American Beach is a historic beach community in northeastern Florida once popular with African-American vacationers. It is located north of

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

Amelia Island Amelia Island is a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida's Atlant ...

in Nassau County. During the time of

segregation Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of human ...

and the

Jim Crow The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced racial segregation, " Jim Crow" being a pejorative term for an African American. The last of the ...

era,

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

s were denied access to many public amenities such as public pools and beaches in order to increase the value of nearby real estate, among other reasons. In view of this

Abraham Lincoln Lewis Abraham Lincoln "A.L." Lewis (1865–1947) was an influential American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Afro-American Life Insurance Company in Jacksonville, Florida and became the state's first African-American millionaire. He also ...

, Florida's first black millionaire and president of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company, founded American Beach as a resort community that was visited mostly by African Americans, though all were welcome. It contains the American Beach Historic District, a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

which was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2002.

History

American Beach was co-founded in 1935 by Florida's first black millionaire,

, and his Afro-American Life Insurance Company. A. L. Lewis was one of the original founders of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company in 1901; with little education he became a world traveler, investor, philanthropist, and the first African-American millionaire in the state of Florida. Since many white-owned insurance companies at the time would not insure Black Americans, A. L. Lewis's company filled a niche in the community and was very successful. With this newfound wealth, A. L. Lewis bought and built various amenities open to Black Americans, such as the Lincoln Golf & Country Club and, of course, American Beach. Throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, summers at American Beach were busy with families, churches, and children. American Beach stretched over 216 acres. It was a place where African Americans could enjoy "Recreation and Relaxation Without Humiliation". The beach resort included hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs as well as homes and other businesses. Over time American Beach became known as "The Negro Ocean Playground" a place for "Recreation and Relaxation without Humiliation". American Beach played host to numerous celebrities during this period, including folklorist

Zora Neale Hurston Zora Neale Hurston (January 7, 1891 – January 28, 1960) was an American writer, anthropologist, folklorist, and documentary filmmaker. She portrayed racial struggles in the early-20th-century American South and published research on Hoodoo ...

, singer Billie Daniels,

Cab Calloway Cabell "Cab" Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was a regular performer at the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he became a popular vocalist of the Swing music, swing era. His niche ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

Billy Eckstein William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously a ...

Hank Aaron Henry Louis Aaron (February 5, 1934 – January 22, 2021), nicknamed "Hammer" or "Hammerin' Hank", was an American professional baseball right fielder who played 23 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), from 1954 through 1976. Considered one ...

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...

, actor

Ossie Davis Ossie Davis (born Raiford Chatman Davis; December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, Film director, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He received num ...

, and

Sherman Hemsley Sherman Alexander Hemsley (February 1, 1938 – July 24, 2012) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for his roles as George Jefferson on the CBS television series ''All in the Family'' (1973–1975; 1978) and ''The Jeffersons'' (1975 ...

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

was turned away from performing outside Evans' Rendezvous, a nightclub on the beach. In 1964, American Beach was hit hard by Hurricane Dora, and many homes and buildings were destroyed. Before passage of the

Civil Rights Act Civil Rights Act may refer to several civil right acts in the United States. These acts of the United States Congress are meant to protect rights to ensure individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private ...

, it was not unheard of for Black beaches to be located outside of city limits, thus forcing Black families to walk miles simply to go to the ocean. After the Civil Rights Act

desegregated Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups, usually referring to races. Desegregation is typically measured by the index of dissimilarity, allowing researchers to determine whether desegregation efforts are having impact o ...

the beaches of Florida in 1964, American Beach as a Black resort became less of a necessity and many African-American Jacksonvillians turned to locations closer to home. A. L. Lewis's granddaughter

MaVynee Betsch MaVynee Betsch, christened Marvyne Elisabeth Betsch (January 13, 1935 – September 5, 2005), was an American environmentalist and an activist. She was better known as The Beach Lady, because she spent the better part of her adult life educating t ...

, known to locals as the Beach Lady, returned to American Beach in 1977 to fight for its preservation. Despite American Beach's loss of its status as a regional vacation spot for African Americans, Betsch tried to hold onto American Beach against potential buyers of the land. She wanted to make American Beach a monument to black Americans' determination to overcome the obstacles of the

Jim Crow era The Jim Crow laws were U.S. state, state and local laws introduced in the Southern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that enforced Racial segregation in the United States, racial segregation, "Jim Crow (character), Ji ...

. As of January 28, 2002, American Beach is listed as a historic site by the

. In 2003,

Amelia Island Plantation Omni Amelia Island Resort is a luxury resort community located on Amelia Island, Florida, the westernmost barrier island on the Atlantic Ocean in the U.S. The resort's tennis facility hosted the Bausch & Lomb Championships, a major Women's Ten ...

bought Nana Dune and donated it to the National Park Service. For years, she planted trees along Lewis Street, offered historical tours of the beach, and fought to raise public awareness of the beach and its struggle until her death in September 2005. The American Beach Museum opened in 2014 to memorialize the history of American Beach with her help. The American Beach Museum is dedicated to the founder of American Beach with the name "The A. L. Lewis Museum", for his contributions to the black community in Jacksonville, Florida. The museum, a lifelong dream of MaVynee Betsch, opened its doors to the public on September 6, 2014.

Historic district

American Beach Historic District is a

in American Beach. It is roughly bounded by Gregg, Lewis, Leonard, Main, and James Streets, and Ocean Boulevard, encompasses approximately , and contains 67 buildings and one structure. On January 28, 2002, it was added to the U.S.

. With .

Fictional portrayals

* * '' Sunshine State'', film directed by

John Sayles John Thomas Sayles (born September 28, 1950) is an American independent film director, screenwriter, editor, actor, and novelist. He is known for writing and directing the films '' The Brother from Another Planet'' (1984), '' Matewan'' (1987), ...

in 2002.

Gallery

File:Ervin's Rest - American Beach.jpg, alt=, Ervin's Rest - May 2019 File:Hippard House - American Beach.jpg, alt=, Hippard House - May 2019 File:AmericanBeach1.JPG, alt=, American Beach Historic Marker File:American Beach FL NaNa02.jpg, alt=, Nana Dune, named after the Beach Lady File:AmericanBeachtagsign.jpg, alt=, Antique Sign File:AmericanBeach2.JPG, alt=

References

External links

* {{authority control African-American history of Florida History of Jacksonville, Florida Unincorporated communities in Nassau County, Florida Beaches of Nassau County, Florida Unincorporated communities in the Jacksonville metropolitan area Populated places established in 1935 Unincorporated communities in Florida Populated coastal places in Florida on the Atlantic Ocean Beaches of Florida Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida National Register of Historic Places in Nassau County, Florida Colonial Revival architecture in Florida African-American cultural history African-American resorts Amelia Island 1935 establishments in Florida African-American history in Jacksonville, Florida

History

Historic district

Fictional portrayals

See also

Gallery

References

Further reading (most recent first)

Further reading (juvenile)

External links