February is Black History Month and an opportunity to take a look back and experience the depth of the African-American past as well as heritage on our storied coast.
Here’s a look at history, upcoming events, ongoing experiences, and beautiful people that have all helped shape our island and world in one way or another.
HISTORIC PLACES
A.L. LEWIS MUSEUM
Keeping, preserving, and sharing black history on Amelia Island is what the fine folks at the A. L. Lewis Museum do on a daily basis. Located at American Beach on the southern end of Amelia Island, the museum features exhibits and photographs of what life was like at this famed beach resort during the Jim Crow era when Abraham Lincoln Lewis purchased three parcels of land to build a glorious oceanfront haven for African Americans to live and play without fear.
AMELIA ISLAND WILLIAMS HOUSE
Built in 1856, Marcellus A. Williams bought the gorgeous home on the corner of S. 9th Street in 1859. During the Civil War, the house was used by Union troops as a headquarters and infirmary, and it also served as part of the Underground Railroad, hosting escaped slaves seeking freedom. Local lore says the mansion included a trap door in the dining room closet offering access to a secret room where slaves could hide, however that secret room has yet to be found. Learn more about the history of the Amelia Island Williams House or better yet, book a stay!
FORT SAN CARLOS/MIDDLE PASSAGE
The Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project is a non-profit tax-exempt organization established in 2011 to honor the two million captive Africans who perished during the transatlantic crossing known as the Middle Passage and the ten million who survived to build the Americas. Back on September 28, 2013, a Middle Passage Ceremony was held on the grounds of Fort San Carlos in Old Town where more than eighty persons joined hands to symbolically repair a broken circle.
KINGSLEY PLANTATION
Kingsley Plantation, about 20 minutes south of American Beach, is one of the few remaining examples of the plantation system of territorial Florida and the site of what might be the oldest plantation house in Florida. Visitors can explore the plantation house, remains of 25 tabby construction slave quarters, a barn, waterfront, kitchen house, and interpretive garden.
PECK HIGH SCHOOL (now the Peck Center)
Originally opened in 1885 as Colored School No. 1, this African American public school was renamed Peck High School in 1916 in honor of its longstanding principal, William H. Peck. It was originally a wooden structure on Atlantic and 11th Street, but relocated to the current brick building in 1928. Due to desegregation in Nassau County, its final class graduated in 1969. Today Peck Center is recognized as a significant component of African American heritage in Fernandina Beach. A permanent exhibit celebrating the legacy of Peck High School and its importance to the community was opened in 2022.
AMERICAN BEACH
An oasis for Black beach-goers in a time when segregation and Jim Crow laws prevented them from sharing beaches, American Beach, founded by African-American businessman A.L. Lewis, was home to a number of restaurants, hotels, night clubs, shops and more. The resort town thrived until 1964, when Hurricane Dora devastated the area. Today, visitors can enjoy the beach, see famed NaNa dune (this dune system is the tallest in all of Florida and is amazing to see) and visit the A. L. Lewis Museum to learn more about the African-Americans who found triumph over segregation and disenfranchisement.
EXPERIENCES
COAST ONE TOURS
Journey through time with an interactive guided historical tour of American Beach. Each tour will provide a dynamic, enlightening, jaw-dropping experience of American Beach, Fernandina Beach, and Kingsley Plantation. Your tour guide, Ron Miller, lived his life experiencing the legacy of American Beach and his mission is to educate and share the history of how and why American Beach was founded. Call Ron and his wife Avis of Coast One Tours today and schedule your tour — 904-635-9081.
PEOPLE
ABRAHAM LINCOLN LEWIS
The driving force behind the conception of American Beach on Amelia Island was Abraham Lincoln Lewis, one of the original founders in 1901 of Jacksonville, Florida’s Afro-American Life Insurance Company. Lewis was a man with little formal education who became a world traveler, visionary investor, philanthropist, and Florida’s first African American millionaire. The African American resort community of American Beach was established in 1935 in defiance of segregation and the prevailing Jim Crow laws of that era.
MAVYNEE OSHUN BETCH
Mavynee Betch, better known locally as “The “Beach Lady” was born on January 13, 1935 weeks before the officially opening of the American Beach Resort on January 31, seemingly gifting her a legacy she was destined to preserve and protect American Beach. Although, the “Beach Lady” was only 12 years old when A. L. Lewis died, it was she among all of his descendants, who laid claim to and helped sustain his and American Beach’s legacy until her death” in 2005. Mavynee was a fascinating person and lead a life well lived.
PETER HOOPER
Born in 1897 in Fernandina, Olrigee Hupue dreamed of becoming a master magician but faced segregation that barred him from performing locally. Reinventing himself as Peter Hooper, he pursued his passion, traveling across the country and earning fame as the “Second Houdini” and “the world’s favorite colored magician.” Known for freeing himself from locked mailbags, handcuffs, and even guarded jail cells, he captivated crowds nationwide. Despite his success, Hooper remained connected to his Nassau County roots, regularly engaging with Black schools in the area. He passed away in Fernandina Beach on November 21, 1972.
NOTE: All credit for this information on Peter Hooper goes to Rep. William Jefferson (Gullah/Geechee Nation) and his book, Hupuewa: A legacy of the Hooper family of Nassauville Florida. Credit for the attached photo goes to Richard Samuel Roberts.
EVENTS
SANKOFA
This temporary exhibition, Sankofa: American Beach Looking Back At The History To Go Forward, is sponsored by Bing Kegler and held at the A. L. Lewis Museum at American Beach until February 28, 2025. The American Beach Resort opened ninety years ago on January 31, 1935. This special exhibit celebrates ninety years of hope, pride, joy and despair in the faces, the voices and the memories of the inter-generational American Beach residents with rare photos, video and documents.
LESSONS LEARNED FROM MY AFRICAN-AMERICAN GENEALOGY RESEARCH: THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYBODY
The Amelia Island Genealogical Society is proud to host Andrew Thompson as guest speaker at the Fernandina Beach Library on February 18 from 7-8:30pm as he presents “Lessons Learned from my African-American Genealogy Research: There is Something for Everybody.” Mr. Thompson will review the best practices and lessons learned during his discovery of over 50 enslaved relatives.