Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum

Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum

Welcome to the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, the beloved Savannah Civil Rights museum that honors the life, work, and effects of the late Dr. Ralph Mark Gilbert. Dr. Gilbert is known as the father of modern civil rights, as well as the leader of the Georgia NAACP. Gilbert was a prominent pastor at the First African American Baptist Church, and by the 1950s he had helped open over 40 Georgia NAACP branches. Inside this museum, your group will find photos, interactive exhibits, and films detailing the Civil Rights movement and also African American history.

The building the museum sits in was built in 1914 by Robert Pharrow, at first serving as the Wage Earners Savings and Loan Bank, the first and only African American Bank in Savannah for quite some time. There are three floors of historic photos and interactive exhibits that show a glimpse of life during Savannah’s civil struggle, chronicling the lives of Georgia’s oldest African American Community from the time of slavery to today. Your group may take a guided tour or just stroll around the museum themselves, discovering the lecture halls, classrooms, video and reading rooms, African American book collection, and gift shop. This museum is an excellent place to find friendly staff, informative tours, and an emotional lesson on historic local life in Georgia.