Neighborhood Services

The City of Myrtle Beach's Neighborhood Services Department celebrated 20 years of the museum Wednesday afternoon. Speakers shared stories throughout the day while the public listened. Thank you to everyone who attended!
To learn more about the Historic Myrtle Beach Colored School Museum and Education Center, visit https://www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/i_want_to/find/historic_myrtle_beach_colored_school_museum_and_education_center.php?fbclid=IwY2xjawSp985leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETF2NHZHVDR1NW1uNlgzUEw4c3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHhFA0QK6S6jJ2eGqj275xCqiHQZ7lL6xtNuiToiY-miMadUPT5nsUykfYdDo_aem_tPOxH94CL-lMi_VtCs1Jrg

Happy 20th anniversary to the Historic Myrtle Beach Colored School Museum and Education Center!

June 24, 2026 marks 20 years since it became what it is today. To mark the occasion, we spoke with graduates of the school, 103-year-old Florrie Elizabeth Cuttino and 83-year-old Ellen Marie Feaster.

The anniversary will be honored Wednesday, June 24 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. The event includes speakers sharing their experiences and connections with the museum. Light refreshments will be served. The event is free.

The Myrtle Beach Colored School opened in 1932. The original building had four classrooms serving young black students in first through sixth grade. The building eventually expanded to six classrooms, filled with students of varying ages and education levels. African American children were educated in churches before the school opened. Due to segregation, black children were not allowed to attend regular schools and no other educational facilities existed for them. The Myrtle Beach Colored School fulfilled a vital role in Myrtle Beach’s African American community when it opened, giving black children a place to learn.

The Myrtle Beach Colored School closed in 1953 when the Carver Training School opened. The closed schoolhouse first became a warehouse, and then sat empty and forgotten for two decades. But, the former students never forgot about the school that held a special place in their heart. They wanted to preserve this tangible piece of Myrtle Beach’s past and, with crystal vision, could see it’s possibility of being a reimagined and important cornerstone of the community.

A group of former students tried to save the school as early as 1978, but the task of buying property and raising restoration money was too great. When the old schoolhouse’s days truly were numbered by an imminent road-widening project, the City of Myrtle Beach answered their call for help in 2001. City Council appointed former students, community representatives and other stakeholders to a newly created committee that was charged with the task of saving the school.

City Council provided $10,000 of “seed money” to help the committee with fundraising and the committee accomplished the task. The museum and education center reopened to the public in 2006.

Thanks to the vision of the former students and the commitment of Myrtle Beach City Council and Community Stakeholders in 2001, the old school serves as a vibrant part of our history, serving and educating the community to this day through tours provided by the city’s Neighborhood Services Department.

To learn more about the Historic Myrtle Beach Colored School and Education Center, visit https://www.cityofmyrtlebeach.com/i_want_to/find/historic_myrtle_beach_colored_school_museum_and_education_center.php

It is located at 900 Dunbar Street.