June 30, 2026 · The BlackEvents Team

American Beach, Florida: A.L. Lewis, NaNa, and the 1935 Community That Refused Jim Crow

Founded 1935 by A.L. Lewis, Florida's first Black millionaire. Home of NaNa (the 60-foot sand dune). Preserved by MaVynee Betsch. Here is the American Beach 2026 guide.

American Beach — 1935. Amelia Island, Florida. Founded by Abraham Lincoln Lewis, one of Florida's first African American millionaires, specifically to create a beach community where Black families could vacation during the strictest years of Jim Crow.

Ninety years later, American Beach still stands. The A.L. Lewis Museum preserves the community's history. NaNa — the great sand dune protected by MaVynee "Beach Lady" Betsch — still rises 60 feet above the beach. And the community remains a working piece of American Black history that any visitor to northeast Florida can engage.

Here's the guide.

The essentials

Founded: 1935 Founder: Abraham Lincoln (A.L.) Lewis Location: Amelia Island, in Fernandina Beach, FL (about 30 miles northeast of Jacksonville) Iconic feature: NaNa, the 60-foot sand dune Museum: A.L. Lewis Museum at 1600 Julia St, Fernandina Beach FL 32034 Museum hours: Friday-Saturday 10 AM – 2 PM, Sunday 1 – 5 PM Signature 2026 event: American Beach Healthy Heart Luncheon, Sunday March 22, 2026, 2 PM – 4:30 PM

Who founded American Beach

Abraham Lincoln Lewis was born in Madison, Florida, in 1865 — the year the 13th Amendment abolished slavery. He had little formal education. Through relentless work, he became a mortician, then a business organizer, and by 1901, one of the seven co-founders of the Afro-American Life Insurance Company in Jacksonville — a Black-owned insurance company that grew into one of the most important Black-owned businesses in the American South.

By the 1920s, Lewis was Florida's first African American millionaire.

In 1935, he purchased 216 acres of oceanfront property on Amelia Island — specifically to create a beach community where Black families (including his employees at Afro-American Life Insurance) could vacation. Beach access was formally or informally denied to Black Floridians at nearly every other Florida beach.

American Beach opened as a full-service Black-owned resort community: homes, restaurants, motels, dance halls, a general store, and beach access.

The mid-century heyday

Through the 1940s and 1950s, American Beach became one of the premier Black leisure destinations in the American South.

Visitors — Black families across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and the broader South
Performers — Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, Sammy Davis Jr., and other touring acts played at American Beach venues
Regulars — Zora Neale Hurston, Duke Ellington, and other notable Black cultural figures
The economy — dozens of Black-owned businesses supporting summer visitors and year-round residents

American Beach became the Southern equivalent of what Idlewild was in the Midwest and what Highland Beach was on the Chesapeake — a Black-owned, Black-operated, Black-served resort community during segregation.

The 1964 aftermath

Like Idlewild and other historic Black resort communities, American Beach's economic model was undercut by the 1964 Civil Rights Act's success in opening beaches and hotels nationwide to Black families.

Visitors dispersed to newly accessible Florida beach towns. Businesses closed. Property values dropped. The community's year-round infrastructure hollowed out.

By the 1980s and 1990s, American Beach was a community with a magnificent history and a tenuous present — small, aging, and threatened by adjacent development pressure from the Amelia Island Plantation and the broader Fernandina Beach real estate market.

MaVynee "Beach Lady" Betsch

MaVynee Betsch — A.L. Lewis's great-granddaughter — became American Beach's most important preservationist through the 1990s and 2000s.

MaVynee had been an opera singer performing in Germany. In 1975, she returned to American Beach to steward her family's legacy and dedicated the rest of her life (until her death in 2005) to the community.

Her signature contribution: the preservation of NaNa, the great sand dune.

Developers had proposed leveling the dune. MaVynee organized, advocated, and successfully lobbied to have NaNa designated as protected land under the National Park Service — becoming part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve in 2004.

She was known as "The Beach Lady" — living on the beach itself, wearing her hair in a distinctive seven-foot-long braid, and personally documenting American Beach's history for anyone who would listen.

Her legacy is that NaNa still stands, American Beach's historic character is preserved, and the A.L. Lewis Museum exists to tell the story.

NaNa — the sand dune

NaNa is a sand dune. But calling it "a sand dune" undersells it.

