The Savannah sites listed below – including Telfair Museums’ Owens-Thomas House & Georgia State Railroad Museum – will be free and open to the public with programs focused on African American History on Aug. 20, noon-4PM.

Lift Every Voice: Savannah’s African American History Museums Free Day
12-4PM, Aug. 20, 2017
Locations: Telfair Museums Owens-Thomas House, The Davenport House Museum, Ossabaw Island Foundation, Pin Point Heritage Museum, Georgia State Railroad Museum, Beach Institute in partnership with City of Savannah, Research Library and Municipal Archives

In celebration of the opening of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, Savannah museums are highlighting our city’s African American History. Join us for tours and exhibitions focused on the history of African Americans and to learn about future plans for more inclusive interpretations at some of these sites. Admission is free and open to the public.

Learn more here.

Schedule of activities

Beach Institute in partnership with City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, will present the exhibit Law & Music, where guests will discover music through the collection of Civil Rights leader and local historian W. W. Law. City of Savannah archivists will also share artifacts and records from the City’s Municipal Archives that document Savannah’s African American history.

The Davenport House Museum will deliver tours on the world of urban slavery in early 19^th century Savannah, as illustrated by the lives of the enslaved people who lived and worked on the property. Community members will share ongoing historical research and discuss plans for expansion of the site to tell a richer, fuller story through exhibitions in its house museum setting.

Georgia Historical Society will have one-of-a-kind archival materials relating to African American life in Savannah on view. Attendees can share their stories at a recording station. Guests can “Ask an Archivist,” to learn more about the Georgia Historical Society’s resources, research and preservation.

Georgia State Railroad Museum will give tours exploring the unique African American contributions to the history of the Central of Georgia Railway and other railroads throughout America. Visitors will learn about their expanded historical interpretation to share more diverse stories at this museum.

Ossabaw Island visitors will enjoy a walking tour of North End plantation, including three restored tabby cabins built by enslaved Africans for their housing. Learn about Hercules & Betty in the 1770s, the Bond brothers in the 1850s and 1860s, and their descendants who founded Pin Point community in the 1880s. The tour is limited to 35 people and is only accessible via ferry for an additional fee.

Pin Point Heritage Museum will offer tours about Gullah/Geechee culture, given by the residents who grew up in the small, close-knit community. Guests can learn about the unique lifeways, from daily life to religion, language and food. The Pin Point community was founded in 1896 by freedmen, from Ossabaw Island, after the Civil War.

Telfair Museums Owens-Thomas House tours will focus on the lives of the enslaved people who lived on the site. Listen to stories about Emma, Peter, and Diane and hear about Telfair’s plans for a more inclusive experience coming soon.

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