Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum, New Smyrna Beach Florida; Photograph by Jo Clark
New Smyrna Beach, founded in 1768, is one of the oldest cities in Florida. Walking through the quiet residential streets of town, it would be easy to miss the small, white church on North Duss Street. Simple in form, with pointed windows and a modest steeple, the Sacred Heart/St. Rita Church looks like one of the dozens of historic buildings scattered across Florida. But when you step inside, something extraordinary is revealed: a living, breathing archive of black history in coastal Volusia County.
The Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum, housed in a restored 19th-century church, tells the story of African American life in Florida through photographs, artifacts, oral histories, and community voices. It is intimate, deeply human, and profoundly moving—proof that some of the most powerful museums are the ones rooted in community memory.
The exhibits here don’t overwhelm; they invite you to take your time, look back at everyday life, and savor the memories. Black-and-white photographs line the walls, showing families, schools, and churches. Artifacts highlight both hardship and achievement. Black inventors are celebrated here, with more than 100 items on exhibit, including a baby buggy, an egg beater, and a lemon squeezer.
One display features a small invention with a big story: the golf tee. Though never formally credited, it’s widely believed to have been invented in 1899 by a black man, George T. Grant, and its presence here speaks volumes about contributions that history has too often overlooked.
The Florida East Coast Railroad exhibit tells the story of the railroad’s role in the West Side community. Many former enslaved people found their first job and their future working for the railroad.
At the front of the historic church, a quilt hangs proudly. Each patch tells a story of slavery and its ultimate end—stitched together, it becomes a fabric of resilience and hope. Standing before it, you don’t just see history; you follow its story, one square at a time. The patches tell the story of hard labor, strong beliefs, and signs to watch for along the path to a life of freedom.
Other display cases hold church programs, tools, school memorabilia, and oral histories gathered from elders in the community. Taken together, they form a chorus of voices that might otherwise have been lost to time.
Chisholm High School was the first school built in Volusia County for the education of black children. Built in 1916 by Leroy Chisholm, he donated the school to the West Side community. Photographs and school records give museum visitors a window into that education system.
Jimmy’s House makes me think of the couple who started it all. Ms. Mary had her Museum, and Mr. Jimmy had his “He Shed” out back. I doubt that Jimmy was ever in trouble with Mary. Still, I do smile thinking of him back there in the Annex, hanging pictures or setting up tables for art classes or for use as a community meeting space.
Today, Jimmy’s House is the permanent home to art by the Florida Highwaymen and houses visiting art and community-centered exhibits on a rotating basis. Recently, photographer Peter Schrader was the feature d artist.
If you are not familiar with the Florida Highwaymen, you should look them up. The group of landscape artists consisted of 26 African Americans from the Fort Pierce area. They eked out a living going door-to-door selling their paintings between the mid-1950s and the 1980s.
A 1920s shotgun-style house sits just across a picturesque side street from the Black Heritage Museum. The Museum has furnished Heritage House with replica and original pieces of furniture, artwork, and even a seldom-seen (but oh-so-necessary) chamber pot. The Heritage House allows you to step back to a simpler time and way of life. It gives you the chance to be wistful and maybe a little relieved over how far we’ve come, and what we’ve lost.
The Museum offers events like their December Kwanzaa celebration, now in its 18th year, featuring an afternoon of Kwanzaa presentations, drum circles, live music, and a dinner. In January, the Museum celebrated the thirty-third year of its Annual Black Heritage Festival. The all-day event is so large that it spills into Pettis Park next door. You will find vendors, music, food, and art.
The Museum is named for Mary S. Harrell, a local educator and historian whose dedication brought the Museum to life. The Museum founder understood that African Americans’ Historic West Side in New Smyrna Beach and beyond wasn’t just worth saving—it was essential to understanding the broader story of Florida, and the United States of America. Mary’s husband, Jimmy Harrell, was the Museum’s co-founder. The Harrells are now the Heavenly guardians of the Black Heritage Museum. Jimmy’s brother Allen and wife Ann Harrell have assumed the day-to-day operations, aided by docents and interns. I had the pleasure of talking to Lawrence, one of the interns, on the phone after my visit. He told me the story of his grandparents marrying in the church. And I remembered being so touched by their picture, that I took a picture of their wedding photo. Don’t you love it when a story falls in your lap?
