American Beach, located on Amelia Island, Florida, was founded by the Afro-American Life Insurance Company of Jacksonville, Florida as a 200-acre black beach resort in 1935. With desegregation, American Beach made a gradual transition from a black beach resort to a residential beach community. The recent history of American Beach was depicted in the 2002 movie SUNSHINE STATE. The photographs were taken to capture American Beach at its 75th Anniversary.