CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/strict.dtd"> <html lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:og="http://ogp.me/ns#" xmlns:fb="https://www.facebook.com/2008/fbml"> <head>   <script async src="https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-ME3DHFTVF3"></script> <script> window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag() { dataLayer.push(arguments); } gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-ME3DHFTVF3'); </script> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"/> <meta http-equiv="content-language" content="en"/> <title>Griot Museum of Black History, St. Louis, Missouri</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/34289"> <meta name="description" content="Wax museum focuses on local black history and accomplishments. Stark, compelling wax exhibits on Slave Ships and auctions."/> <meta property="og:description" content="Wax museum focuses on local black history and accomplishments. Stark, compelling wax exhibits on Slave Ships and auctions."/> <meta property="og:title" content="Griot Museum of Black History, St. Louis, Missouri"/> <meta property="og:type" content="website"/> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/34289"/> <meta property="og:site_name" content="RoadsideAmerica.com"/> <meta property="fb:admins" content="567076674"/> <meta property="og:image" content="https://www.roadsideamerica.com/attract/images/mo/MOSTLgriot_dk1074.jpg"/> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="/lib/style/roadside.css" type="text/css"> <script type="text/javascript" src="//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/3.4.1/jquery.min.js" crossorigin="anonymous"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="//code.jquery.com/jquery-migrate-1.4.1.min.js" crossorigin="anonymous"></script>  <script src="/js/roadside.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/js/accountMgr.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> isLoginEnabled = false; </script>      </head> <body class="story resp"> <div id="skiptocontent"><a href="#maincontent" title="Skip to Main Content">Skip to Main Content</a></div> <div id="header-wrapper"> <div id="header"> <div class="masthead"><p><a class="headlogo" href="/">RoadsideAmerica.com</a><em>Your Online Guide to Offbeat Tourist Attractions </em></p></div> <div class="nav">  <h6>Navigation</h6> <input type="radio" id="nav-collapse" name="nav" checked="checked" class="invis" style="display:none;"/> <input type="radio" id="nav-expand" name="nav" class="invis" style="display:none;"/> <div class="nav-popup" id="nav-popup"> <div class="hamburger-menu"> <label for="nav-collapse" class="hamburger-close"> × </label> <label for="nav-expand" class="hamburger-btn-label"> </label> </div>  <ul class="menu-list"> <li><a href="/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/location/">Maps</a></li> <li><a href="/tip/latest">Tips</a></li> <li><a href="/blog/">Blog</a></li> <li><a href="/map/trip/plan" rel="nofollow">My Sights</a></li> <li><a href="/video/">Video</a></li> <li class="last"><a href="/mobile/">Mobile</a></li> </ul> </div> <input type="radio" id="search-collapse" name="search" checked="checked" class="invis" style="display:none;"/> <input type="radio" id="search-expand" name="search" class="invis" style="display:none;"/> <div class="search-popup"> <div class="search-popup-btns"> <label for="search-collapse" class="search-close"> × </label> <label for="search-expand" class="search-btn-label"> <span class="label"></span> </label> </div> <form action="/search/tip" method="post" onsubmit="if (this.tip_AttractionName.value == 'Attraction') { this.tip_AttractionName.value = ''; } if (this.tip_Town.value == 'Town') { this.tip_Town.value = ''; }"> <noscript><p>Attraction:</p></noscript> <input id="tip_AttractionName" name="tip_AttractionName" type="text" class="text" maxlength="80" value="" onblur="setTimeout('closeResults()',2000); if (this.value == '') {this.value = 'Attraction';}" onfocus="if (this.value == 'Attraction') {this.value = '';}"> <noscript><p>Town:</p></noscript> <input