A Note from the Director

Dear Friends: 

February offers us the opportunity to really focus on Black history as a nation, state and here in our Beaches community. The Museum’s exhibit, “Recovering Manhattan Beach” will be exhibited in two locations thanks to the efforts of exhibit creator, Brittany Cohill. In addition to the exhibit being on display at the Museum, we are excited to be part of the first Black History, Art & Culture Pop-Up Museum at the Carl S. Swisher Library at Jacksonville University! Please make sure to check it out at either location. 

We have a full month of programming and look forward to seeing you at our programs and events that will explore the people, places and issues that impacted the Black history of our community.

Beaches Museum and the William "Bill" Gulliford Jr. Community Center

Beaches Museum is proud to share our history exhibit "Mayport Village: On the River of Change" with the newly opened William "Bill" Gulliford Jr. Community Center in Mayport Village.

The Gulliford Community Center was designed as a modern take on the historic Gavagan Hotel that was once a landmark of Mayport Village.

"Mayport Village: On the River of Change" will be a permanent exhibit at the Community Center and can also be viewed online Here.

"Recovering Manhattan Beach" Exhibit

On Display February 7 - 26

The memory of Florida’s first African-American beach resort in the segregated South is eroding with time. With no visible evidence remaining of a once-vibrant coastal retreat, “Recovering Manhattan Beach” uses archival sources, oral histories, and a handful of the only known existing photographs to piece together its timeline (1900-1940s). Learn how Gilded-Age expansionism led to the creation of Manhattan Beach (located at present-day Hanna Park in Jacksonville), the role Manhattan Beach played in Jacksonville’s African-American community in the early 20th century, and the factors that contributed to its demise.

The "Recovering Manhattan Beach" Exhibit will be on display at the Beaches Museum February 7 - 26.

Lee Kirkland Cemetery Tour with Johnny Woodhouse

February 12, 1:00 p.m.

Beaches Museum invites you to learn more about African American history at the beaches with a walking tour of the Lee Kirkland Cemetery given by local history detective Johnny Woodhouse. The tour will be on Sunday, February 12 at 1:00 p.m.

The Lee Kirkland Cemetery has been the burial grounds for the beach’s African American population for the last 100 years or more. With marked and unmarked graves it can be difficult to trace the lives of the people interred in the cemetery. Join Beaches Museum and Johnny Woodhouse in an exploration of the lost histories of the Lee Kirkland Cemetery.

This event is free to Museum members with a $5 suggested donation for non-members. Please pre-register HERE. Visit the Beaches Museum website www.beachesmuseum.org or call 904-241-5657 for further information.

Boardwalk Talk: "The Civil Rights Movement in Florida" with Dr. Michael Butler

February 16, 6:00 p.m.

Join Beaches Museum for a Boardwalk Talk on “The Civil Rights Movement in Florida” by Dr. Michael Butler on February 16 at 6:00 p.m.

Dr. Butler will speak about how the past continues to inform the present in the United States, particularly in the ongoing struggle for racial justice and equality.

Dr. J. Michael Butler is a Kenan Distinguished Professor of History at Flagler College, where he has taught since 2008. His work has appeared in many leading peer-reviewed academic publications, such as the Journal of American Studies, the Journal of Southern History, the Florida Historical Quarterly, and Southern Cultures. His book “Beyond Integration: The Black Freedom Struggle in Escambia County, Florida, 1960-1980” won a 2017 Florida Book Award in nonfiction. Dr. Butler specializes in southern cultural history with an emphasis on the Black freedom struggle, teaches a number of classes on the topics, and has spoken to dozens of teachers and community groups about the civil rights movement.

This event is free to Beaches Museum members with a suggested $5 donation for non-members. Please pre-register HERE. Visit the Beaches Museum website www.beachesmuseum.org or call 904-241-5657 for further information.

Chapel Concert: Mama Blue

February 23 and February 24, 7:00 p.m.

The Beaches Museum is excited to present Mama Blue at the Beaches Museum Chapel! In celebration of Black History Month, Mama Blue will be performing songs written or sung by Black artists. 

Mama Blue and her crew have performed at festivals from Springing the Blues, Dancin’ in the Streets and Porch Fest in Jacksonville, to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, and at events and nightclubs across Northeast Florida and beyond. Born and raised in Jacksonville, graduating from Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. She is an alumnae of Jacksonville University where she majored in vocal performance and drama after earning a scholarship. Her music is described as a sound that “fuses the elements of Nina Simone’s strength, Tina Turner’s energy, Etta James’ sass and Aretha’s soul.”

 The songs that Mama Blue wrote are the core of her performances. Her songs are unsparing in their self-examination, but compassionate and supportive of those around her. Mama Blue’s originals are destined to reach an audience far beyond the area in which she has performed live.

With a signature flower in her hair as the finishing touch to her visual style, and a unique ability to reach people at the center of their souls, Mama Blue brings the warmth and understanding of an irresistibly genuine person to the stage.

Individual Advanced Tickets: $40

Chapel Concerts are held in the historic Beaches Museum Chapel. Shows start at 7:00 p.m., check in begins and refreshments are served at 6:30 p.m. Seats are first come, first serve. Tickets can be purchased HERE.

Beaches Museum Legacy Circle

Join our Legacy Circle!

Help ensure a future for our past by making a planned gift or a gift to our endowment! To learn more about remembering the Museum in your will or contributing to the future sustainability of our organization, please contact Chris at 904-241-5657 x 113 or [email protected].

Upcoming Events

"Wish You Were Here: Tourism at the World's Finest Beach" Exhibiting March 3 - July 9

Boardwalk Talk: Golf's Florida History: The First Coast Shines for over 130 Years

March 23, 6:30 p.m.

About the Beaches Museum

Beaches Museum's mission is "to preserve and share the distinct history and culture of the Beaches area." 

The Beaches Museum is generously supported by The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville and Florida Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs.