Our Current Museum Hours Are:

Tuesday - Saturday: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Monday & Sunday: CLOSED

A courtesy call before heading our way, would be greatly appreciated. 

386-478-1934 

1. May 7, 1878:

J.R. Winters picks up a patent for an “improved ladder-truck and fire-escape.” The following years improvements were made upon his invention. The second patent was granted in April of 1879 and the final improvements in May of 1882. The improvements included a folding, metal frame instead of the rigid, wooden one. Winters also included a different design with the steps, an alarm bell, and the ability to connect to the building. (see first picture)

2. May 17, 1957: 

The Prayer Pilgrimage to Washington for Freedom took place on May 17, 1957, when a crowd of over thirty thousand nonviolent demonstrators, from more than thirty states, gathered at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to commemorate the third anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling. 

3. May 19, 1991: 

Willy T. Ribbs, the first African-American man to have tested a Formula One car (in 1986) and to compete in the Indianapolis 500. (see second picture)

4. May 24, 1961: 

Sometimes called “the first freedom ride,” 16 Black and white men in Mississippi embarked on a direct-action bus trip that flipped racial structures on their heads: Black protesters sat at the front of the bus, while white protestors sat at the back. (see third picture)

Ketanji Brown Jackson , First Black female Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, was born in Washington, D.C. to Johnny and Ellery Brown in 1970, both natives of Florida. Both parents attended HBCU’s (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) and settled in Washington, D.C. Ketanji ‘s family moved back to Miami when she was three. She attended and graduated from Miami’s Palmetto High School where she was very active serving as the president of her high school class and as a very competitive speaker on the high school debate team. It was her debate team trips to Harvard University for competitions that she fell in love with Harvard. She received both of her degrees (AD, JD) from Harvard. While in college, she met and married Patrick Jackson who is a surgeon at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. They live in Washington, DC with their two daughters, Leila and Talia.

Best wishes to one of our own - a role model from Florida!

More than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, word reached Florida's Capital City on May 20, 1865, nearly a full month before finally reaching Texas on June 19.

In today’s world, news of a single event can be transmitted across the planet in seconds. This was not the case in April 1865 as the Civil War was coming to an end. In the war-torn South, news traveled slowly, often by word of mouth, and the details sometimes were incorrect or contradictory. Also, noted by Clifton Lewis, Historian of the Florida African American Heritage Preservation Network, is the fact that due to the refusal of slave holders to acknowledge Abraham Lincoln as their President, slaves were not released upon the signing of the Proclamation on January 1, 1863. Neither the end of the war nor the end of slavery was absolutely confirmed until Union troops arrived in each locality to receive the surrender of their Confederate counterparts. This process happened in stages, with areas farther west learning the news weeks after the folks closer to the east coast.

Union Brigadier General Edward M. McCook arrived in Tallahassee to receive the surrender of Florida’s Confederate troops on May 10th. On May 20th, McCook formally announced President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation from the steps of the Knott House, effectively ending slavery in the state. As a result, many Floridians celebrate May 20th as Emancipation Day.

For more information and a flyer on celebrating Emancipation Day events in Florida, click below:

(www.floridahumanities.org)

Memorial Day is an American/Federal holiday known for honoring and mourning the men and women who have died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. 

Originally known as Decoration Day, this holiday was originated following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. The Civil War is where more lives have been lost than any other conflict in U.S. History. By the late 1860's, American families of the fallen soldiers would gather around gravesites and give their loved ones flowers and recite prayers to honor and mourn. 

This soon became tradition and led to a National Holiday declared by President Lyndon Johnson in Waterloo, N.Y., the "birth place" of Memorial Day. 

(www.history.com)

This month's spotlight is on Patricia Thomas, our Volunteer of the Month. Pat retired from the Volusia County Schools in 2012 after a 32-year career. She taught at Read Pattillo and had a huge impact on many students in the New Smyrna Beach area. After joining the volunteer staff at the Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum, she has directed her energies to learning the resources available in the museum, especially the African American cookbooks. Her favorite time is leading group tours, responding to diverse audiences, and making the museum experience one to remember. She exudes kindness and a sense of pride while sharing local history. Why not join Pat at the museum and become a volunteer!

The Mary S Harrell Black Heritage Museum was awarded a Florida African American Historical and Cultural Grant in the amount of $139,200 to add a climate-controlled annex on the museum’s property. The annex will provide additional exhibit storage space and space for the overflow of historical documents and artifacts. This will result in dramatic access of the collection to the public and will properly preserve the collection in an archival designed and constructed space.

Your renewed commitment is critical in helping the museum to continue the mission of sharing African American history and Culture as we focus on Telling the Full American Story! So, if you have not done so, please take a moment to renew your Membership today and invite your friends and family members to do likewise. Your renewal gift of any size will be greatly appreciated.

PLEASE JOIN/RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP NOW FOR 2022.

May 8th, 2022 is Mother's Day! Don’t forget to tell a Mother that you appreciate her for all she does, or even give her a flower or two.