Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center facts for kids
The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center is a special place in St. Augustine, Florida. It used to be called the Excelsior Museum and Cultural Center. This museum teaches about African American history and culture. You can find it at 102 Martin Luther King Avenue. The museum is inside the old Excelsior School. This was St. Augustine's first public high school for Black students. The museum first opened its doors in 2005.
A Look Back in Time
Lincolnville is a neighborhood in St. Augustine today. But it started as its own town. It was founded by Black people who had been freed from slavery. This happened after the American Civil War.
The museum building was once the Excelsior High School. This was the first public high school for African Americans in St. Augustine. The very first public school for Black children in St. Augustine was built in 1901. Back then, schools in Florida were separated by race. This was called segregation.
"School #2," also known as "the Colored School," was built in 1925. It became St. Augustine's high school for Black students. A local architect named Fred A. Henderich designed it. In 1928, the school was renamed Excelsior. Many important people went to Excelsior. These include NFL star Willie Galimore. Also, civil rights leaders Henry and Kat Twine were students there. They were important in the St. Augustine Movement. Excelsior School closed in 1968. After that, it was used for government offices for a while.
About the Museum
Otis Mason was the main person who helped start the museum. He was a former student of Excelsior High School. In 1984, he became the first Black superintendent of the St. Johns County School District. The museum first opened in 2005 as the Excelsior Museum and Cultural Center. In 2012, its name changed to the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center.
The museum shares the history, culture, and achievements of African Americans. It focuses on the St. Augustine area. This includes the story of Lincolnville itself. It also tells about the role of runaway slaves in building Fort Mose. You can learn about the area's Black churches and social groups. The museum also highlights Black business owners. It even covers visits to St. Augustine by Martin Luther King Jr..
The museum has many interesting things to see. These include artwork, special items, and photographs. Most exhibits focus on the civil rights era in St. Augustine. But since 2016, the museum has been adding more history. It now covers other parts of the area's past.
In 2019, the museum had about 9,000 square feet (840 m2) of space for its exhibits.
In 2018, St. Johns County helped the museum. They used some money from a special hotel tax. This money supported a new exhibit called Lincolnville LifeWays. This exhibit focuses on important people and places in Lincolnville's history. It includes photos by Richard Twine. He was an African American photographer. He took many pictures of everyday life in Lincolnville in the 1920s.
The Lincolnville Museum received a large grant in September 2019. It was a $500,000 grant from the National Park Service. This money helps repair, protect, and update the museum building and its exhibits.
