Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historic Preservation Site

The Benjamin E. Mays Historic Site in Greenwood, SC is now open to the public and is THE destination for individuals and groups to learn about the remarkable life of the legendary President of Morehouse College. The site, which showcases Dr. Mays birth home and an original one-room African-American 1800's school, has been developed to represent an authentic sharecropper's homestead circa 1900. It is complete with a cotton field, vegetable garden, outhouse, cedar post clothesline, old well, and a washpot with accompanying rinsing tubs. A museum adjoining the birth home showcases an extraordinary collection of photos of Dr. Mays life from the 1920s to the 1980s as well as a collection of his books and articles. His films and speeches, to include his eulogy to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., can be viewed/heard in the museum's theater containing a large screen HD TV and DVD system. The theater seats up to 45 people. In addition to his Presidency of Morehouse College from 1940-1967, Dr. Mays was a mentor and great influence upon Martin Luther King, Jr. He was an advisor to Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Carter. Dr. Mays, born in Greenwood on August 1st, 1894, rose to become a monumental figure in the field of education and civil rights. He has been referred to as the Founder of the Civil Rights Movement. Please call 864-223-8434 for further information and notification of your visit.