Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center

St. Augustine, Florida 

Thursday, March 24, 2022

The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center (LMCC) is an African American history museum located in the Lincolnville neighborhood of Saint Augustine, FL. The LMCC’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.

Lincolnville Museum Website 

Exterior 1

Exterior 2

Artifact 1

Frank Butler opened the Palace Market grocery at 87½ Washington Street in Lincolnville. Butler's business expanded quickly in the neighborhood as a result of his low rates, high-quality goods, and free delivery services. F.B. Butler scrip tokens were issued by F.B. Butler's Palace Grocery store. Customers were frequently given scrip pieces as change for their purchases. Customers were more likely to return as a result of this approach.

Artifact 2

Doug Carn, a local musician, was inspired by artists such as Ray Charles, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Billie Holiday, Billie Erskine, Muddy Waters, and BB King. Ray Charles grew up in Lincolnville and eventually rose to fame. Clubs in St. Augustine used to offer food and drinks, along with music filling the air. Unfortunately, almost all the former clubs and restaurants are now private residences and have been stripped of any sign of the foundations or their culture.  

Visual In Conversation 1

http://visualculturelc.blogspot.com/search/label/A%20History%20of%20VC%20Chapter%202

The top image is a piece from the museum called "Emancipation" by Thomas Nast. Nast illustrates a somewhat optimistic picture of the future of free blacks in the United States through his artwork. On either side of the central picture are scenes contrasting black life in the South under the Confederacy (left) with visions of the freedman's life after the war (right). At the top left, fugitive slaves are hunted down in a coastal swamp. Below, a black man is sold, apart from his wife and children, on a public auction block. At the bottom, a black woman is being whipped and a male slave is being branded. In contrast, on the right, a woman with an olive branch stands triumphantly. A freedman's cottage can be seen in the peaceful landscape. Surrounded by these scenes is a photo of Abraham Lincoln, who issued the Emancipation. 

This image not only visually resembles a dollar bill, it emphasizes why certain people were chosen to be printed on United States currency. Abraham Lincoln, who is shown on the five dollar bill, signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863. The Emancipation declared slaves' liberation in the 10 Confederate states that were still fighting for independence. Hence, Lincoln's major impact on this country gave him the privilege to ceaselessly be represented and honored. 

Visual In Conversation 2

https://www.ncesc.com/what-shows-up-on-fingerprint-background-check/

The Lincolnville Museum has a fingerprint card with Martin Luther King Jr.'s fingerprints from when he spent one night in the St. Johns County jail. On June 11, 1964, he was arrested for unlawful civil disobedience. Although fingerprint cards are still widely used on arrested convicts and as a source for identifying criminals, they are also used as a background check for official company employment and volunteering. To become volunteer at a program that works with children, I had to have my fingerprints scanned to show my criminal history record information. This CHRI may include arrest records, military service records, federal job records, and naturalization records.  

Literature In Conversation 

Quote from Parable of a Sower by Octavia Butler

"Today, my parents had to go downtown to identify the body of my brother Keith" (Butler 89)

At The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, they present an article from The New York Times that was published on June 6, 1897. The article tells a disturbing  story from St. Augustine about Isaac Barrett. Barrett attempted to murder his boss, Hewson, along with his family. After sneaking into their house and cruelly beating Mr. and Mrs. Hewson with a club. He attacked the young children as well, but after hearing an alarming noise, the man jumped out the window. Yet, instead of fleeing the scene, he came back into the bedroom and innocently aided the oldest daughter and went for help. Bennett was arrested the next morning, but managed to escape during the ride to the County Justice. However, he was caught by a mob of masked individuals and dragged into a forest. It was reported that, after he finally confessed to the crimes, he was hung to an oak tree. 

This tragic story reminded me of the events in Parable of the Sower. The neighborhood in the book is introduced as one that is gradually destructing. But this neighborhood isn't nearly the worst part of the world. Outside of the walls they live in, people behave with chaos and violence. Lauren's brother is introduced to this outside world and becomes lured into it, until he eventually is killed. The family is hit with sudden, deep grief as they are told the graphic way their family member was murdered.

Creative Component

The St. Augustine sit-in happened at Woolworth's on March 15, 1960. I made a 60s diner style menu for the restaurant to represent the status of society and the economy at the time.