Beach Institute African American Cultural Center, Savannah

About Beach Institute African American Cultural Center

The Beach Institute African American Cultural Center occupies a historic building in Savannah completed in 1867 as the first school built specifically for emancipated African Americans following the Civil War. Visitors explore galleries and exhibits that preserve and interpret African American history, art, and culture in the region. The museum features artifacts, historical maps, and rotating exhibits documenting Savannah's African American communities from the late 1800s through the early twentieth century. The center also operates the King-Tisdell Cottage, a Victorian-styled house built in 1896 that showcases the city's African American entrepreneurial history and serves as a historic site and artifacts gallery. At the Beach Institute, visitors attend lectures in the lecture hall and view exhibits using QR codes for deeper information. The museum is housed in the original building where students once studied science, mathematics, literature, Latin, and Greek. Located in Savannah, Georgia, the center was recognized as a 2016 Governor's Award winner for the Arts and Humanities of Georgia.