Benjamin Mays Birthplace
An extremely important figure in the promotion of civil rights in South Carolina (and indeed the whole of the United States) was Benjamin Elijah Mays. He was born in 1894 the son of former slaves who were targeted by a mob of whites. His earliest memory was of this mob making his father bow to them repeatedly. Even at such a young age, Mays knew that he wanted to change things, and that he wanted to make the world a better place. He became a recognized and beloved civil rights figure, and even mentored Martin Luther King Jr. His childhood home is one of the most important historical sites in South Carolina, and it recently underwent a move to the Benjamin Mays Historical Site. The site will contain a number of buildings and artifacts from the life of Benjamin Mays. Besides the original Mays home, the sire will have an authentic one room schoolhouse like the ones he attended as a young boy. Guests to the site will also find artifacts and documents that chronicle the activist’s life, from his humble beginnings in South Carolina to when he was president of Morehouse, and all the way to his death in 1984.