id="tip_Town" name="tip_Town" type="text" class="text" maxlength="45" value="" onblur="setTimeout('closeResults()',2000); if (this.value == '') {this.value = 'Town';}" onfocus="if (this.value == 'Town') {this.value = '';}"> <select name="tip_State"> <option value="" selected>State</option> <option value="AK">AK</option> <option value="AL">AL</option> <option value="AR">AR</option> <option value="AZ">AZ</option> <option value="CA">CA</option> <option value="CO">CO</option> <option value="CT">CT</option> <option value="DC">DC</option> <option value="DE">DE</option> <option value="FL">FL</option> <option value="GA">GA</option> <option value="HI">HI</option> <option value="ID">ID</option> <option value="IL">IL</option> <option value="IN">IN</option> <option value="IA">IA</option> <option value="KS">KS</option> <option value="KY">KY</option> <option value="LA">LA</option> <option value="ME">ME</option> <option value="MD">MD</option> <option value="MA">MA</option> <option value="MI">MI</option> <option value="MN">MN</option> <option value="MS">MS</option> <option value="MO">MO</option> <option value="MT">MT</option> <option value="NE">NE</option> <option value="NV">NV</option> <option value="NH">NH</option> <option value="NJ">NJ</option> <option value="NM">NM</option> <option value="NY">NY</option> <option value="NC">NC</option> <option value="ND">ND</option> <option value="OH">OH</option> <option value="OK">OK</option> <option value="OR">OR</option> <option value="PA">PA</option> <option value="RI">RI</option> <option value="SC">SC</option> <option value="SD">SD</option> <option value="TN">TN</option> <option value="TX">TX</option> <option value="UT">UT</option> <option value="VT">VT</option> <option value="VA">VA</option> <option value="WA">WA</option> <option value="WV">WV</option> <option value="WI">WI</option> <option value="WY">WY</option> <option value="XAB">AB</option> <option value="XBC">BC</option> <option value="XMB">MB</option> <option value="XNB">NB</option> <option value="XNF">NF</option> <option value="XNT">NT</option> <option value="XNS">NS</option> <option value="XON">ON</option> <option value="XPQ">PQ</option> <option value="XPE">PE</option> <option value="XSK">SK</option> <option value="XYT">YT</option> <option value="XME">Mex.</option> <option value="XOT">Other</option> </select> <input class="submit" type="submit" value="Search"> </form> <script type="text/javascript"> document.getElementById("tip_AttractionName").value = "Attraction"; document.getElementById("tip_Town").value = "Town"; jQuery(document).bind('touchend mouseup',function (e) { var container = $("#nav-popup"); if (!container.is(':hidden') && !container.is(e.target) && container.has(e.target).length === 0) { jQuery("#nav-collapse").attr('checked', 'checked'); } /* container = $("#search-popup"); if (!container.is(':hidden') && ! container.is(e.target) && container.has(e.target).length === 0) { jQuery("#search-collapse").attr('checked', 'checked'); } */ }); </script> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div id="container"> <div id="main" class="column"> <a name="maincontent"></a> <div class="socialtools"> <div class="share42init" style="float:right" data-path="/js/share42/"></div> </div> <div class="text">  <p class="image right" style="width:282px;"> <img src="/attract/images/mo/MOSTLgriot_ks02.jpg" alt="Revolt on the slaver ship." title="Revolt on the slaver ship." width="280" style="width:280px;"><br><span class="caption" style="width:280px;">Revolt on the slaver ship.</span> </p> <h1>Griot Museum of Black History</h1> <p><a href="/about/review"><img src="/images/icon_fieldreview110.gif" alt="Field review by the editors." class="floatleft" width="110" height="39"></a></p> <p><span class="townstate"> St. Louis, <a href="/location/mo">Missouri</a> </span></p> <p><p>Who or what is Griot? It isn't the name of the founder of the Griot Museum; a <em>griot</em> is a West African historian/storyteller. When the museum opened in 1997 it was the <strong>Black World History Wax Museum</strong>; the name was changed in 2007 to stress its African-rooted history-ness and downplay its waxy-ness.