Mary Bethune House, Daytona Beach

The Mary Bethune House is a small, historic house filled with mementos of Mary McLeod Bethune, an inspiring woman. It is on the campus of Bethune-Cookman University. It's nice to stroll around the campus with its brick buildings and large trees.

Mary McLeod Bethune started a school for African-American girls here in 1904, which was expanded to a high school, then junior college and finally Bethune-Cookman College. Daytona Beach was a popular tourist destination at the time and Mary felt that this town would be the best place economically for her school.
You can tour her historic house and learn all about her legacy. She was committed to bettering the lives of African Americans and was adviser to President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s.
Mary Bethune was one of the few women who was a college president in the 1920s-40s. She was full of faith and hope, and shared Roosevelt's message with African Americans, who had historically been Republicans since the civil war. Her parents were former slaves, and most of her siblings (she was 15th of 17 kids) were born into slavery. Once while delivering white people's laundry, she picked up a book which was then snatched from her by the little white girl. At that moment she realized that she wanted to learn to read and be educated. She was the only child in the family to attend school and she taught her family what she learned each day. Her teacher Emma Jane Wilson became a mentor encouraging her to attend college on a scholarship.
The tour guide at the house will make you feel like you knew Mary Bethune personally.
In Washington DC, you can visit the Bethune Council House, which was Mary's residence when she was in Washington DC advising the president.

Directions

Mary Bethune House is located on the Bethune-Cookman University campus at 620 Dr Mary McLeod Bethune Blvd, Daytona Beach FL 32114, call (386) 481-2121.
Open M-F 10-3. Tours are free.

Click on map for interactive view