Clotilda: The Exhibition Continues Drawing Visitors to Africatown Heritage House

Clotilda: The Exhibition at Africatown Heritage House remains open to the public, giving visitors an in-depth look at the history of Africatown and the last known ship to illegally bring enslaved Africans into the United States. The exhibit runs Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and organizers are encouraging visitors to reserve a timed ticket online ahead of their visit to guarantee a preferred day and time.

Admission and Tickets

Admission is $15 for adults, with discounted admission available for seniors, students, military members and children. Children 5 and under are admitted free. Mobile County residents and members of the History of Mobile Museum can also visit free of charge, though proof of residence or membership is required at entry.

Visitors reserving tickets online are asked to select the appropriate category — resident, member or general admission — when booking.

A Collaborative Effort to Preserve Africatown's Story

Africatown Heritage House, the building that now houses the exhibit, was constructed by the Mobile County Commission with financial assistance from the City of Mobile and other partners. The exhibit itself was curated and is operated by the History Museum of Mobile, which drew on the collaboration of several local and state institutions to bring the project together. The exhibition centers on the people at the heart of the Africatown story — the individuality, perseverance and extraordinary community established by the Africans who were illegally brought to Mobile aboard the Clotilda and the descendants who carried their legacy forward.

Alongside that narrative, the exhibit incorporates actual pieces of the Clotilda, on loan from the Alabama Historical Commission, as well as historical West African artwork that helps place the community's origins in a broader cultural context.

Visiting Africatown Heritage House

Africatown Heritage House is located at 2465 Winbush St. in Mobile. The exhibit is scheduled to remain on display through Jan. 1, 2027, giving residents and visitors an extended window to experience the exhibit and learn about one of the most significant chapters in Mobile's history. For many in the Mobile County community, the exhibit offers a rare opportunity to see physical remnants of the Clotilda alongside the stories of the Africatown community it gave rise to, more than a century and a half after the ship's final voyage.

The Clotilda's History

The Clotilda arrived in Mobile Bay in 1860, more than 50 years after Congress outlawed the importation of enslaved people in 1808. Mobile businessman Timothy Meaher financed the voyage, and Capt. William Foster sailed the schooner to West Africa and back with about 110 captives, then burned and scuttled the ship to hide the evidence. The wreck's identification in the Mobile River was confirmed in 2019.

After the Civil War, survivors of the voyage founded Africatown north of downtown Mobile. One of them, Cudjo Lewis, lived until 1935, and his interviews with writer Zora Neale Hurston became the book "Barracoon," published in 2018. Africatown Heritage House opened to the public on July 8, 2023.