Preserving Savannah's

African-American History

The King-Tisdell Cottage Foundation Inc (Foundation) was founded by Wesley Wallace Law, more commonly know as W. W. Law, and a renowned preservationist, visionary and community activist. The Foundation is the parent operating organization for the King-Tisdell Cottage and The Beach Institute.

W. W. Law was a crusader for justice and the civil rights of African Americans. He served as president of the Savannah Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1950 to 1976 and came to be widely known as “Mr. Civil Rights.”

Law believed that nonviolent means were the best way to open the city for blacks.

After retiring from the NAACP, he turned his attention to the preservation

of African American history and historic buildings. He established the Westley Wallace Law Savannah-Yamacraw Branch of the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History (ASALH).

As president of ASALH, he established the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum, Negro Heritage Trail Tour, King-Tisdell Cottage Museum, and the Beach Institute of African American Culture.

Law received honorary doctorates from Savannah College of Art and Design (1997) and Savannah State University (2000), the Distinguished Georgian Award (1998) from the Center for the Study of Georgia History at Augusta State University, the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Preservation Award (2001), and the Governor's Award in the Humanities (1992). Law died on July 28, 2002, at his Savannah home.