African American Spirituals West Palm Beach, Historic African-American Sites in and around Jacksonville, Fla
Historic African-American Sites in and around Jacksonville, Fla
African American landmarks and legacies can be observed at an expansion of websites Jacksonville and Duval County. whilst some of those websites can be visited, other listings are marked "personal" and aren't open to the public.
Sixties Civil Rights ancient web site Marker
Hemming square, Downtown Jacksonville
On Saturday, August 27, 1960, forty youth Council demonstrators from the Jacksonville branch of the NAACP staged a sit down-in at the W.T. provide department shop, at the corner of North fundamental avenue and West Adams, and at Woolworth’s 5-and-Ten Cent store throughout from Hemming Park. looking for get right of entry to to the whites-best lunch counters, the youths had been met with the aid of a hundred and fifty white men wielding awl handles and baseball bats. Many were injured even as others sought protection at nearby Snyder Memorial Methodist Church. The event became a turning point in Jacksonville’s civil rights motion.
Bethel Baptist Institutional Church
215 Bethel Baptist street
This building has long served as the point of interest of the religious and network existence of Jacksonville’s black residents. The congregation was organized in July 1838 with six constitution individuals, along with slaves belonging to Elias G. Jaudon. throughout the Civil war the church, located west of downtown LaVilla, served as a Union medical institution. After the battle, the congregation break up with black individuals forming their own church called Bethel Baptist. In 1901, six individuals met inside the church basement to form the Afro-American existence coverage, the primary black existence coverage company chartered in Florida. Destroyed by using the terrific Jacksonville fireplace of that year, the church become rebuilt in 1904. Its design carries both Romanesque Revival and late Gothic Revival styles. (904) 354-1464.
B.F. Lee Theological Seminary constructing at Edward Waters college
1658 Kings road
This four-story constructing become constructed in 1925-1927 to house the Theological branch of Edward Waters university. founded in 1905, the primary graduating elegance in 1914, covered Henry Y. Tookes, who later have become a bishop of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Florida. The design of the building reflects the Jacobethan Revival fashion that derived from the architecture of Elizabethan England and now serves as the administration building.
Bishop Henry Y. Tookes house
1011 West eighth street
Bishop Henry Y. Tookes, assigned to serve the Florida District of the AME Church, and his wife Maggie, constructed this brick, two-tale neoclassical-fashion house in 1939. The residence is one of the few ultimate big houses in the vintage Sugar Hill community, a huge community north of downtown that included some of Jacksonville’s African American middle magnificence for the duration of the first half of the 20th century. underneath Bishop Tookes’ administration, the college expanded with the purchase of extra belongings, and the construction of the library, a ladies’s dormitory and the J.M. sensible Stadium. The Gamma Rho Omega bankruptcy of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, based in 1908 at Howard university, in Washington, D.C., occupies this rehabilitated property and offers a tour of Jacksonville’s African American web sites.
Catherine street fire Station #3
1406 Gator Bowl Blvd
constructed in 1902 to update a hearth station destroyed through the splendid Jacksonville fire of may additionally 3, 1901, the station changed into manned via black firemen for several years. originally located at 12 Catherine street, the fireplace station became moved in 1993 to Metropolitan Park without delay east of downtown Jacksonville. The constructing become rehabilitated at its new waterfront place to function the town’s fire museum. (904) 630-0618.
Centennial corridor at Edward Waters university
1750 Kings road
Named to commemorate the centennial birthday party of the AME Church, this 3-story brick structure become constructed in 1916 via the Rev. Richard L. Brown, one of the few black architects and builders of the length. The constructing changed into home to the university’s excessive school department, printing plant and cafeteria. The building become renovated in 1980 and presently houses a library, school rooms, places of work and several instructional packages.
Clara White undertaking/Eartha White Museum
613 West Ashley road
This project is a memorial to Clara English White (1845- 1920). Eartha M.M. White (1876-1974) continued the humanitarian paintings of her mom, with a existence of public provider in Jacksonville that included the Clara White undertaking, the Milnor street Nursery, and a tuberculosis sanitarium for Jacksonville’s African American community. The Clara White mission moved in 1932 to its contemporary location where it serves as both a museum and a community development training middle. (904) 354-4162, www.clarawhitemission.org.
Genovar’s hall
638-644 West Ashley avenue
built among 1891 and 1895 to house the grocery store of Minorcan descendant Sebastian Genovar, the three-tale constructing has housed African American owned and operated businesses along with the Wynn motel and the Lenape Tavern/Bar. At one time, this a part of West Ashley street in LaVilla become the number one industrial and social middle of Jacksonville’s African American network. The constructing is being rehabilitated to residence a museum and office space.
Jacksonville Public Library
303 Laura St. N., Jacksonville
The Jacksonville Public Library African-American series is a great region to find out about African-American artwork, cooking, track and neighborhood landmarks, with more than 1,000 unique photographs and papers that consist of real slave manifests from close by ports and local African-American newspapers. It additionally showcases a sculpture through well-known African-American artist Augusta Savage, a small-scale, painted terra cotta female bust. You’ll locate this treasure permanently displayed in special Collections at the 4th floor of the principle Library. Savage turned into born in green Cove Springs, Florida, and lived in Jacksonville before transferring to big apple to pursue her art career.