</p> <p>Yet there's plenty of wax: Griot is the second largest black wax museum in the country, trailing only the <a href="/story/11009">National Great Blacks in Wax Museum</a> in Baltimore.</p> <div class="advideo" style="box-sizing: border-box; position:relative; padding:2%; width:100%;"> <div id="gpt-passback"></div> </div> <p class="image left" style="width:282px;"> <img src="/attract/images/mo/MOSTLgriot_dk1082.jpg" alt="Slave Auction in St. Louis." title="Slave Auction in St. Louis." width="280" style="width:280px;"><br><span class="caption" style="width:280px;">Slave Auction in St. Louis.</span> </p><p>The Griot Museum opens in its first gallery with a shock diorama: a life-size cutaway of a Slave Ship. A lower deck no bigger than a crawlspace is packed with dozens of nearly naked figures, chained together (Mostly all that's visible in the gloom is their feet). On the deck above, a manacled African attacks one of his white captors; behind him a boy with no left hand (an apparent mannequin flaw, not an inhuman amputation) screams as he claws his way through the netting so that he can throw himself overboard.</p> <p>The next exhibit is no happier: a white man in a suit inspects the teeth of a shackled black woman in front of a sign, "Slave Auction Today." Nearby are display cases with a bullwhip, manacles, and a human branding iron. There's also a real cabin, reassembled inside the museum from a former tobacco plantation, rustically furnished with authentic items.</p> <p>After the harrowing history of slavery exhibits, it's on to the inspirational waxy sections of the museum. Founder Lois Conley, a community organizer by profession, learned the art of sculpting wax and made many of the dummies herself -- and she did a good job.</p> <p class="image right" style="width:212px;"> <img src="/attract/images/mo/MOSTLgriot_dk1074.jpg" alt="John Berry Meacham's Freedom School." title="John Berry Meacham's Freedom School." width="210" style="width:210px;"><br><span class="caption" style="width:210px;">John Berry Meacham's Freedom School.</span> </p><p>"Our primary focus is local," said Griot's deputy director Erika Neal. "But even if some of the people weren't born here or lived here, they probably came here and did something significant."</p> <p>With that self-imposed St. Louis-region theme, the connection for some of the more famous figures is sometimes thinly stretched. George Washington Carver was born on the other side of the state and rose to fame elsewhere; ditto with Josephine Baker, who spent her girlhood in poverty in St. Louis before becoming a superstar in France. York, member of the Lewis & Clark expedition, is a shadowy historical presence at best. Martin Luther King Jr's connection to the city is that he stopped in St. Louis a few times to plan civil rights strategy with local ministers.</p> <p>But there's nothing wrong with sprinkling in a few wax superstars to add larger context to the local celebrities, whose lesser-known exploits make the museum unique. Were it not for the mannequins at Griot, visitors likely would never know about John Berry Meacham, who circumvented the law forbidding the education of blacks by teaching them on a boat he anchored in the Mississippi River; or William Wells Brown, an enslaved man unloading a riverboat who just kept walking, for six days, until he was freed in Ohio.</p> <p class="image left" style="width:282px;"> <img src="/attract/images/mo/MOSTLgriot_dk1110.jpg" alt="Madam C.J. Walker beauty entrepreneur display." title="Madam C.J. Walker beauty entrepreneur display." width="280" style="width:280px;"><br><span class="caption" style="width:280px;">Madam C.J. Walker beauty entrepreneur display.</span> </p><p>An entire section of the museum has been set aside for Madam C.J. Walker, beauty entrepreneur and America's first self-made millionairess. "Introduced the hot comb to black women," notes her display, which traces the evolution of hair straighteners and skin lighteners. "Blacks underwent what must have been pure torture."