The Shrinking Sands of an African American Beach, written by Annette McCollough Myers, is a non-fiction, colorful, easy reading book that gives a very interesting account of a once popular historical coastal African American community located in northeast Florida on Amelia Island in Fernandina Beach, Florida.
American Beach was established in 1935 under the leadership of Abraham Lincoln (A. L.) Lewis, one of seven co-founders of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company of Jacksonville, Florida and one of Florida’s first black millionaires.
Due to Hurricane Dora and due to integration in the 1960s, American Beach began to lose its prominence, but property owners have continued to hold on to their history and their investments.
The author writes about the changing times, struggles and milestones of her renowned 70-plus-year-old beach community eyed as a source of redevelopment by developers.
January 2002, the American Beach enclave was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, American Beach is the only African American seaside community in the State of Florida and it is the first northernmost site of 141 sites on the Black Heritage Trail in the State of Florida.
This book is a must read for anyone interested in African American history locally, statewide, and nationally.
Autographed copies may be ordered from American Retail Operations, Inc. by submitting a book order form found on this website. Also, books are currently sold by bookstores in Fernandina Beach, Florida.
Tours of American Beach, appearances and book signings are available by calling
904-583-3180
PRODUCT DETAILS
Hardback w/dust jacket – About 110 pages
Publisher – Lexington Ventures, Inc.
Language – English
ISBN – 2006 0-9677419-3-9
Dimensions - 6” x 9 ¼ ”
Cost = $22.95 plus tax ($24.56)
