In August, three Savannah-area historic sites present Lift Every Voice: Savannah’s African American History Days, in partnership with the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC).  Saturday, August 17 is a fee-free tour to Ossabaw Island and Pin Point Heritage Museum.   On Sunday, August 18, Massie Heritage Center offers a free storytelling historical presentation with an accompanying craft project.     
 
Lift Every Voice, whose name comes from the historic song of the same name by James Weldon Johnson, began as a global initiative by the Smithsonian, encouraging partners, organizations, and individuals who study, love, or support African American history and culture to join NMAAHC in their inaugural year celebration (2016-2017).  Savannah is one of only a few communities who have continued the program after the first year.
 
On Saturday, August 17, the Ossabaw Island - Pin Point tour will emphasize the historic linkages between the African American communities of the two sites, while sharing the broader history of each location.

The day begins with a morning boat trip to Ossabaw that includes the natural and cultural history of the Moon River District, with emphasis on the many historic African American communities of the area. On Ossabaw, visitors will go on a walking tour of North End plantation, including three restored tabby cabins built by enslaved Africans for their housing. Learn about Hercules & Betty in the 1770s, the Bond brothers in the 1850s and 1860s, and their descendants who founded Pin Point community in the 1890s. Daily journals from an Ossabaw Island plantation in the mid-19th century are included in the tour. Tour leaders are Elizabeth DuBose, Executive Director of Ossabaw Island Foundation, and Hanif Haynes, a historic interpreter with Pin Point Heritage Museum. Haynes is a resident of Pin Point community and is a descendant of Benjamin Bond, an enslaved man who lived on Ossabaw Island and was a founder of Hinder Me Not Baptist Church on Ossabaw after emancipation.

The tour continues in the afternoon at Pin Point Heritage Museum.  The museum tour begins with a film about the community and describes Gullah/Geechee culture, narrated by the residents who grew up in the small, close-knit community. The museum tour emphasizes the crabbing and oystering culture of early/mid 20th century Pin Point. The Pin Point community was founded in 1896 by groups of freedmen (formerly enslaved people) many of whom had lived and worked on Ossabaw Island both while enslaved and after emancipation.  Interpretive guide will be Gail Smith, a Pin Point resident and descendant of the Dilward family who founded Pin Point, and the Martin family whose relatives worked on Ossabaw in the 20th century.

“Every year we incorporate the latest historical research into our Ossabaw tours," said Elizabeth DuBose. "This year, new research has been published on the family groups of African Americans enslaved on Ossabaw Island during the 1850s, including some of the families that founded Pin Point. We're looking forward to sharing some of that new information. We stay in touch with Pin Point throughout the year, but this tour is an important formal collaboration for us."

Holly Elliott, Director of Marketing and Public Relations at Coastal Heritage Society, said, "We are thrilled to work with local, like-minded organizations to share more about the importance of African-American history in the Savannah community. Pin Point Heritage Museum is such a distinctive Gullah/Geechee location with an amazing story that highlights the beauty of perseverance and freedom. We hope visitors and locals alike will take advantage of this opportunity to explore the museum free of charge and learn more about the Pin Point community's unique lifeways, from daily life to religion, language and food."  

On Sunday, August 18, Massie Heritage Center will offer a free story telling session for families.

Laban Carrick Hill’s award-winning children’s book, Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave will be read in a recreated setting of a potter’s workshop and will be followed by a discussion. Hill’s work is a masterpiece that delves into cultural history and imagines the daily life and craft of Dave the Potter. It is fascinating to think that the author wrote this book by reimagining the life of Dave through the poetry that he wrote on his pots. This session aims to bring families and children closer to African American cultural history through the examination of artifacts and poetry. Children will have the opportunity to make their very own pots with clay that will be provided and write poetry as well. The 15-minute long story event is suitable for ages 4 - 12. The pottery and poetry activity is suitable for ages 5 - 12.
 
Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, National Book Award nominee Laban Carrick Hill's elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier's resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave's story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty.

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If you go:

Lift Every Voice: Savannah's African-American History Days

Saturday, August 17

Ossabaw-Pin Point Tour

Tickets:  Space is limited to 36 people on this tour. Reservations required.

Admission to Ossabaw and Pin Point is free for this two-part tour. 

Transportation fee: There is a $30 per person transportation charge for the boat trip to/from Ossabaw.

Times:

8:30am Ossabaw boat departure: 

12:30pm Ossabaw boat return time:

12:30pm - 2:00pm Lunch on your own (bring a picnic to Pin Point or at Rodney Hall Boat Ramp, or visit nearby restaurants in Sandlfy or southside Savannah.)

Pin Point tour: 2:00 - 3:30pm. 

Ossabaw Tour departure address: Rodney Hall Boat Ramp, 25 Diamond Causeway.

Pin Point Heritage Museum address: 9924 Pin Point Ave.  

Reservations for the two-part tour (including transportation tickets), available at ossabawisland.net.  Pin Point Heritage Museum tickets will be distributed at the check-in site in the morning.

Information:

Ossabaw Island Foundation, 912-344-3900, [email protected], ossabawisland.org

Pin Point Heritage Museum, 912-355-0064, [email protected],  chsgeorgia.org/PHM

Sunday, August 18: 

Massie Heritage Center: Children's Activities and free museum admission.

Tickets: Free and open to the public.

Times:  12:00pm - 4:00pm museum open.

1:00pm and 3:00pm Dave the Potter storytime.

Address: 207 E. Gordon St. 

Information: 912-395-5070, [email protected],  internet.savannah.chatham.k12.ga.us/schools/massie/