River Road African American Museum, African-American museum in Donaldsonville, Louisiana.

The River Road African American Museum is a place to explore the contributions of black inventors, jazz musicians, and political leaders throughout Louisiana. The spaces hold carefully assembled collections of documents and objects that tell the story of life in the region.

Kathe Hambrick began work on the museum in 1991 and founded it in 1994 at Tezcuco Plantation, among the first Louisiana museums to tell the story of enslaved and free Africans and African Americans. After a fire damaged the plantation in 2002, the owners chose not to rebuild, and Hambrick moved the museum to Donaldsonville, about 70 miles from New Orleans. In 2008 the state named it one of the first 26 sites on the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail.

The museum displays photographs, artifacts, and personal stories that document the lives of African Americans in the River Road region. These collections help visitors understand the roots and experiences of the community directly.

The museum sits about 70 miles from New Orleans and offers educational programs, workshops, and virtual exhibitions for both in-person and online visitors. These varied offerings allow people with different needs to engage with the content.

The museum moved three historic buildings to its Donaldsonville site: the first black elementary school in Ascension Parish, the meeting house of an early African-American insurance agency, and the African Plantation house, owned by the parish's first African-American doctor.