J. P. Small Memorial Stadium
Southeast nook of Myrtle street and eighth road
J. P. Small Memorial Stadium is the remaining last ancient stadium in Jacksonville. The park become first called Barrs discipline after neighborhood businessman, Amander Barrs, who became president of the Jacksonville Baseball affiliation. In 1911 Barrs won manage of the place near downtown Jacksonville from Dr. Jay Durkee who had inherited it from his grandfather, Joseph Harvey Durkee. The historical African American community that emerged in and around the belongings became called Durkeeville. under town ownership in 1926, the activity subject changed into renamed Durkee area and on occasion referred to as the Myrtle road Ball Park. originally used for spring education via the Philadelphia Athletics and the Brooklyn Dodgers, the sphere became later domestic to the Jacksonville red Caps, a local crew related to the Negro Southern Leagues. J. P. Small Park changed into declared a local historical landmark in 2003.
Kingsley Plantation
Off Heckscher power on castle George Island
Kingsley Plantation is one of the few ultimate examples of the plantation system of territorial Florida and the website of what can be the oldest plantation house within the country. Plantation proprietor Zephaniah Kingsley become married to a Senegalase woman, Anna Madgigine Jai, whom Kingsley originally bought as a slave. visitors can explore the plantation house, remains of 25 tabby construction slave quarters, a barn, waterfront, kitchen house and interpretive lawn. part of the Timucuan Ecological & historic maintain, the country wide Park provider operates a visitor touch station and bookstall on website online. (904) 251-3537, www.nps.gov/timu.
Masonic Temple maximum Worshipful Grand motel
410 large avenue
completed in 1916 by using the Black Masons of Florida, this six-story crimson brick structure serves as headquarters of the Masons of the kingdom of Florida Grand East and the focus for the Jacksonville black network’s industrial and fraternal occasions. Designed with the aid of Earl Mark and Leeroy Sheftall, the architectural design displays the works of each Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright. The 1926 Negro Blue e book described it as, “one of the best homes inside the international owned by way of Negroes.”
Matthew Gilbert school
1424 Franklin street
Reflecting the Italian Renaissance fashion, Matthews Gilbert faculty become constructed in 1926 to serve the Oakland and East Jacksonville groups. Alumni consist of -time Olympic gold medal winner, Robert “Bullet Bob” Hayes. The website online changed into firstly occupied via the Florida Baptist Academy founded inside the 1890s with the aid of Bethel Baptist Institutional Church. J. Rosamond Johnson, brother of James Weldon Johnson, served as tune director at the academy. The Florida Baptist Academy relocated to St. Augustine to turn out to be the Florida normal and business Institute, and then to Dade County, in which it is now Florida Memorial college. (904) 630-6700.
Moncrief Cemetery District
Intersection of Moncrief road and Edgewood road
Memorial, sundown Memorial and Pinehurst Cemeteries had been developed and controlled through the Pension Bureau of the Afro-American lifestyles insurance business enterprise to offer burial alternatives for blacks in segregated Jacksonville. With over 6,000 graves, those three cemeteries at the side of the adjacent Mount Olive Cemetery, New Mount Herman Cemetery and Greenwood Cemetery, were the fundamental burial grounds for Jacksonville’s African American community. Six contributors of the Lewis family, consisting of Abraham Lincoln Lewis, founding father of the Afro-American existence coverage enterprise are interred within the 1939 art Deco fashion Lewis Mausoleum in Memorial Cemetery. The Lewis Mausoleum changed into indexed within the national sign up of historic locations in 1997.
Mount Olive African Methodist Episcopal Church
841 Franklin road
Designed and constructed via Jacksonville’s first black architect, Richard L. Brown, this 1922 church reflects his eclectic style. built of concrete block, textured at the top stories to simulate quarry stone, the church consists of a huge portico at the main sanctuary front. A.L. Lewis, one of the Afro-American life insurance company founders, served for over 50 years as Sunday faculty Superintendent of Mount Olive AME Church.
Mount Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church
201 East Beaver avenue
After the Civil battle, numerous dozen freedmen formed the Society for religious Worship and have been officially diagnosed in 1866 because the Mount Zion AME Church. A 1901 hearth destroyed their brick sanctuary which seated 1,500 worshippers. within months the church turned into rebuilt. This Romanesque Revival fashion church functions arched home windows and door openings, art-glass windows and a distinguished bell tower. (904) 355-9475.
