Charlie's Place (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)

African American Civil Rights Network

Charlie’s Place, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, served as a supper club and a bustling pillar of business for Black Americans from the 1930s through the 1960s. Black entrepreneur Charlie Fitzgerald and his wife Sarah opened the club in 1937, and it quickly became a popular stop along the “Chitlin Circuit" during the Jim Crow era. The Chitlin Circuit was the name given to an informal collection of Black-owned venues across the U.S. where popular Black artists of the time would perform, and Black patrons could frequent. Musical greats such as Billie Holiday, Otis Redding, Little Richard, and The Drifters performed at these establishments across the Eastern, Southern, and Midwestern United States.

Located in the Booker T. Washington neighborhood, Charlie's Place sat directly beside the Fitzgeralds’ home as well as a small motel, both of which were owned by the family. Built in 1948, the Fitzgerald Motel served black entertainers who were not allowed to stay in whites-only hotels. A few years after the Fitzgerald Motel was built, both the motel and Charlie's Place were listed in the 1953 Green Book Airline Edition. Green Books, formerly known as “Negro Motorist Green Books,” provided Black travelers with a handy guide for finding safe places for food and lodging while traveling within the United States. Despite a growth in Black businesses, the advent of the Green Book, and other travel guides, Black American travelers still suffered intimidation by white locals and officials.

Because Charlie's Place was patronized by both White and Black customers it eventually became a target for the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). The KKK held a parade in 1950, in the neighborhood where Charlie’s Place was located. Later that day, Klan members returned and fired gunshots into the club. This resulted in a number of patrons being injured. Charlie Fitzgerald was also severely beaten. Prominent civil rights attorney Thurgood Marshall assisted Mr. Fitzgerald and many of those injured in executing their legal rights. Marshall’s legal representation resulted in the KKK members being charged, but they were never prosecuted.

The popular supper club was eventually torn down in the late 1960s. In 2017, the city of Myrtle Beach purchased the Charlie’s Place property along with the Fitzgerald family home and what remained of the Fitzgerald Motel. Today an interpretive sign marks the site of Charlie's Place. The city has restored the remaining structures which now house a museum and a community center. The site also hosts numerous festivals and events, including the three-day Myrtle Beach Jazz Festival.

Charlie’s Place became part of the African American Civil Rights Network in 2021.

The African American Civil Rights Network recognizes the African American Civil Rights Movement in the United States and the sacrifices made by those who fought against discrimination and segregation. Created by the African American Civil Rights Act of 2017, and coordinated by the National Park Service, the Network tells the stories of the people, places, and events of the U.S. African American Civil Rights Movement through a collection of public and private resources to include properties, facilities, and programs.