Myrtle Beach Colored School Museum

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 segregation in the early 1900s and now serves as a memory to those less-progressive times.

The Myrtle Beach Colored School served Black students in the Myrtle Beach area from 1923 to 1958. Unable to attend the white public schools, many young Black 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 eighth.

With the abolition of segregation in the 1950s, 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 made up of some of the school’s former students was formed to save the building. They wanted to preserve its legacy as a 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.