The church itself, dating back to 1899, is part of that story. Once a gathering place for worshipers, it now serves as a gathering place for memories. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. Volunteers and community members keep the Museum alive, offering tours, maintaining the collections, and hosting programs that ensure the stories resonate with new generations. Monthly hands-on help with genealogy research is just one of the neighbors helping neighbors programs.
Neighbors, black and white alike, stop by to visit or to drop off donations. While I was there, a gentleman arrived to donate children’s books about the Red Tails, the famous Tuskegee Airmen. Those pilots were the Army’s first black squadron and provided bomber escort and protection during WWII. A New Smyrna Beach woman and graduate of Chisholm Academy High School, Freelove Pride, attended Alabama Teachers College, then joined the mechanic’s program at the Tuskegee Airport. During WWII, she became a Crew Chief.
Writer’s Tip: If you haven’t seen the movie Red Tails, stream or rent it tonight.
There’s a welcoming feeling of reverence here. Visitors become part of a conversation about identity, resilience, and belonging. The founder, educator Mary S. Harrell, stated:
“Slavery and discrimination may be ugly, but the stories of the past, both good and bad, need to be told. I want the children to know that was life then, and if you’re not careful, you’ll slip right back to it.” ~Mary S. Harrell, Daytona News Journal, February 6, 2005.
Visiting the Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum is less about checking off exhibits and more about slowing down, reading the captions, listening to the guide, and letting the weight of the stories settle in.
I found myself lingering longest at the photographs—faces looking back across decades, children in pressed uniforms, families gathered on porches, church choirs posed after Sunday service. There’s something about seeing ordinary moments captured and honored that makes history feel up-close and personal, not abstract.
The Museum isn’t large; you can walk through it in under an hour. But don’t rush, take your time and let the details—the quilt stitches, the handwritten notes, the echoes of the past—speak to you. Then take a moment to stand in the quiet of the church itself, where history and memory hold space together.
In a beach town known for surfing, art galleries, and festivals, the Black Heritage Museum might seem like an unexpected stop. But that’s exactly why it matters. The Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum is small, but it holds exhibits that make an impact. It reminds us that places we think of as leisure destinations were, and are, home to communities whose stories deserve to be preserved and heard. It is a place to pause, reflect, and leave changed.
This Museum isn’t just about the past—it’s about presence. It honors the generations who built, endured, and contributed to the stories of New Smyrna Beach. And it challenges visitors to carry those stories forward. For travelers who care about authenticity, about learning as well as relaxing, this stop adds immeasurable depth to a New Smyrna Beach visit.
While the museum may be the center of your visit, part of the beauty of New Smyrna Beach is how easily history, art, and leisure intertwine.
Canal Street Historic District – Browse boutiques, galleries, and cafés in historic buildings, often with live music spilling into the street.
Smyrna Dunes Park – Walk the elevated two-mile boardwalks through 187 acres of dunes and mangroves, with sweeping ocean and inlet views.
Indian River Lagoon Park – Escape into one of North America’s most biodiverse estuaries, perfect for birdwatching and quiet reflection.
Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens – not only a 10-acre botanical garden, but also a historical site
Mermaid Café – Cozy breakfast spot with memorable waffles and coastal charm.
Mon Delice Bakery – French pastries perfect for a beach picnic.
River Deck Tiki Bar and Restaurant – Open-air dining on the Intracoastal, famous for its mahi tacos and tropical cocktails.
Flagler Tavern – A local icon for dinner and nightlife, with a hidden upstairs speakeasy.
Outriggers Tiki Bar & Grille – Waterside seafood with views of the marina.
Sugar Works Distillery – creates small-batch spirits in their on-site distillery.
Moontide Condo Rentals – Moontide’s luxury beachfront rentals stand out for their location, amenities, easy access to town, and their sunrise views and rooftop pool.
Hotels, smaller inns, and vacation rentals also dot the area.
Mary S. Harrell Black Heritage Museum
314 N. Duss Street
New Smyrna Beach, Florida
(386) 478-1934
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Jo Clark is a travel writer, photographer, and podcaster. She calls the Grand Strand of South Carolina home, but enjoys visiting little-known corners of the globe in search of unique spots to share with her readers. It might be a café, winery, safari lodge, museum, or quaint bed and breakfast inn.
You can find links to all her articles on Have Glass, Will Travel, follow her on Instagram, and click this link to listen in to the monthly Jo Goes Everywhere! podcasts.