National Historic Sites · Virginia
Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
National Park Service source material · single source. Source dates and reuse information are available beside each field.
Check the official park website for current access, conditions and visitor information.
Introduction
Background: 1
Maggie Lena Walker devoted her life to civil rights advancement, economic empowerment, and educational opportunities for Jim Crow-era African Americans and women. As a bank president, newspaper editor, and fraternal leader, Walker served as an inspiration of pride and progress. Today, Walker’s home is preserved as a tribute to her enduring legacy of vision, courage, and determination.
Geography
Designation: 2
National Historic Site
State or territory: 3
Virginia
Park Map - Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site: 4
Map scope: Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
Map of Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in Virginia. The site is labeled with green text against the pale-yellow grid of white and gray city streets. Three other sites are labeled in green text, two are shaded in green, one area is darker yellow, and other sites are labeled with black text. The blue James River runs along the bottom of the map, starting from the west side and bending south.
History and culture
Research: 5
In addition to the house museum, exhibits, and multimedia , the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site preserves hundreds of artifacts and thousands of pages in our archives. These materials are available to academics and professional researchers. Together, these collections form the cornerstone of worldwide scholarship on Maggie Walker's contribution to civil rights, while providing intimate revelations of her private life.
The artifact collection consists of both personal items once owned by the Walker family and professional items donated by former Walker colleagues, including the management of the Independent Order of St. Luke.
The park's archival holdings currently include two collections totaling more than 80 linear feet. The Maggie L. Walker Family Papers collection is comprised of the documents and photos originally kept by Mrs. Walker and her family members. These documents include Maggie Walker's correspondence, public addresses, personal finance records, diaries, and business records.
The Right Worthy Grand Council, Independent Order of St. Luke Records collection contains detailed business records from the national headquarters of the Independent Order of St. Luke.
Finding Aid for the Right Worthy Grand Council, Independent Order of St. Luke Records (1 MB PDF)
The National Park Service and the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site have also begun digitalizing archives through NPGallery . This project will be continually updated as more archives and features are added and higher quality images will be uploaded, but for reserachers of Maggie L. Walker and the Independent Order of St. Luke, it will be invaluable. Diving into the Maggie L. Walker Digital Archive will help get your research started
Access to the museum collections is available Monday through Friday, 9:30 am-4:30 pm. Due to limited space and the need for adequate preparation time, research is by appointment only . To ensure the protection of the collections, all research must be done on-site in the research room in accordance with National Park Service guidelines.
Researchers are encouraged to complete their preliminary research at archives and libraries with a broader topical focus before approaching the holdings of the Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site archive. A good starting point is the excellent Walker biography, A Right Worthy Grand Mission: Maggie Lena Walker and the Quest for Black Economic Empowerment by Gertrude Woodruff Marlowe (Howard University Press, 2003). In addition, be sure to visit our online resources .
Visitor centers and places
Visitor Center: 6
The Maggie L. Walker Visitor Center is currently open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for reserved group tours, and Fridays and Saturdays, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., for walk-ins only. Guided tours of Walker's home begin here, with tours on Fridays and Saturdays starting at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m.
Visitor information
Visitation
Sources & field notes
Source records (10)
Select a numbered reference to open a source card. Retrieval dates describe this edition’s source capture, rather than an independent verification or the date of the underlying information.
Background · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Designation · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
State or territory · National Park System directory. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.
Park Map - Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site · National Park Service, Harpers Ferry Center. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source scope
- Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site
- Download
- Official map PDF ↗
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Public domain; NPS map
- Rights
- Public domain; NPS map
Research · Research — National Park Service. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Source page last updated
- April 6, 2026
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-authored U.S. government material is generally public domain; third-party content may have separate rights.
Visitor Center · National Park Service park structured data. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored U.S. government work is generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Physical Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Mailing Address · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Telephone · Official park structured information. Open source ↗
- Information date
- Not supplied by the source
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- NPS-supplied text; NPS-authored government work generally public domain, subject to third-party rights.
Recreation visits · National Park Service Visitor Use Statistics. Open source ↗
- Information date
- 2025
- Retrieved
- 2026-10-30
- Methodology
- NPS reporting unit; annual total is the sum of 12 monthly recreation visit estimates.
- Reporting unit
- Maggie L. Walker NHS
- Evidence
- Single source; not independently corroborated.
- Reuse
- Factual reference data; source attribution retained.