The Mann-Simons Site, home to the same entrepreneurial African American family for nearly 130 years, traces the journey of Columbia’s African American community from enslavement through urban renewal. The site historically was a collection of commercial and domestic spaces owned and operated by the same African American family from at least 1843 until 1970. Threat of demolition in 1970 galvanized a grassroots movement that saved the remaining structure, which opened as a house museum in 1978. Business hours reflect the tour time. All tours start at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills, located at 1616 Blanding Street. Tours of the Mann-Simons Site are available as part of the Journey to Freedom Combined Tour every Wednesday – Sunday at 3:00 p.m.