The Beach Institute, Savannah

The Beach Institute was built in 1867 by the Freedmen’s Bureau to provide education for formerly enslaved people after the Civil War. It was named after Alfred S. Beach, editor of Scientific American magazine and a major donor toward the purchase of the land for the institute.

When the school first opened, it enrolled around 600 students. Its staff included nine teachers, most of them white women, and one male principal. The institute remained a school for formerly enslaved students until 1875, when it was transferred to the Savannah Board of Education. It then became a free public school for African American children.

As additional schools opened in Savannah, the Beach Institute was eventually considered unnecessary and closed in 1919. The historic building was later restored and reopened as an African American cultural center and museum.

Inside, you can see works by African American artists from Savannah and the surrounding region. One of the main highlights is a permanent collection of wood carvings by celebrated folk artist Ulysses Davis. A barber by profession and a self-taught sculptor, Davis even made many of his own carving tools. He originally displayed his figures along the walls of his barber shop, where customers could admire them while waiting for a haircut. Today, his imaginative carvings attract museum visitors from around the world.