois, United States Actions Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/DuSable-Museum Give Feedback Feedback Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Feedback Type Select a type (Required) Factual Correction Spelling/Grammar Correction Link Correction Additional Information Other Your Feedback Submit Feedback Thank you for your feedback Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

　　Print Cite verifiedCite While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Select Citation Style MLA APA Chicago Manual of Style Copy Citation Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/DuSable-Museum Feedback Also known as: DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Aug 15, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents In full: DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center (Show more) Date: 1973 - present (Show more) Areas Of Involvement: African Americans (Show more)

　　DuSable MuseumThe front entrance to the DuSable Museum, the oldest museum in the United States dedicated to African American history and culture, in Washington Park, Chicago.(more)DuSable Museum, colloquial name for the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution. It is the oldest independently owned museum in the United States dedicated to African American history and culture, promoting the achievements and experiences of African Americans through exhibits, programs, and activities.

　　The museum’s collection began in 1961, when artist Margaret Taylor Burroughs and her husband, Charles Burroughs, started the Ebony Museum of Negro History and Art in their home on the South Side of Chicago. They filled several rooms with art and other objects that they had collected from Africa as well as with pieces friends had offered. The museum was later renamed the DuSable Museum of African American History in honor of Jean-Baptist-Point Du Sable, the Haitian-born founder of the settlement (1779) that later became Chicago.

　　By 1973 the DuSable Museum had moved to its current location in Washington Park after receiving permission from the Chicago Park District to use a former administration building. A new wing was added in 1993, called the Harold Washington Wing, after Chicago’s first African American mayor (1983–87). In addition to more exhibition space, the expansion also included an auditorium and a research library. In 2022 museum officials changed the name of the museum to the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center to reflect the institution’s mission to educate the public about Black history, culture, and experience.

　　The DuSable Museum houses more than 15,000 pieces of art by Africans or African Americans and historical memorabilia. Permanent exhibitions include “The Harold Washington Story,” chronicling the mayor’s life in public service, and “Freedom: Origin and Journey,” which describes the African American experience through several key periods.