The Historical Society of Washington, D.C., also called the DC History Center, is an educational foundation dedicated to preserving and displaying the history of Washington, D.C. The society provides lectures, exhibits, classes, and community events. It runs a museum, library, and publishes the journal Washington History. It had been named The Columbia Historical Society from its founding in 1894 until 1988. The society's home is the Carnegie Library of Washington D.C., a Beaux-Arts building in the center of Mount Vernon Square in Washington. It was built in 1902 to be District of Columbia Public Library, one of the many Carnegie libraries. The building is open to the public from Monday through Sunday 10am to 5pm. Visitors can tour the exhibits and use the society's Kiplinger Research Library, which has books, maps, photographs, and other materials relevant to the history of the city. Washington History The society publishes a peer-reviewed academic journal Washington History, generally twice a year. The editorial board includes George Derek Musgrove, Chris Myers Asch, and Jane Freundel Levey. The journal's predecessor was the original Records of the Columbia Historical Society, which was published from 1894 to 1989. In the society's early years, membership dues went largely to support the publication of the Records. These hard-bound volumes appeared every year until 1922, and thereafter every two or three years. History The Columbia Historical Society was founded in 1894 by a group of 36 men and women, with the following mission: "Its objects shall be the collection, preservation, and diffusion of knowledge respecting the history and topography of the District of Columbia and national history and biography." The organization had as its goal "collecting the scattered and rapidly disappearing records of events and individuals prominent in the history of the city and District." The main role of the early society was to serve as a forum for members to present historical research, which was then published in the Records of the Columbia Historical Society. The organization also amassed library and manuscript collections. By 1899, the new organization had 108 members. Of these, 95 were men, and 101 were residents of Northwest Washington. Although African Americans constituted one-third of the then-racially segregated city's population, the membership of the Columbia Historical Society was all white. The growth of the collections presented difficulties. For more than 50 years, the society used rented and donated rooms to house its offices and library. Volunteers