Week 12 – SPORTS – Selden Park

Brunswick’s Selden Park began its story in 1903 as the site of Selden Institute, a school that provided African American students with teacher training and courses in trades like agriculture, carpentry, cooking, nursing, printing, and stenography. The school flourished until 1933, when it merged with a similar school, the Gillespie Institute, and moved to Cordele, Georgia.

After World War II, the site of Selden Institute became a public park that, during segregation, was an important community gathering place. At a time when Glynn County’s public parks and the islands’ beaches did not allow African Americans, Selden Park provided a variety of outdoor and indoor sporting opportunities. Under the leadership of Genoa Martin, who served as park director from 1950 to 1984, a gymnasium building was constructed at the park. This structure provided both an indoor setting for sports like basketball and boxing and a venue for traveling entertainment passing through town.

Perhaps one of the most celebrated elements of Selden Park was its pool. Although swimming was an important and exciting part of Glynn County summers, African Americans on both the islands and the mainland often found themselves barred from using public pools. In Voices from St. Simons, Diane Cassandra Palmer Haywood, who grew up on St. Simons, remembers that segregation meant that she couldn’t use the pool at the Casino near the St. Simons Lighthouse. Instead, she and her family visited Selden Park to use the pool there.

The pool also provided the vital service of teaching children to swim. Lifeguard Homer Knight was specifically remembered for his efforts—over his tenure at the park, he taught swimming to several thousand local children. The Genoa Martin Friends of Historic Selden Park have collected individuals’ reflections on the meaning of Selden Park, and several mention swimming lessons, Wednesday night Splash Parties, and the fun and friendly atmosphere that surrounded the park and its activities.