Proudly refusing to change the possibly controversial name, the Myrtle Beach Colored School Museum is a school building that was constructed as a product of early 1900's segregation and now serves as a memory to those less-progressive times.
The Myrtle Beach Colored School served African-American students in the Myrtle Beach area from 1923-1958. Unable to attend the white public schools, many young African Americans in heavily segregated sections of the country were forced to go to school at their local churches. To get the children into actual schools, institutions such as the Myrtle Beach school were built, providing the bare minimum of required space and amenities for their charges. While in operation the Myrtle Beach school consisted of just four rooms for grades up through 8th.
With the abolition of segregation in the 1950's the school was eventually shut down and used as a warehouse. As time went on, the aging building began to fall apart and eventually it was scheduled to be torn down. However a committee featuring some of the actual students from the school was formed to save the building as an important reminder of a time in American history that many would rather sweep under the rug. The committee's efforts were successful and The Myrtle Beach Colored School Museum was formed.
Today the museum offers a restored version of one of the original classrooms which is accompanied by news clippings and photographs telling the tale of the schoolhouse. in addition, the remaining space is now used as a adult education center, still committed to providing the community with a valuable resource.
