You can’t tell the story of the Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historic Site in Greenwood, visit the childhood home of this legendary historic figure, who was born the son of a sharecropper and ultimately became a Baptist minister, civil rights trailblazer and the president of Morehouse College. AN AMERICAN HISTORY LESSON America without including tales from the Palmetto State. Immerse yourself in different facets of the country’s fascinating past—as well as stories and cultures that are unique to South Carolina—at these museums. Museums Must-See AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE Slated to open fall 2022, the International African American Museum in Charleston shines a light on the history of African Americans. You’ll learn about the state’s role in the transatlantic slave trade and Civil War, as well as the vital contributions of both enslaved Africans and free Blacks to the economic and cultural development of the country. Continue your education at the Mann-Simons Site , which tells the inspiring story of a freed couple who essentially walked from Charleston to Columbia and established a home, several businesses and a thriving community for fellow African Americans. At GULLAH HERITAGE Experience the culture of the Gullah Geechee people, descendants of enslaved Africans who were transported to South Carolina’s sea and barrier islands to labor on rice, indigo and cotton plantations. See the historic “Little Blue House,” which holds the museum collection of The Gullah Museum of Hilton Head Island or watch presentations on Gullah and Lowcountry crafts and agricultural methods at the Gullah Museum in Georgetown. On St. Helena Island, stroll the 50-acre National Historic Landmark District of the Penn Center —founded in 1862 as a school for formerly enslaved 42
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