Carnegie Library / Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
 German Roots in Washington

  • Carnegie Library as the City Museum, 2000. Photo: Goethe-Institut Washington/William Gilcher
    Carnegie Library as the City Museum, 2000.
  • Carnegie Library as the City Museum, 2000. Photo: Goethe-Institut Washington/William Gilcher
    Carnegie Library as the City Museum, 2000.
  • Historical Society of Washington, D.C., August 2010. Photo: Goethe-Institut Washington/William Gilcher
    Historical Society of Washington, D.C., August 2010.
  • Historical Society of Washington, DC, August 2010. Photo: Goethe-Institut Washington/William Gilcher
    Historical Society of Washington, DC, August 2010.
This is an excellent place to do research on German-American life and culture in Washington, keeping in mind that the whole city of Washington is, in fact, a museum. Most visitors (and most residents) don't know enough about the city's many treasures, large and small. The Library is a fine place to start your exploration of neighborhoods, house museums, and special collections of all kinds. 

Because the Carnegie Library building at Mt. Vernon Square was one of the few public facilities that was never segregated by race, it has a special place in the hearts of the entire population as a building where everyone was (and is) welcome. 

In May 2003, Washington's City Museum opened in the Carnegie Library. It closed in 2004, but the Historical Society's Kiplinger Research Library remains open.