Worship service held for Charleston’s Int. African American Museum ahead of groundbreaking

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — The pews at Mother Emanuel AME Church filled up quickly for those wanting to celebrate the groundbreaking of the International African American Museum.

The worship service was held to bless the grounds and celebrate the decades of work it took to get to this point.

Here’s Erica Lunsford with more.

The 40,000 square foot museum will sit atop nine pillars so that it can honor the sacred ground below. The 104,000 square foot African Ancestors Memorial Garden will include a collection of gardens and artistic installations that sprawl across the IAAM grounds.

A major component of the garden will be a 9,000 square foot water feature along the edge of Charleston Harbor. The garden will be free and open to the public.

The museum will include eight galleries including a changing exhibition gallery, an orientation theater, a hands-on workshop, a gift shop and café. The IAAM’s Center for Family History will occupy 16% of the exhibit space and will serve as a research center with a special focus on African American genealogy to connect visitors to their ancestors.