</p> <p>Modern local honorees include Macler Shepard, whose wax likeness relaxes on a brownstone stoop with a couple of stuffed dogs (He defended and then rebuilt his inner-city neighborhood, an approach that foreshadowed <a href="/story/11700">Habitat for Humanity</a>); and Percy Green II, who pioneered job discrimination laws and, in a public protest, climbed 125 feet up the side of the St. Louis Arch (he had a ladder). "Everyone in America should know of Percy Green," said Erika.</p> <p>The Griot Museum currently has a long list of Missourians considered worthy of inclusion, stymied by the usual roadblocks of limited money and space. But sponsorships are arranged, the community is heavily involved, and the wax population steadily increases. Will they all be as famous as Miles Davis or Dred Scott? Maybe not, but that won't lessen the Griot's efforts to celebrate its local heroes.</p></p> </div> <div class="attractfacts"><div class="info"><h2>Griot Museum of Black History</h2> <dl> <dt>Address:</dt><dd><div class="mapIcon"><a href="/map/34289"><img src="/images/map3-30x30.png" /></a></div></dd><dd><a href="/map/34289">2505 St. Louis Ave., St. Louis, MO</a></dd><dt>Directions:</dt><dd>In the North St. Louis neighborhood, on the north side of St. Louis Ave. just west of N. 25th St.</dd> <dt>Hours:</dt><dd>W-Sa 10-5 (Call to verify) </dd> <dt>Phone:</dt><dd>314-241-7057</dd> <dt>Admission:</dt><dd>Adults $7.50</dd> <dt>RA Rates:</dt><dd><a href="/about/ratings"><span class="rarating-bg"><span class="rarating rarating-3" style="height: 22px"></span></span></a></dd><dd><a href="/about/ratings">Worth a Detour</a></dd> </dl></div><script src="/js/cookie.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="/js/attrList.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <div class="triplistbar"><form action="#" method="post"> <span><input type="checkbox" id="attr-34289" onclick="return TripPlanner.updateAttrList(this,'34289')"> Save to <a href="/map/trip/plan">My Sights</a></span></form></div> <script type="text/javascript"> if (btArr) btArr.push('34289'); </script></div>  <div class="group nearby"><h4>Nearby Offbeat Places</h4><div><a href="/tip/25757"><img class="icon" alt="Grand "Old White" Water Tower" src="/attract/images-icon/mo/MOSTLwhitetower_charleslewis_480x720.jpg" />Grand "Old White" Water Tower</a>, St. Louis, MO - 1 mi.</div> <div><a href="/story/25939"><img class="icon" alt="The Red Tower" src="/attract/images-icon/mo/MOSTLredtower01.jpg" />The Red Tower</a>, St. Louis, MO - 1 mi.</div> <div><a href="/tip/26573"><img class="icon" alt="Whispering Arch" src="/attract/images-icon/mo/MOSTLwhispering_daniel_480x320.jpg" />Whispering Arch</a>, St. Louis, MO - 2 mi.</div> <div class="region"><span>In the region: </span><div><a href="/story/35750">Empty Suit</a>, St. Louis, MO - 2 mi.</div> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setCustomVar', 1, 'AttractionName', 'Griot Museum of Black History']); _gaq.push(['_setCustomVar', 2, 'PlaceType', '2']); </script> <div class="outro"><h3>More Quirky Attractions in Missouri</h3> <p>Stories, reports and tips on <a href="/location/mo">tourist attractions and odd sights in Missouri</a>.</p><h3>Explore Thousands of Unique Roadside Landmarks!</h3> <p>Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. <a href="/">Start here</a>.<br>Use RoadsideAmerica.com's <a href="/location/">Attraction Maps</a> to plan your next road trip. </p> </div> </div> <div id="context" class="column"> <div class="group mysights"> <h4>My Sights</h4> <a href="/map/trip/plan"><img src="/images/mysights-160x100-202104.jpg" alt="My Sights on Roadside America" width="160" height="100"></a> <p>Create and Save Your Own Crazy Road Trip! ...