60 feet high at its peak
The tallest sand dune in Florida
Sacred to A.L. Lewis's community — the family named the dune "NaNa" as an honorific
Protected as part of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve since 2004
Walkable via designated paths; do not walk directly on the dune's sand
A pilgrimage site for anyone learning American Beach's history

Visiting NaNa is one of the essential American Beach experiences. Bring water, bring a hat, walk carefully, and take a moment to understand what you're standing near.

The A.L. Lewis Museum

Address: 1600 Julia St, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034

Hours: Friday-Saturday 10 AM – 2 PM, Sunday 1 – 5 PM

Formerly known as: American Beach Museum

What it holds:

The story of A.L. Lewis, the Afro-American Life Insurance Company, and the founding of American Beach
MaVynee Betsch's preservation legacy
Artifacts, photos, and oral histories from American Beach's mid-century heyday
Ongoing exhibitions and programming
The intellectual anchor of the community's preservation work

The museum is small but significant. It's the essential first stop for any visitor. Plan for 90 minutes to two hours.

The 2026 signature event

American Beach Healthy Heart Luncheon — Sunday, March 22, 2026, 2 PM – 4:30 PM

The community's annual anchor event. Programming focused on health, community, and preservation of American Beach's legacy.

Beyond the March 22 luncheon, the museum's ongoing programming through the year includes talks, exhibitions, and community events. Check with the A.L. Lewis Museum for current programming.

What else to see and do

Walking the community:

The A.L. Lewis Museum — start here
NaNa — walk the perimeter, take in the scale
Historic American Beach homes — original architecture, some restored
The Amelia Island Museum of History in downtown Fernandina Beach for broader context
The Beach Lady historic marker — MaVynee Betsch's dedicated marker

Beyond American Beach on Amelia Island:

Fernandina Beach — the town, downtown historic district, restaurants, boutiques
Fort Clinch State Park — historic fort, beach access
Amelia Island beaches — public beach access
The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island — luxury resort adjacent to American Beach

Getting there and where to stay

Amelia Island is 30 minutes northeast of Jacksonville, FL. Nearest airport is Jacksonville International (JAX).

From Atlanta: ~5 hours drive From Miami: ~5 hours drive From Charleston, SC: ~3 hours drive

Lodging options:

The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island — luxury, adjacent to American Beach
Omni Amelia Island Resort — resort-style, family-friendly
Amelia Hotel at the Beach — mid-range
Airbnb in Fernandina Beach — significant supply
Airbnb in American Beach itself — limited but real supply; check current listings

See getting to American Beach + Highland Beach → for the fuller playbook.

What to eat

On Amelia Island:

Various Fernandina Beach restaurants — Florida coastal cuisine, seafood, casual + upscale
Ritz-Carlton restaurants — upscale resort dining
T-Ray's Burger Station — the beloved local spot
Sliders Seaside Grill — beachfront casual
The Salty Pelican — waterfront

Consider Jacksonville for a broader dining scene, including Black-owned restaurants and Southern cuisine.

What to wear

Northeast Florida beach community. Casual coastal:

Sundresses, linen shirts, board shorts
Sandals
Hat with real brim
SPF
A light layer for museum air conditioning and evening breezes
Comfortable walking shoes for NaNa

When to visit

Best months: March-April and October-November. Warm without being brutal, less humidity than summer.

Peak season: April through October. Higher lodging prices.

Off-peak: December-February. Cooler (60s-70s) but still comfortable; lodging prices drop.

Signature event timing: March 22, 2026 for the Healthy Heart Luncheon. Book March weekend well ahead.

The etiquette

American Beach is a small, historic community with year-round residents. Same rules as any similar place:

Respect residential character — many homes are private
Ask before photographing homes, residents, or private events
Support the museum — buy tickets, become a member, donate
Support Black-owned businesses — including any that operate in the immediate area
Learn the history before visiting — the community rewards prepared visitors

What the community means

American Beach embodies a specific chapter of American history: that during the worst of Jim Crow, a Black millionaire in Florida built a beach community his people could actually use. That the community survived nine decades. That his descendants — through MaVynee Betsch's decades of work — preserved it against development pressure. And that in 2026, you can still walk it, visit the museum, look up at NaNa, and understand what was built.

Visiting American Beach is not tourism in the ordinary sense. It's engagement with a living piece of American history.

Visiting Amelia Island? Browse Black events in FL → for related programming.

A.L. Lewis. 1935. NaNa. MaVynee. Still here.