Photo by Michael Kappel
Founded in 1935 by Florida’s first black millionaire and president of Afro-American Life Insurance Company, American Beach is a historic beach community that still welcomes visitors. Abraham Lincoln Lewis purchased land on Amelia Island’s Atlantic shores and developed an area where his company’s employees and their families could vacation and own homes. Numerous celebrities were hosted at this location. Desegregation of public venues by the Civil Rights Act shifted the beach’s popularity but did not lessen its historic significance. MaVynee Betsch, Lewis’s great-granddaughter and known to locals as the Beach Lady, began raising awareness for the declining beach area in 1977. Her efforts were rewarded in 2002 when the National Register of Historic Places added the site. Current onsite amenities include restrooms at Burney Park. For more information about wheelchair accessibility/beach wheelchair, please call 904-277-7350. For beach driving permits, please call 904-491-6430 or 904-310-6124.
Keep your distance from other people.
Practicing social distancing is still essential. Only go to the beach if you are able to keep 6 feet or 2 meters away from others. Follow the instructions provided by your local health authorities. If your community has asked that you remain indoors and away from others, do so. Spending a day in any crowded place is the worst thing we can do for our most vulnerable right now and will counter our efforts to curb the virus’s spread.
Photo by Michael Kappel
Founded in 1935 by Florida’s first black millionaire and president of Afro-American Life Insurance Company, American Beach is a historic beach community that still welcomes visitors. Abraham Lincoln Lewis purchased land on Amelia Island’s Atlantic shores and developed an area where his company’s employees and their families could vacation and own homes. Numerous celebrities were hosted at this location. Desegregation of public venues by the Civil Rights Act shifted the beach’s popularity but did not lessen its historic significance. MaVynee Betsch, Lewis’s great-granddaughter and known to locals as the Beach Lady, began raising awareness for the declining beach area in 1977. Her efforts were rewarded in 2002 when the National Register of Historic Places added the site. Current onsite amenities include restrooms at Burney Park. For more information about wheelchair accessibility/beach wheelchair, please call 904-277-7350. For beach driving permits, please call 904-491-6430 or 904-310-6124.
Beach | Location | Water Quality | Water Quality | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fernandina Beach, Florida | Fernandina Beach, Florida | Historical Status | ||||
Fernandina Beach, Florida | Fernandina Beach, Florida | Historical Status | ||||
Amelia Island, Florida | Amelia Island, Florida | Historical Status | ||||
Fernandina Beach, Florida | Fernandina Beach, Florida | Historical Status |
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