Selden Park in Brunswick traces its history back almost 110 years as a center of education and recreation for the African Americans in Glynn County. Before becoming a county park, the site was the home of a teachers’ institute that flourished at the beginning of the 20th century. The school, which originally opened at a downtown Brunswick location in 1903, realized the vision of the Rev. Samuel G. Dent, Sr., who had attended Morehouse College. It was established to provide African Americans with teacher training and courses in trades such as agriculture, carpentry, cooking, nursing, printing, and stenography.
Photo provided by the Coastal Georgia Historical Society
Selden Institute Teachers and Students circa 1906
Within a few years after opening, the school was named Selden Institute in honor of Dr. Charles Selden, a medical missionary to China, who provided financial support. By 1914, enrollment was 147, and a new location – today’s Selden Park -- had been acquired. A brick administration building was constructed, which contained classrooms and a girls’ dormitory. The 1920 Sanborn Fire Insurance Map of Brunswick also shows a separate boys’ dormitory and other buildings. Students participated in a drama club, a choral group, and sports such as baseball and football. The school continued until 1933, when it was merged with a similar institute and moved to Cordele, Georgia.
After World War II, the site became a public park and, during segregation, provided an important recreation and social center for the African American community. Most of the school buildings were razed, with the exception of the headmaster’s cottage and the gymnasium, where entertainers, including James Brown, Sam Cooke, and Otis Redding performed during the 1950s and 1960s. Hundreds of children learned to swim in the park’s pool, and churches and schools held picnics there. In Voices from St. Simons, edited by Stephen Doster, St. Simons Island native Bernice Wilma Myers describes a “penny club” at her school to finance the end-of-year picnic, “You would bring your money in to save up for a picnic at Selden Park.”
Today, Selden Park provides venues for activities enjoyed by all ages. The original gymnasium was replaced in 2007, leaving the headmaster’s cottage as the only remaining structure of the Selden Institute.
This month’s image from the archives of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society shows Selden Institute students and teachers, circa 1906.
Coastal Georgia Historical Society presents this article and images from our archives as part of our mission “to connect people to Coastal Georgia’s dynamic history.” The Society operates the iconic St. Simons Lighthouse Museum and the World War II Home Front Museum, housed in the Historic Coast Guard Station at East Beach. To learn more about the Society, its museums, diverse programs, and membership, please visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org.
