Depictions of Slavery in Confederate and Southern States Currency
Original Acrylic on Canvas Paintings by

The Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture is located on the site of the former Avery Normal Institute. Founded in 1865, the Avery Normal Institute was a nationally-recognized African-American educational institution that trained young adults in professional careers and leaderships roles for nearly 100 years. The Avery Normal Institute closed in 1954, but its graduates carried on its legacy and tradition of community leadership and educational excellence. This was especially apparent in 1978 when Avery graduates organized the Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture, a community-based historical society.

     In 1985, members of the Avery Institute of Afro-American History and Culture cooperated with the College of Charleston to found the Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture. Established to collect, preserve, and make public the unique historical and cultural heritage of African American in the South Carolina Low Country, the Avery Research Center is governed by an advisory board consisting of members of the Institute, the College, and the Charleston community. It is the only research center of its kind in the Southeast region of the United States.

     The Avery Research Center is located at 125 Bull Street, west of the main campus of the College of Charleston. 

The Center's Archive reading room is open to the public year-round, 

Monday thru Saturday (except holidays and the College of Charleston's

annual Christmas break).

Reading room hours: 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Tours of the building and museum galleries are conducted between the

 hours of 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday thru Saturday. 

                                 GROUP TOURS BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.