February is black history month, and every Saturday this month is a different African American History guided walking tour in Washington. Washington has a wealth of history; some of its black history is little known, but extremely significant in the growth and evolution of the town.

These guided walking tours have been developed by Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum Director, Leesa Jones.

Jones started scheduling the tours in 2010 to celebrate the rich black history here in town. "I started the tours because I would meet groups of people coming to town for weddings and reunions, and they would say there’s nothing to do. I told them, there’s A LOT to do!" Jones said there was already a walking tour of the historic district, but she wanted to develop a historic walking tour for other parts of the town, places of historic significance to the black history in Washington. "Our very first one took us from the Elmwood down to St Peter’s Episcopal Church. So I created these five walking tours to highlight the rich black history here from about 1701 to 1950. The tours take you through the historic black neighborhoods and tell about what happened there and the people who lived there." So many people heard about the tours in other parts of the country that Jones even created a Facebook page called "I’m from Washington and Nobody told me this," to share that history with people throughout the town, country, and even overseas.

Jones says the tours this month range from a mile to 3/4 of a mile. "They cover areas all the way from the waterfront to 9th and 10th Streets. They include the people and places that made a tremendous difference here, the historic black churches, the schools that were here before the civil war, the first black doctors, dentists, and lawyers that were here. I can point to what is now a vacant lot and say ‘That is where Booker T. Washington ate dinner when he was here in 1910,’ and point to the church that brought him here."

The tours are scheduled for each Saturday in February at 3pm, but Jones plans to offer more of them in the months to come. "We have the tours throughout the year anyway, but we really wanted to have a more concentrated effort on the tours for February since it’s Black History Month."

Jones says she likes that the tours educate and celebrate the accomplishments in African American history in Washington, and also lets folks get some exercise.

"I think it’s a wonderful way for the community to learn about, (to be honest), EVERYBODY’S history. This town is so rich in history, it’s a great way to learn about how other people lived, how they did things, and what they contributed to the economic development of Washington."

The tours are scheduled each Saturday in February at 3:00. If weather doesn’t permit, the tours will be rescheduled for March. Each tour is $10.00, and proceeds go to the Washington Waterfront Underground Railroad Museum.

For more information or to register, call 252-375-1045.