January 28, 2021
The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center opened its doors to the public in 2012. The building was originally Excelsior High School for black teenagers--in fact, it was the first black high school in the county when it opened in 1925. When segregation ended, the school closed. In 2012, the building was nearly demolished to make way for a new park, until former students and the St. Augustine community stepped in to save it. The Museum's mission is "to preserve, promote and perpetuate over 450 years of the African American story through the arts, educational programs, lectures, live performances and exhibits." This site contains rich civil rights history as well. One of its teachers, Edward D. Davis, worked with several other renowned civil rights leaders to provide equal pay for both black and white teachers in America. Men and women who graduated from this high school also made great contributions to civil rights. Some such people were Henry Thomas--one of the original Freedom riders--and Henry and Katherine Twine.
Here is a link to the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center website where I obtained this information and where you can read further about this site: https://www.lincolnvillemuseum.org/about
Artifact 1: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Fingerprint Card
This fingerprint card was made when Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed in St. Augustine. The Museum is honored to have this piece, as it is the only surviving record of any of King's arrests--possibly the only record ever taken of his arrests. King was arrested on June 11, 1964 when he protested in downtown St. Augustine. The Sheriff's department ran out of St. Augustine fingerprint cards because so many arrests were made that night. So, King's was made on a Putnam County card. King was buried in Atlanta--his hometown--but Lincolnville has this artifact to hold onto him.
Artifact 2: Artifacts from the Kelton Family Site
King's fingerprint card contrasts starkly with this glass case of artifacts within the Museum. While Lincolnville's history was carefully preserved by some, others bulldozed over it. At times, literally, like in the case of the Kelton Family Home. Four generations of Kelton's lived in this Victorian home, until it was demolished to build a brand new house. In 2002, city archaeologists were able to dig through this site and find the broken pieces of this family's life. As they put the pieces back together, it formed a greater picture of life in Lincolnville for an early 20th century black family. The archaeologists learned what these families ate, how they dressed, the games their children played, how they decorated their homes, and the kinds of personal items they used.
(More info on this site at The Florida Public Archaeology Network Blog)
Exterior Photographs:
Creative Component:
I created this short clip of bricks on the streets of St. Augustine by cross-fading two photographs I took. These bricks have always caught my attention, because they are printed with my hometown and my mother's maiden name. I have always loved the idea of Birmingham clay mixing with St. Augustine sand, because it reflects my own history. After visiting the Lincolnville Museum, these bricks took on a new meaning. Birmingham is remembered by its Civil Rights history, but many forget how important St. Augustine was to the Civil Rights movement. These bricks--bricks which Martin Luther King tread on--are an enduring reminder of what happened here. Sadly, many of the prints on these streets are fading. Cars and horses' hooves smooth the bricks and fade the markings. But though these physical markers fade, people like those at the Lincolnville Museum carry on the memory and history of the St. Augustine Civil Rights movement.
Photographs in conversation with this site:
This photograph was taken by Richard Twine in 1922. It is displayed in the Lincolnville Museum and captures the Lincolnville Emancipation Day Parade. Twine was a black photographer and gives us a unique perspective of Lincolnville in its heyday. In this image, we see a bustling, well-maintained part of the city that is filled with people and activity.
(image source link: https://www.laundromatproject.org/event/lineage-launchpad/)
This is a self-portrait of Richard Twine, taken in 1922. He was born and raised in Lincolnville, St. Augustine after seven older siblings. Opening his own studio, he became one of only two photographers in Lincolnville. Capturing the life and people of Lincolnville, he photographed candid moments at local events, weddings, and funerals. In his studio collection are stunning portraits of men, women, and children in their Sunday best.
(image and information source link: https://www.thejaxsonmag.com/article/photographing-lincolnville-richard-a-twine/ )
ENG 202 Connection:
"'Look, I won't say I understand how you feel about this because maybe that's something I can't understand. But as you said, you know what's going to happen. It already has happened. We're in the middle of history. We surely can't change it...'
'Maybe.' I drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. 'But I can't close my eyes.'"
-Octavia Butler, Kindred (p. 100)
In this passage, the protagonist (Dana) and her husband have been transported back to an 1819 plantation. Here, they are deciding how they will act. Will they try to change history, or let it run its course? Though she knows what has happened and what will happen, Dana cannot close her eyes to the history she is living through. Our visit to the Lincolnville Museum also took us on a journey through history. Though we cannot change the past, it brought us face-to-face with it. We were given the choice to truly see and let it affect us, or to passively observe and move on.
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