Contact The school board got all 300 acres, but with an important restriction: the land still had to be used for the education of Black children. Land is economic justice. tippy('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_18762_1_1', { content: jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_18762_1_1').html(), placement: 'bottom', theme: 'sosp', arrow: false, allowHTML: true }); Though Princeville may look like other rural towns in eastern North Carolina, it carries significant histories. In Education and now works as a full-time second-grade teacher. The St. Lawrence AME Church of Eatonville, Florida was founded in 1881 and is older than the Town of Eatonville. No word yet from the developer. It is about a young black womans
coming of age in rural Florida. St. Lawrence Church is older than the historic town itself, and it is one of the oldest African American Church's in the Central Florida area. Deacon Jones - David "Deacon" Jones, born in Eatonville, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980. Created by N.Y. Nathiri, a third-generation resident, the festival brought in nearly 50,000 people pre-COVID. The woman for whom Zora worked bought Zora her first book and arranged for
her to attend high school. The leveling and gentrification of Winterville is an emotional topic for Mayor Gardner, as she saw her childhood home being wiped away by development. 'Sacred Ground': Effort to preserve historic Black Florida community Contractors have launched an appeal in a legal battle about part of a new Florida property-insurance law that restricted attorney fees in disputes about claims. All FHS Members receive our newsletter, The Society Report, a 10% discount at our Florida Books & Gifts Bookstore located in Cocoa Village, and early notice of all events, including our Public History Forum in May and our Annual Meeting and Symposium in October! The electronic edition ofThe Florida Historical Quarterly, our award winning journal If you would like to receive the print edition (or both!) The town distinguished itself, however, by providing safe harbor for Black people seeking modest political and economic independence. First, development needs to help those already living here., Thats not to say that Gardner doesnt welcome development and those wishing to move to Eatonville. The founding of Eatonville, Florida, in 1887 occurred on this date. As a full-time second-grade teacher and mayor, Gardner isnt fazed. In Hurston's Florida hometown of Eatonville, development plans inspire She is generally looked
upon as one of the finest American novelists of the first half of the 20th
century. Street Team INNW, St. Paul, The No. Princeville and the Environmental Landscape of Race, The History and Legacy of Eatonville, Florida's Pioneering African-American Town, The Side of the River - The Story of Princeville (full movie), Why Mound Bayou, MS, and Historic Black Towns Matter. My earliest memories were from our home on Morse Blvd. They were met by white landowners who refused to sell until Clark changed the minds of two from the North to make plots available for sale. They could have their own law enforcement. Established in 1887, Eatonville is a town of particular significance. White property owners refused to sell them land, until Clark convinced two White Northerners with homes in the area, Lewis Lawrence and Josiah Eaton, to make available plots they could buy in what became Eatonville, one of the first Black towns to incorporate. Exploring
Florida: A Social Studies Resource for Students and Teachers, Florida Center for Instructional
Technology. Edited by Adam Sanchez. 8, US News Pub Corp., 1992. Joe Clark (left) helped found the community of Eatonville, which incorporated in 1887, after Blacks were allowed to purchase plots of land in Central Florida. The building, now known as the Club Koha (Keeping Our History Alive), is still here. Zora's father was a minister who served three terms as Eatonville's mayor. A man was hospitalized after a shooting at a Culvers on Six Mile Cypress Parkway in Fort Myers. Zora tourism exists already, with the Zora Neale Hurston Museum. To keep the tradition alive, Collier County stepped in, Electrical fire guts familys home in Collier County, Trial begins for the drunk driver accused of hitting and killing a family, Man wounded in July Fourth shooting at Culvers in Fort Myers, Naples 9-year-old to speak to Congress about Type 1 diabetes, Avoiding heat-related illness during SWFLs record-breaking summer, Florida joins other states in fight over flood insurance revamp, Former Florida pageant director sentenced to over a year in prison for fraud, Florida fight over baby boxes part of bigger culture war, Fight over Floridas property insurance law headed to court, WINK News quizzes SWFL on Independence Day trivia, Celebrating the Fourth of July with Cape Corals Red, White & Boom, Annual fireworks tradition lives on