The Clemson Area African American Museum is a museum located in Calhoun Bridge Center, Clemson, South Carolina, United States. The Museum focuses on historical achievements and culture of African Americans by serving as a resource center for the Greater Clemson Area to engage the local and upstate South Carolina communities in intellectual discourse about the past.CAAAM hosts independent and collaborative educational and informative presentations, workshops, innovative programs, and hands-on activities that serve the public, museum visitors and civic organizations.HistoryThe Clemson Area African American Museum was chartered by the City of Clemson, South Carolina in 2002 and first opened in 2007. The realization of the museum was brought one step closer to reality when the City of Clemson, fostered by the vision of Mayor Larry Abernathy, purchased and renovated the facility for community and cultural purposes.The Clemson Area African American Museum is located in the Calhoun Bridge Center and the center was formerly an all-black school that was known as the Calhoun Elementary School. It was the last school built for African American students in this part of Pickens County.BuildingThe Clemson Area African American Museum is located in the old Morrison Annex Building.The site of the “Morrison Annex” building in the Goldenview community was home to the second African American School “Calhoun Elementary” during segregation. It was preceded by a one-room school house that stood near the Goldenview Baptist Church. The current annex building was built by Pickens County School district in the 1940s to serve the needs of the growing number of African American families in the Calhoun area.
