List of African American Museums
The African American museums in the United States focus mainly on the history and culture of the African American people. The museums were created with a mission of collecting and preserving African-derived culture and history. The Collage Museum was the first African American museum in the US, established in 1868 in Hampton, Virginia. Today, there are 109 such museums across the country. Here are some of the notable museums within the US focused on African American history.
Notable African American Museums
Slave Mart Museum
The Old Slave Mart Museum has been operating since 1938, making it the oldest existing African America museum in the US. Located in Charleston, South Carolina, the Old Slave Mart was a slave auctioning gallery. The building was constructed in 1859 and is considered as the last slave auction facility in the state of South Carolina. Miriam B Wilson purchased the building in 1938 and established a museum which initially displayed African-American art. The Old Slave Mart was purchased and restored by the City of Charleston in the 1990s and now interprets the history of the slave trade in the city.
National Museum of African American History and Culture
The Smithsonian鈥檚 NMAAHC in Washington DC is the largest African American museum in the US. After years of efforts to have an African-American museum owned by the federal government, the museum was established in 2003 but was opened to the public in 2016. The building covers an area of approximately 350,000 square feet and has 10 floors (five below and five above the ground). It has a collection of about 40,000 objects but only 3,500 objects are on display.
African American Museum in Philadelphia
The African American Museum in Philadelphia was the first to be funded and built by a major city to preserve and display the heritage of the African American people. Apart from sharing stories on how the African Americans contributed to the founding of America, it also has exhibits for children to help them learn about the daily lives of the Philadelphian鈥檚 children during slavery. The AAMP is located a few meters away from the Liberty Bell and was opened in 1976. It has an auditorium and four galleries. The exhibitions in the museum are centered on three dominant themes; the Philadelphia Story, the African Diaspora, and the Contemporary Narrative.
National Voting Rights Museum
The National Voting Rights Museum is located in Selma, Alabama and was opened to the public in 1993. It is situated near the Edmund Pettus Bridge which was an important site for the Voting Rights Movement. The museum contains exhibits and testimonies of activists who took part in the events that led to the passage of the Voting Rights Acts of 1965.
National Civil Rights Museum
The National Civil Rights Museum is located around the site of the famous Lorraine Motel the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr took place. the Memphis-based museum was opened in 1991 and contains exhibits that showcase the history of civil rights movement in the US. The NCRM became a Smithsonian Affiliate Museum in October 2016.
States by Number of African American Museums
Only 33 states in the US have African American museums. With 10 museums, Florida has the highest number of African American museums, followed by Alabama and Louisiana with 8 such museums each. Maryland and New York have 7 African American museums. California (6), Georgia (6), Texas (5), and Virginia (5) also have a notable number of the museums.
List of African American Museums
Rank | 锘縈useum Name | City | State | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Slave Mart Museum | Charleston | South Carolina | 1938 |
2 | George Washington Carver Museum, The | Tuskegee | Alabama | 1941 |
3 | African American Museum in Cleveland, The | Cleveland | Ohio | 1956 |
4 | Mary McLeod Bethune Home | Daytona Beach | Florida | 1956 |
5 | DuSable Museum of African American History | Chicago | Illinois | 1960 |
6 | Frederick Douglass National Historic Site | Washington | D.C. | 1962 |
7 | Museum of African American History & Abiel Smith School | Boston | Massachusetts | 1964 |
8 | Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History | Detroit | Michigan | 1965 |
9 | Anacostia Museum | Washington | D.C. | 1967 |
10 | Studio Museum in Harlem | New York City (Manhattan) | New York | 1968 |
11 | National Center of Afro-American Artists | Roxbury | Massachusetts | 1969 |
12 | African American Museum of Nassau County | Hempstead | New York | 1970 |
13 | Black American West Museum & Heritage Center | Denver | Colorado | 1971 |
14 | African American Museum | Dallas | Texas | 1974 |
15 | Harvey B. Gantt Center | Charlotte | North Carolina | 1974 |
16 | Great Plains Black History Museum | Omaha | Nebraska | 1975 |
17 | African American Museum in Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 1976 |
18 | Southeastern Regional Black Archives Research Center and Museum | Tallahassee | Florida | 1976 |
19 | Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum | Lynchburg | Virginia | 1977 |
20 | APEX (African American Panoramic Experience) Museum | Atlanta | Georgia | 1978 |
21 | Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site | Washington | D.C. | 1979 |
22 | George Washington Carver Museum | Phoenix | Arizona | 1980 |
23 | George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center | Austin | Texas | 1980 |
24 | California African American Museum | Los Angeles | California | 1981 |
25 | Tubman African American Museum | Macon | Georgia | 1981 |
26 | Great Blacks in Wax Museum | Baltimore | Maryland | 1983 |
27 | Afro-American Historical and Cultural Society Museum | Jersey City | New Jersey | 1984 |
28 | Banneker-Douglass Museum | Annapolis | Maryland | 1984 |
29 | Smith-Robertson Museum and Cultural Center | Jackson | Mississippi | 1984 |
30 | Alexandria Black History Museum | Alexandria | Virginia | 1987 |
31 | National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center | Wilberforce | Ohio | 1987 |
32 | Tuskegee Airmen National Museum | Detroit | Michigan | 1987 |
