Please help the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center (LMCC) to renovate and restore the Excelsior building! The LMCC has an opportunity to apply for a grant for African American Museums and Historical Properties. The museum is eligible to apply for a non-matching grant up to $500,000. A matching grant totalling $1,250,000 is available if we are able to raise the $250,000 match before November 30th, 2021.
This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to complete the restoration and preservation of the Excelsior Building.
The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center is located in the historic Excelsior School building, built in 1925. Designed by architect Fred A. Henderich in the Mediterranean Revival Style, the Excelsior was the first public Black high school in St. Johns County. From 1925 until its closing in 1968, the school educated students of all grades, ranging from elementary to high school, offering a quality education to African American students during a time when education, jobs, and public spaces were segregated under Jim Crow laws. The school served students from all over the county, reaching the surrounding communities such as West Augustine and even as far as Vermont Heights.
Today, the LMCC strives to promote and preserve the history of Lincolnville, as well as 450 years of African American histories and cultural heritage, through exhibits, lectures, oral histories, and performances. This includes preserving a physical piece of that history, the Excelsior School.
The LMCC needs your help! Any donation of any amount is appreciated.
Additionally, please share our cause to your friends and family!