Sewall-Belmont House & Museum

The Sewall-Belmont House and Museum, located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C., USA, is a historic house and museum of the U.S. women's suffrage and equal-rights movements. It is open to the public Friday and Saturday for tours at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Guided tours and group tours can be scheduled in advance by visiting the website. The nearest Metro stop is Union Station.HistoryIt was built on a tract of land originally granted to Cecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore by King Charles I of England. The property was divided several times, and it was Daniel Carroll who ultimately ceded much of the land to the United States as a site for the new capital. After Washington was laid out, Carroll bought a small parcel of land and in 1799 sold the property to Robert Sewall. According to his tax records, Sewall built the main house in 1800. He attached it to a small one-room farmhouse believed by some experts to date from 1750. Tradition has it that British troops set fire to the house during the War of 1812. It is believed that gunshots from within or behind the Sewall residence provoked the attack. The house has undergone several architectural changes and restorations. The house remained in the possession of Sewall descendants until 1922, when it was purchased by Senator Porter H. Dale of Vermont. In 1929, Dale sold it to the National Woman's Party, and it has been the party's headquarters ever since.