Weston-Grimké Homesite

Front inscription

Archibald (1849-1930) and Francis Grimké (1850-1937), early 20th century activists for African American rights, grew up in a small 3-room house on a nearby back lot. Born on a plantation near Charleston, they lived here with their enslaved mother Nancy Weston (1812-1895) and brother John (b.1852) following the 1852 death of Henry Grimké, their white father and owner, and brother of abolitionists Sarah and Angelina Grimké.

Reverse inscription

Francis and Archibald were enslaved until 1865. They briefly attended the nearby Morris Street School before being educated in the North. They became vocal advocates of racial equality and settled in Washington, D.C. Archibald was a lawyer, NAACP leader, and consul to the Dominican Republic. Francis was a Presbyterian minister and one of sixty signers of a 1909 call that led to the NAACP’s founding. Their home no longer stands.