National African American Archives and Museum
Encyclopedia
The National African American Archives and Museum, formerly the Davis Avenue Branch of the Mobile Public Library
, is an archive and history museum located in Mobile, Alabama
. It serves as a repository for documents, records, photographs, books, African carvings, furniture, and special collections that all relate to the African American
experience in the United States
.
the needs of the local African American community. The building was modeled after the Ben May Main Library but constructed on a smaller scale. The local African American community helped collect used books for the library and raise funds for the acquisition of new books. This reflected the social reality of segregation
, when African Americans were prevented from participating fully in educational endeavors and were provided with separate educational facilities. Following desegregation
, this branch library became a repository for government documents. It was later reopened as the National African American Archives and Museum. The museum building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
and was designed by noted architect George Bigelow Rogers
.
. On a more localized note, the museum also features artifacts representing the numerous contributions African Americans have made to greater Mobile. It chronicles the voyage of the last known illegal slave ship, the Clotilde
, which docked in Mobile in 1860 and led to the establishment of Africatown
. Mobile's African American community has produced such famous personalities as baseball legend Hank Aaron and U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis Herman
, who both are represented in the museum's collection.
Mobile Public Library
The Mobile Public Library is public library system primarily serving Mobile County, Alabama. The system is a department of the city of Mobile and receives funding from Mobile County and the city of Saraland.-History:...
, is an archive and history museum located in Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. It serves as a repository for documents, records, photographs, books, African carvings, furniture, and special collections that all relate to the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
experience in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
The Davis Avenue Branch of the Mobile Public Library was built in 1931 to servethe needs of the local African American community. The building was modeled after the Ben May Main Library but constructed on a smaller scale. The local African American community helped collect used books for the library and raise funds for the acquisition of new books. This reflected the social reality of segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
, when African Americans were prevented from participating fully in educational endeavors and were provided with separate educational facilities. Following desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
, this branch library became a repository for government documents. It was later reopened as the National African American Archives and Museum. The museum building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
and was designed by noted architect George Bigelow Rogers
George Bigelow Rogers
George Bigelow Rogers was an American architect, best known for the wide variety of buildings that he designed in Mobile, Alabama. Born in Illinois in 1870, he studied painting in France, then apprenticed from 1894 to 1898 as an architect in Hartford, Connecticut. He stopped in Mobile in 1901,...
.
Exhibits
Exhibits include the "History of Colored Carnival" that details the African American contribution to Carnival and Mardi Gras. Also, the "Slavery Artifacts" exhibit features authentic displays of shackles, leg irons, slave collars, slave bracelets and slave badges from before the time of the Emancipation ProclamationEmancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly...
. On a more localized note, the museum also features artifacts representing the numerous contributions African Americans have made to greater Mobile. It chronicles the voyage of the last known illegal slave ship, the Clotilde
Clotilde (slave ship)
The schooner Clotilde was the last known U.S. slave ship to bring slaves from Africa to the United States, arriving at Mobile Bay in autumn 1859 , with 110-160 slaves. The ship was a two-masted schooner, 86 ft long by 23 ft , and it was burned and scuttled at Mobile Bay, soon after...
, which docked in Mobile in 1860 and led to the establishment of Africatown
Africatown
Africatown, also known as AfricaTown USA and Africa Town, is a community in Mobile County, Alabama, located three miles north of the city of Mobile. It was formed by West Africans who were among the last known illegal shipment of slaves to the United States...
. Mobile's African American community has produced such famous personalities as baseball legend Hank Aaron and U.S. Labor Secretary Alexis Herman
Alexis Herman
Alexis Margaret Herman was the 23rd U.S. Secretary of Labor, serving under President Bill Clinton. Prior to her appointment, she was Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.-Background:The daughter of politician Alex Herman and schoolteacher Gloria...
, who both are represented in the museum's collection.