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D iscover the important contributions African Americans have made to the fabric of Savannah through specialized tours with Footprints of Savannah Walking Tours and The Freedom Trail Tour. Visit Laurel Grove Cemetery, one of Savannah's most signifi cant fi nal resting places for African Americans who died in the 19th and 20th centuries. More free African Americans are interred in Laurel Grove Cemetery than any other historic cemetery in the Southeast. Learn about the struggle of Georgia's oldest African American community from slavery to the present with three fl oors of photographic and interactive exhibits at the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum. Peruse the collection of more than 1,000 ceremonial and spiritual objects from West and Central Africa (representing 22 countries and more than 130 cultures and ethnic groups) at the free-admission Savannah African Art Museum. Be guided through the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters, an example of Regency architecture, as well as the original slave quarters designed to house the enslaved men, women and children who built the mansion and maintained the household. To tell a more complete history, the Davenport House Museum now extends educational tours to the basement with a new exhibition that shares the stories of the 13 enslaved workers who resided there in the 1820s, and recognizes how their contributions supported the prosperity of both the Davenport family and the city of Savannah. Interpretive panels offer insights into their lives and the Gullah-Geechee culture they likely practiced. Go on the unique 40 Acres and a Mule Tour. On Jan. 16, 1865, Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman issued Special Field Order #15 in a fi eld on the outskirts of Savannah. Shortly thereafter, Gen. Rufus Saxton publicly addressed formerly enslaved people and church members at Second African Baptist Church on the provisions of Sherman's offer, better known as the famous "40 Acres and a Mule" proclamation. Take a storytelling or self-empowerment workshop with master storyteller and inspirational speaker Lillian Grant-Baptiste, whose stirring performances retell stories from the African Diaspora. Broaden your understanding through a Heritage Tour with Oh So Social Tours, seeing the history of Savannah through walking, motorcoach and step-on guide options. Savannah's Black Heritage Experience A NUMBER OF HISTORIC SITES AND MUSEUMS FOCUS ON THE CONTRIBUTIONS AFRICANS MADE TO THE FABRIC OF THE COAST. Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum H A Y D N A D A M S | R A L P H M A R K G I L B E R T C I V I L R I G H T S M U S E U M Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters Museum J E R E M I A H H U L L F O R S A V A N N A H M A G A Z I N E 36 VisitSavannah.com | VisitTybee.com