Africatown Heritage House
Time Needed: 1-2 hours
Experience Type: cultural heritage, historic landmark, museum
Africatown Heritage House honors the 110 survivors of the Clotilda, the last known slave ship to reach the United States in 1860. Through immersive exhibits and powerful storytelling, the museum traces their journey from enslavement to freedom and the creation of Africatown.
MUST-DO CHECKLIST
- Explore Clotilda: The Exhibition – Follow the captives’ voyage on the last known slave ship to the U.S. from West Africa to Alabama and their founding of Africatown after emancipation.
- Discover the Africatown Historic District – Explore the community built by Clotilda survivors, including historic churches, powerful murals, and 19th-century homes and streets.
- Hear the Voices of Survivors – Listen to moving recordings, including Cudjo Lewis’s firsthand story, along with descendants’ voices sharing personal stories and memories.
- Reflect in the Memorial Garden – Pay tribute to Clotilda survivors amid peaceful surroundings featuring the evocative Memory Keeper sculpture.
- Visit the Old Plateau Cemetery – Explore this 1876 burial ground, also called the Africatown Graveyard, final resting place of Clotilda survivors and their descendants.
Recommended Reading – Deepen your visit to Africatown Heritage House with The Last Slave Ship, a powerful true story of the Clotilda, her descendants, and the extraordinary journey toward remembrance and reconciliation.
Photo Credit: History Museum of Mobile