Watch Night at Lincolnville Museum 2024

The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center presents a Watch Night Celebration highlighting the history and culture of the Gullah Geechee people on Friday, December 27, 2024, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

The first Watch Night was held on December 31, 1862, as enslaved and free African Americans "watched" for news that President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation had taken effect. This began a tradition of gathering on New Year's Eve to reflect on slavery, their faith, and the strength of the community. 

Many of the slaves taken to Savannah and Charleston had been captured in the rice-growing region of West Africa. This group, the Gullah Geechee people, were able to preserve much of their language and culture and include it in their lives on the plantations.

To celebrate the Gullah Geechee and Watch Night, the evening begins with a screening of Family Across the Sea, a 1991 documentary about the connections between the people of Sierra Leone and the Gullah Geechee people of America's Southeast Coast.

After the screening, guests will gather for a reception featuring Low Country fare, music, and libations.

Free parking is available at the front and rear of the building. Overflow parking is at a paid lot located across Martin Luther King Avenue.

Admission: $50.00 per person. Tickets can be purchased online.

When: Friday, December 27, from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Where: Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, 102 Martin Luther King Avenue, St. Augustine, Florida 32084