Historical Marker Dedication

October 16, 2008

 

Beach Institute

October 16, 2008

12:00 p.m.

502 East Harris Street, Savannah, GA  

 

Marker Text: 

The Beach Institute began in 1867 as the first school in Savannah erected specifically for the education of African Americans.  It was named for Alfred Ely Beach, benefactor and editor of Scientific American.  Following the Civil War, the Freedmen’s Bureau, American Missionary Society, and the Savannah Educational Association purchased land and with the labor of newly freed slaves built this school and a teachers’ house on this site.  The Beach Institute, birthplace of First Congregational Church and the Savannah Boys Club, closed in 1919.  Operated by the King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation since 1989, today the Beach Institute serves as an educational and cultural center.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and Sam's Club and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

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Historical Marker Dedication

October 16, 2008

 

St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church:

Mother Church of Black Catholics in Georgia 

October 16, 2008

2:00 p.m.

556 East Gordon Street, Savannah, GA  

 

Marker Text: 

In May 1874 two Benedictine priests arrived in Savannah to work with the city’s African-American community, and constructed a church four blocks north of here.  In 1889 a new building was constructed at this site.  The Society of African Missions staffed the parish from 1907 to 1968.  Staffed by Franciscan Sisters, St. Benedict’s day school operated from 1907 until its closure in 1969 due to integration.  The school’s alumni include U. S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.  The sisters also staffed the orphanage established by Mother Matilda Beasley, the first African-American woman in Georgia to belong to a religious order.  The current building was constructed in 1949.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and Sam's Club and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

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