33 | America's Black Holocaust Museum | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | 1988 |
34 | Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia | Richmond | Virginia | 1988 |
35 | Bontemps African American Museum | Alexandria | Louisiana | 1988 |
36 | Hammonds House Museum | Atlanta | Georgia | 1988 |
37 | New Orleans African American Museum | New Orleans | Louisiana | 1988 |
38 | Alabama State Black Archives Research Center and Museum | Huntsville | Alabama | 1990 |
39 | Negro Leagues Baseball Museum | Kansas City | Missouri | 1990 |
40 | Delta Cultural Center | Helena | Arkansas | 1991 |
41 | John E. Rogers African American Cultural Center | Hartford | Connecticut | 1991 |
42 | Natchez Museum of African American History and Culture | Natchez | Mississippi | 1991 |
43 | National Civil Rights Museum | Memphis | Tennessee | 1991 |
44 | National Voting Rights Museum | Selma | Alabama | 1991 |
45 | Birmingham Civil Rights Institute | Birmingham | Alabama | 1992 |
46 | National African American Archives and Museum | Mobile | Alabama | 1992 |
47 | African American Museum and Library at Oakland | Oakland | California | 1994 |
48 | African American Museum of the Arts | DeLand | Florida | 1994 |
49 | Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum | Monroe | Louisiana | 1994 |
50 | River Road African American Museum | Donaldsonville | Louisiana | 1994 |
51 | Sandy Ground Historical Museum | New York City (Staten Island) | New York | 1994 |
52 | A. Philip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum | Chicago | Illinois | 1995 |
53 | Arthur "Smokestack" Hardy Fire Museum | Baltimore | Maryland | 1995 |
54 | Black History 101 Mobile Museum | Detroit | Michigan | 1995 |
55 | Idaho Black History Museum | Boise | Idaho | 1995 |
56 | Old Dillard Museum | Fort Lauderdale | Florida | 1995 |
57 | John G. Riley Center/Museum of African American History and Culture | Tallahassee | Florida | 1996 |
58 | Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site Visitors Center | Atlanta | Georgia | 1996 |
59 | African American Firefighter Museum | Los Angeles | California | 1997 |
60 | African American Museum of Southern Illinois | Carbondale | Illinois | 1997 |
61 | Griot Museum of Black History, The | St. Louis | Missouri | 1997 |
62 | Kansas African-American Museum | Wichita | Kansas | 1997 |
63 | Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum | Oella | Maryland | 1998 |
64 | African American Civil War Memorial Museum | Washington | D.C. | 1999 |
65 | LaVilla Museum | Jacksonville | Florida | 1999 |
66 | Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum | New Smyrna Beach | Florida | 1999 |
67 | MoCADA | New York City (Brooklyn) | New York | 1999 |
68 | Buffalo Soldiers National Museum | Houston | Texas | 2000 |
69 | Legacy Museum of African American History | Lynchburg | Virginia | 2000 |
70 | Oran Z's Black Facts and Wax Museum | Los Angeles | California | 2000 |
71 | Rosa Parks Museum | Montgomery | Alabama | 2000 |
72 | Odell S. Williams Now And Then African-American Museum | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | 2001 |
73 | Wells' Built Museum | Orlando | Florida | 2001 |
74 | African-American Research Library and Cultural Center | Fort Lauderdale | Florida | 2002 |
75 | African American Museum of Iowa | Cedar Rapids | Iowa | 2003 |
76 | Louis Armstrong House | New York City (Queens) | New York | 2003 |
77 | Dorchester Academy and Museum | Midway | Georgia | 2004 |
78 | Lewis H. Latimer House | New York City (Queens) | New York | 2004 |
79 | National Underground Railroad Freedom Center | Cincinnati | Ohio | 2004 |
80 | Paul R. Jones Collection of African American Art | Newark | Delaware | 2004 |
81 | African American Multicultural Museum | Scottsdale | Arizona | 2005 |
82 | L.E. Coleman African-American Museum | Halifax County, Virginia | Virginia | 2005 |
83 | Muhammad Ali Center | Louisville | Kentucky | 2005 |
84 | Museum of the African Diaspora | San Francisco | California | 2005 |
85 | Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture | Baltimore | Maryland | 2005 |
86 | Tangipahoa African American Heritage Museum | Hammond | Louisiana | 2005 |
87 | Weeksville Heritage Center | New York City (Brooklyn) | New York | 2005 |
88 | Brazos Valley African American Museum | Bryan | Texas | 2006 |
89 | Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum | St. Petersburg | Florida | 2006 |
90 | Mosaic Templars Cultural Center | Little Rock | Arkansas | 2008 |
91 | Northwest African American Museum | Seattle | Washington | 2008 |
92 | Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site | Tuskegee | Alabama | 2008 |
93 | Clemson Area African American Museum | Clemson | South Carolina | 2010 |
94 | International Civil Rights Center and Museum | Greensboro | North Carolina | 2010 |
95 | Mayme A. Clayton Library and Museum | Culver City | California | 2010 |
96 | Prince George's African American Museum and Cultural Center | North Brentwood | Maryland | 2010 |
97 | Springfield and Central Illinois African-American History Museum | Springfield | Illinois | 2012 |
98 | National Museum of African American Music | Nashville | Tennessee | 2013 |
99 | National Center for Civil and Human Rights | Atlanta | Georgia | 2014 |
100 | Whitney Plantation | St. John the Baptist Parish | Louisiana | 2014 |
101 | Bertha Lee Strickland Cultural Museum | Seneca | South Carolina | 2015 |
102 | National Museum of African American History and Culture | Washington | D.C. | 2016 |
103 | Black Cowboy Museum | Rosenberg | Texas | 2017 |
104 | Finding Our Roots African American Museum | Houma | Louisiana | 2017 |
105 | Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center | Church Creek | Maryland | 2017 |
106 | Mississippi Civil Rights Museum | Jackson | Mississippi | 2017 |
107 | Willam V. Banks Broadcast Museum | Detroit | Michigan | 2017 |
108 | The Legacy Museum | Montgomery | Alabama | 2018 |
109 | Rural African American Museum | Opelousas | Louisiana | 2018 |
110 | International African American Museum | Charleston | South Carolina | 2019 (anticipated) |