<a href="/map/trip/plan">Try My Sights</a></p> </div> <div class="group mobile"> <h4>Mobile Apps</h4> <p><a href="/mobile/roadside/ios/"><img src="/images/ra-app-art-202104-160x100.jpg" alt="Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad" width="160" height="100"></a> <strong>Roadside America</strong> app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! <a href="/mobile/roadside/ios/">...More</a></p> </div> <div class="group mobile"> <p><a href="/mobile/presidents/ios/"><img src="/images/prez-app-art-202104-160x100.jpg" alt="Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad" width="160" height="100"></a> <strong>Roadside Presidents</strong> app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. <a href="/mobile/presidents/ios/">...More</a> </p> </div> <div class="group statesights"> <h4>Missouri Latest Tips and Stories</h4> <ul> <li>Feature: <a href="/story/34725">Rusty Animal Jungle</a>, St. Louis, Missouri</li> <li><a href="/tip/84948">World's Largest Cowbell</a>, Belle, Missouri</li> <li><a href="/tip/32879">Totem Pole Trading Post</a>, Rolla, Missouri</li> <li><a href="/tip/8400">HealthWorks! Kids Museum</a>, St. Louis, Missouri</li> <li><a href="/tip/28195">Vacuum Cleaner Museum</a>, Rolla, Missouri</li> </ul> <p class="more"><a href="/tip/latest">Latest Visitor Tips</a></p> </div> <div class="group sotw"> <h4>Sight of the Week</h4> <p><a href="/story/latest"><img src="/attract/images/ga/GAASHpeanut2_sow160.jpg" height="117" width="160" alt="Sight of the Week"></a></p> <p><a href="/story/latest">World's Largest Peanut</a>, Ashburn, Georgia (Feb 24-Mar 2, 2025)</p> <p class="more"><a href="/story/archive">SotW Archive</a></p> </div>  <div class="group countrysights"> <h4>USA and Canada Tips and Stories</h4> <ul> <li>Feature: <a href="/story/2071">World's Largest Peanut</a>, Ashburn, Georgia</li> <li><a href="/tip/50367">Ruins of St. Dominic's Church</a>, Hondo, Texas</li> <li><a href="/tip/7853">Tony: Big Boyz Worker Statue</a>, Augusta, Maine</li> <li><a href="/tip/598">National Museum of Health and Medicine</a>, Silver Spring, Maryland</li> <li><a href="/tip/50177">Cathedral of Pizza</a>, New York, New York</li> </ul> <p class="more"><a href="/tip/latest">More Sightings</a></p> </div> </div> <div id="services" class="column"> <div class="group statecities"> <h2>Favorite Quirky City Sights</h2> <ul> <li><a href="/location/mo/branson">Branson Attractions</a></li> <li><a href="/location/mo/hannibal">Hannibal Attractions</a></li> <li><a href="/location/mo/kansas-city">Kansas City Attractions</a></li> <li><a href="/location/mo/saint-louis">Saint Louis Attractions</a></li> <li><a href="/location/mo/springfield">Springfield Attractions</a></li> </ul> <p style="text-align:center"><img src="/images/cities-web-list-art.png"></p> </div> </div> </div> <div id="footer-wrapper"> <div id="footer"> <div class="nav"> <h6>Miscellaneous</h6> <ul> <li><a href="/about/">About Us</a></li> <li><a href="/contact/">Contact Us</a></li> <li><a href="/contact/tip">Submit a Tip</a></li> <li><a href="/privacy/">Privacy Policy</a></li> <li class="last"><a href="/terms/">Terms and Conditions</a></li> </ul> </div> <p><strong>Trip Planning Caution</strong>: RoadsideAmerica.com offers maps, directions and attraction details as a convenience, providing all information as is. Attraction status, hours and prices change without notice; call ahead!</p> <p> <a href="/about/credits">Credits, Media/Business Inquiries</a><br> © Copyright 1996-2025 Doug Kirby, Ken Smith, Mike Wilkins. All rights reserved. No portion of this document may be reproduced, copied or revised without written permission of the authors. </p> </div> </div> <script type="text/javascript"> jQuery(function($) { $.when( $.getScript('/js/cookie.js'), $.getScript('/js/share42/share42.js'), $.getScript('/lib/behavior/jcarousellite_1.0.1.min.js'), $.Deferred(function(deferred) { $(deferred.resolve); }) ).done(function() { if (document.hotelSearchCriteriaForm) $.getScript('/js/booking.js', (function(response,status) { window.setdate(); }) ); $(".carousel").jCarouselLite({ auto: 0, speed: 0, circular: true, visible: 0 }).css('visibility', 'visible'); }); }); </script>  <script type="text/plain" class="optanon-category-2"> (function() {var ga = document.createElement('script');ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s);})(); </script> <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-1168323-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageLoadTime']); _gaq.push (['_gat._anonymizeIp']); </script> </body> </html>