- Email: info@gggmuseum.org
- Address: 5141 Highway 17, Brunswick, Georgia 31525
Map features to include:
Central point: Needwood Baptist Church & School (5141 U.S. Highway 17, Brunswick, GA — formerly part of Broadfield/Needwood Plantation lands).
Surrounding sites:
Broadfield Plantation / Hofwyl-Broadfield Rice Plantation (north along Altamaha River).
Freedmen farm plots established on Needwood Creek and the Turtle River.
Glynn County Training School (Brunswick area) — later educational link.
Route of the Old Post Road and later U.S. Highway 17 (1920s construction).
Nearby African American communities: Brookman, Arco, Pennick, and Sterling.
Symbols: Use church icons for early congregations, small house clusters for family farms, dotted lines for early wagon or walking trails connecting to Brunswick wharfs.
Inset timeline:
1866 – Broadfield/Needwood Baptist Church organized by freedmen.
1870s – Church building constructed.
1907 – Needwood School opens.
1924–1930 – U.S. 17 highway construction begins through the region.
1998 – Site listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Gullah Geechee Georgia Museum began as a grassroots effort to preserve the Needwood Church and schoolhouse. As local residents and descendants recognized the urgency of preserving their cultural legacy, the initiative grew into a formal institution. Today, our museum serves as a cultural and historical guardian—documenting, exhibiting, and celebrating over 500 years of Gullah Geechee history in Coastal Georgia.
Through community storytelling, intergenerational education, and curated exhibits, we center the voices of those who have historically been marginalized—and in doing so, we reclaim and elevate the enduring legacy of our people.
Our work is not about the past alone. The Gullah Geechee Georgia Museum is committed to connecting history with the present and future. We collaborate with descendants, historians, artists, and educators to keep the culture alive through language preservation, music, food, crafts, festivals, and oral history projects. We honor our ancestors by continuing their work, and we empower future generations to carry their heritage with pride.
We invite you to visit the Gullah Geechee Georgia Museum, support our work, and become part of our mission to keep this powerful cultural heritage alive. Together, we can honor the past, celebrate the present, and inspire the future of Gullah Geechee culture in Georgia.