The Norman Studios
Arlington avenue between Rogero street and Cesery side road
inside the Twenties, Richard E. Norman (1891-1960) a white filmmaker and distributor of silent films, produced some of works the usage of all African American casts and crews. This turned into at some stage in the generation of a growing racism, which include the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. Norman’s characteristic-period “race films,” which includes the “The Flying Ace” and “The Bull Dogger,” were part of a national motion to painting high-quality pictures of blacks, and served as an antidote to the racism of the time. The Norman Studios in Jacksonville represent the closing remaining vestiges of the city’s movie enterprise that rivaled Hollywood, California, in the early years of filmmaking. they are nationally sizeable as one of the few last intact studios in the usa that display the participation of African American in the early history of filmmaking in the united states. (904)716-0706. tours by way of appointment.
vintage Brewster health facility
1885 Monroe avenue within the LaVilla community
constructed in 1855, this Victorian style residence changed into sold in 1901 to the girls’s domestic Missionary Society of the Methodist Church. here, the missionary society set up the primary Jacksonville health center for blacks and the primary education facility for black nurses. The health center and nursing college had been an outgrowth of the Boylan-Haven college, a non-public group for black ladies additionally located at that time in la Villa.
The hospital moved to other facilities in 1910, sooner or later moving to North Jefferson where it became Methodist clinical middle. The vintage Brewster health facility building changed into moved from its authentic location to its gift site in 2006.
antique metropolis Cemetery
Bounded with the aid of East Union, lengthy, Jessie and Washington Streets
Opened in 1852 on land donated by way of steamboat captain Charles Willey, the vintage metropolis Cemetery became the number one burial ground for Jacksonville’s pre-1880 citizens. Sections had been distinct for Freedmen, accomplice infantrymen, Jews, Masons and Catholics. contributors of Jacksonville’s pioneer black households, along with Clara and Eartha M. M. White, are interred here. The cemetery’s one mausoleum is the grave of African Princess Laura Adorkor Kofey, a disciple of Marcus Garvey and his accepted Negro improvement association. The Garvey motion became devoted to the cohesion of all black humans worldwide so one can build economic and political strength. mom Kofey fashioned a rival organization before her murder in Miami on March eight, 1928. Reportedly over 7,000 followers accompanied mother Kofey’s funeral procession from Miami to West Palm seashore, and finally to Jacksonville, in which over 10,000 attended her interment.
old Jacksonville seashore primary school
376 4th road South
mother Rhoda Martin based the Jacksonville beach simple college for coloured human beings. In 1939 the county constructed a four-room brick faculty structure, which additionally served as a network center, properly-toddler sanatorium and recreational area for the community. The constructing changed into moved to its present area and renovated to house the Rhoda L. Martin Cultural history Museum, depicting the 1939-technology college with unique furnishings and artifacts. (904) 241-6923.
vintage Stanton excessive school
521 West large street (private)
The Trustees of Florida Institute hooked up Stanton high college in 1868 as the first public black school in Jacksonville. It turned into named for Edwin M. Stanton, an outspoken abolitionist and Secretary of struggle underneath Abraham Lincoln. This masonry vernacular fashion structure, completed in 1917, become the most effective black excessive faculty in Jacksonville on the time. James Weldon Johnson, the primary African American to pass the Florida bar via an oral exam, and the lyricist of lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing, “the black country wide anthem,” turned into a scholar at Stanton high and served as foremost from 1894 to 1902. a true Renaissance man, Johnson turned into an educator, lawyer, journalist, creator of books and performs, diplomat and subject Secretary for the NAACP. Closed as a public school in 1971, the building now houses the non-public college, “Academy of Excellence.”
Ritz Theater
829 North Davis avenue
positioned in a traditionally black business district within the la Villa community, this 1929 artwork Deco fashion building housed a cinema, shops and workplaces. The Ritz and surrounding business residences grew into a thriving arts, leisure and shopping area for this black network. even though the authentic Ritz Theater structure changed into demolished, the decorative corner and signal had been included into the brand new Ritz Theatre and la Villa Museum. The museum show off of African American records tells the tale of ordinary lifestyles in northeast Florida, while the theater affords African American suggests and educational performances. (904) 632-5555, www.ritzjacksonville.com.
Susie E. Tolbert house
1665 Pearce avenue (now not presently open to the public)
This residence on the Edward Waters university campus turned into the house of Susie Ella Middleton Tolbert. Born in Chicago, Mrs. Tolbert made her domestic in Jacksonville and pursued her life’s work there. The mother of 7 evolved the willing workers club and the Christian endeavor organisation for her church, New Bethel AME. Mrs. Tolbert supported needy Edward Waters university students by means of offering loose room and board, and lobbied for higher centers and device for the black youngsters in Jacksonville.
Augusta Savage
1892-1962, Artist
Augusta Savage was born on February 29, 1892 in inexperienced Cove Springs. Savage moved to Jacksonville, Florida in search of work as a sculptor, however become unsuccessful. In 1921, she moved to big apple’s Harlem community in which she mounted herself as an artist and a instructor. Her sculpture, The Harp was prompted by means of Negro spirituals and hymns, most appreciably James Weldon Johnson’s “carry every Voice and Sing.” Gamin, a sculpture of her nephew, received her the Julius Rosenwald Fellowship in 1929 and the opportunity to observe in Paris for one year. Upon returning from Europe, Savage hooked up the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts in Harlem in 1932. In 1937, she have become the first director of the Harlem network Arts center, an organization in which African americans could learn about their lifestyle through the observe of great arts. After 1945, Savage fell into seclusion. Jacksonville’s Cummer Museum of artwork and Gardens has an extraordinary bronze Savage sculpture, The Diving Boy, on everlasting show.