President's House and Ona Judge
A sitting President used his Treasury to chase one woman, and failed.
Listen to this place’s story in Peplos.
How the story begins
While George and Martha Washington sat at dinner in the house that stood here, Martha's personal maid walked out and did not come back. Her name was Ona Judge. It was 21 May 1796, and she was enslaved. She had learned she was to be handed on to Martha's granddaughter. She had already sent her things to friends in the city's free Black community. "I knew that if I went back to Virginia," she said long afterwards, "I should never get my liberty."
The rest is in the app. Peplos plays the full story when you reach the place. You can also listen ahead of time.
Visiting
Open-air site at Sixth and Market Streets, Independence Mall. The National Park Service replaced the site's panels in July 2026, so the displays may differ from what you have read or heard about.
Sources
- Ona Judge, National Park Service
- Oney Judge, Edward Lawler Jr., ushistory.org
- George Washington to Joseph Whipple, 28 November 1796, Encyclopedia Virginia
- Federal government installs reworked panels about slavery at George Washington's Philadelphia home, AP via 6abc, July 2026
- City wants rehearing after court OKs replacement of panels at President's House, NBC10, August 2026
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