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

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

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 Atlanti ...

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 humans ...

and the Jim Crow era,

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

s were denied access to many public amenities such as public pools and beaches in order to increase the value of nearby

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

, among other reasons. In view of this Abraham Lincoln Lewis, Florida's first black millionaire and president of the

Afro-American Life Insurance Company The Afro-American Life Insurance Company was a historic business based in Jacksonville, Florida. It was founded in 1901 by Abraham Lincoln Lewis and his business associates. The company specialized in helping Black Americans obtain life insurance a ...

, founded American Beach as a community that was visited mostly by

s, though all were welcome. It contains the American Beach Historic District, a historic district which was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2002.

History

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

millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. In countries that use the short scal ...

, Abraham Lincoln Lewis, and his

. A. L. Lewis was one of the original founders of the

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 included hotels, restaurants, and

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s 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, singer Billie Daniels, Cab Calloway,

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

, Billy Eckstein,

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. One of the gre ...

, Joe Louis, actor

Ossie Davis Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis (December 18, 1917 – February 4, 2005) was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He and his wife were named to the NAACP ...

, and

Sherman Hemsley Sherman Alexander Hemsley (February 1, 1938 – July 24, 2012) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as George Jefferson on the CBS television series ''All in the Family'' (1973–1975; 1978) and ''The Jeffersons'' (1975–1985), Dea ...

. James Brown was actually turned away from performing outside Evans' Rendezvous, a nightclub on the beach. In 1964, American Beach was hit hard by

Hurricane Dora Hurricane Dora was the first tropical cyclone on record to make landfall over the Atlantic coast of North Florida at hurricane intensity. The sixth tropical storm and second hurricane of the 1964 season, Dora developed from a tropical wave nea ...

, and many homes and buildings were destroyed. Prior to the

Civil Rights Act Civil Rights Act may refer to several acts of the United States Congress, including: * Civil Rights Act of 1866, extending the rights of emancipated slaves by stating that any person born in the United States regardless of race is an American ci ...

, it was not unheard of for Black beaches to be located outside of city limits, thus forcing Black families to walk miles simply to bathe in 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 became less of a necessity and many African-American Jacksonvillians turned to locations closer to home. A. L. Lewis's granddaughter MaVynee Betsch, 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 state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the So ...

. As of January 2001, 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 Tenn ...

bought Nana Dune and donated it to the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propert ...

. 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

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

historic district 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 has twice been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, for ''Passion Fish'' (1992) and '' ...

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 culture 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