Maggie Lena Walker
July 15, 1864 – December 15, 1934
The first African American woman in the United States to charter a bank, Teacher, Humanitarian, and Activist
Maggie Lena Mitchell was born in Richmond, Virginia July 15, 1864. Her mother, Elizabeth Draper, was a former slave that worked in the Church Hill mansion of Elizabeth Van Lew, a Civil War spy. Her father was a butler and writer. Things changed rapidly for the the family Elizabeth and her husband William Mitchell moved the family to their own home in an alley between Broad and Marshall Streets where Maggie and her brother Johnnie were raised. After the untimely death of William Mitchell, Maggie’s mother supported the family by working as a laundress and young Maggie helped by delivering the clean clothes.
Maggie Mitchell was educated in Richmond’s public schools. After graduation she taught grade school for three years. Her teaching career ended in 1886 when she married Armstead Walker Jr. a brick contractor. With her dedication to the Fraternal Burial Society she directed her energies toward caring for her family and strengthening the Independent Order of St. Luke which she was a member from a teenager. Life was full and prosperous for the Walkers and their sons, Russell and Melvin.
This fraternal burial society, established in 1867 in Baltimore, administered to the sick and aged, promoted humanitarian causes and encouraged individual self-help and integrity.
She served in numerous capacities of increasing responsibility for the Order, from that of a delegate to the biannual convention to the top leadership position of Right Worthy Grand Secretary in 1899, a position she held until her death. In 1902 Mrs. Walker established a newspaper, The St. Luke Herald, to promote closer communication between the Order and the public. In speeches Mrs. Walker had reasoned, “Let us put our money together; let us use our money; Let us put our money out at usury among ourselves, and reap the benefit ourselves.” In 1903 she founded the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank which was named in honor of the fraternal burial society.
Tragedy struck in 1915 when her husband was accidentally killed, leaving Maggie to manage a large household. Her work and investments kept the family comfortably situated. When her sons married they brought their wives to 110 1/2 East Leigh Street. A major addition to the house in 1922 enabled Mrs. Walker to provide a home for her sons and their families, her mother, and the household staff.
Mrs. Walker’s health gradually declined, and by 1928 she was using a wheelchair. Despite her physical limitations she remained actively committed to her life’s work including chairman of the bank and leader of the Independent Order of St. Luke until her death on December 15,1934.
Maggie was active in civic groups. As an advocate of African American women’s rights, she served on the board of trustees for several women’s groups. Among them were the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) and the Virginia Industrial School for Girls. To assist race relations she helped to organize and served locally as vice president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was a member of the national NAACP board. She also served as a member of the Virginia Interracial Commission.
The residence at 110 1/2 East Leigh Street was built in 1883. The address was a prime location in the heart of Jackson Ward, the center of Richmond’s African American business and social life at the turn of the century. The Walkers purchased the house in 1904 and soon began making changes. Central heating and electricity were added, and with the addition of several bedrooms and enclosed porches, the home increased from 9 to 28 rooms. In 1928 an elevator was added in the rear of the house to provide Mrs. Walker access to the second floor.
The Walker family owned the home until 1979, when it and all the contents were purchased by the National Park Service which is a national historic site, so we can embrace and know the success and lifestyle of Mrs. Maggie Walker and her family.
In Maggie’s honor Richmond Public Schools built a large brick high school adjacent to Virginia Union University. Maggie L. Walker High School was one of two schools in the area for black students, during the period of racial segregation in schools. The other was Armstrong High School. After generations of students spent their high-school years there, it was totally refurbished in the late 20th century to become the regional Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies
The St. Luke Building which held the offices of the Independent Order of St. Luke and the office of Maggie L. Walker was preserved as was at the time of her death. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982
Resources: NYPL,NPS Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site website
Encyclopedia Virginia ,Virginia State Archives