despite Hurricane Ian. About Eatonville today exists as a town made up of historic pockets intermixed with contemporary development. The following resources can be used to further explore Hurstons life and the legacy of Eatonville and other Black towns in the United States. Perched in a prime location, Maitland borders Eatonville to the north and east and the south by Winter Park; its a melting pot of contemporary culture with a touch of Old Florida. Ruffin, Herbert G. "Mound Bayou (1887)." A Family Dollar is the only store. Today the Club Eaton is known as the Club Koha (Keeping Our History Alive). Three Black Towns: An Excerpt from Black Landscapes Matter If we arent careful, Eatonville is going to be extinct, she said. 26 languages Article Talk Read Edit View history Tools Eatonville is a town in Orange County, Florida, United States, six miles north of Orlando. Zora Neale Hurston, the internationally-acclaimed anthropologist, folklorist, and novelist who is best known for her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, lived in Eatonville as a child and considered the locale her hometown. This article was originally published as What Zora Went Looking For in the Winter2021issue ofHumanitiesmagazine, a publication of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Hurstons upbringing in Eatonville shaped the questions and perspectives she brought to her literary work and research. [3] As Zora Neale Hurston explains, Eatonville was a town built to thrive with a sense of pride and security that was denied to many black people in the South. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press, 2005. Additionally, Standard Members also receive: 1. Eatonvilles cultural importance was secured when the town was immortalized
in the works of its renowned native daughter, Zora Neale Hurston. When visitors come to town, I want them to see a town with pristine landscaping., An aerial view of Eatonville, The Town that Freedom Built. (ROBERTO GONZALEZ), Angie Gardner is a second-generation Central Floridian, educator, wife, and mother of two. 2 (1967): 3337. Clark would become Eatonville's. Focus On with Dr. Ahmed Sadek: I Have Epilepsy, Can I Drive? By Mimi Eisen and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. In 1951, the Orange County School Board bought Hungerford from the trust that owned it, for a little over $16,000. The History and Legacy of Eatonville, Florida's Pioneering African The Town that Freedom Built: The story of Eatonville, America's first official black town In 1887, during reconstruction, Eatonville, FL became the first official municipality in America that. Located just a few miles north of Orlando, Eatonville was founded by three Union officers: Captain Josiah Eaton, Captain Lewis Lawrence, and another officer whose name is unknown. of the Quarterly, please notify us at:membership@myfloridahistory.org. Eatonville, Florida (1887- ) - Blackpast Additionally, FHS Supportersalso receive: 1. A Place to Be Free.U.S. News & World Report., vol. Landscape architect Everett Fly says there was lots of resistance to selling the land from neighboring communities. Well, Duke Ellington, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, and BB King for starters. How much do you know about the history of Independence Day? Hurricane Matthew ravaged the town in 2016. It was in this home that Hurstons intellectual spark was discovered. The founding of this town stands as an enormous achievement for once-enslaved Black men and women throughout the United States. I want you guys to vote no.. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear())2021 VISIT FLORIDA. @d_chandler17 and Kristin Chandler , The Impact World War II had on African Americans, Book Review Patterns in History: A Christian Perspective on Historical Thoughts, Book Review William McFeely Frederick Douglass, John Lockes Two Treatises of Government. An important influence on Hurstons works and writings, Eatonville is an unassuming town in appearance but has a remarkably rich history. In a Town Apart, the Pride and Trials of Black Life Film. Eatonville, Florida - Wikipedia 112, no. Incorporated in 1887, it is the first town successfully established by African American freedmen. Interested in submitting your work to Southern Spaces? The founding of this town stands as an enormous achievement for once-enslaved black men and women throughout the United States. This unique blend of skills is serving her well as she assumes the role. Women of Power TECH, PODCASTS [5] Scot French, Social Preservation and Moral Capitalism in the Historic Black Township of Eatonville, Florida: A Case Study of Reverse Gentrification,64, [6] Constance Johnston, A Place to Be Free,(U.S. News & World Report., vol. of the Quarterly, please notifiy us at:membership@myfloridahistory.org, 2. Zora attended the town's school, where . Emancipation's Diaspora: Race and Reconstruction in the Upper Midwest. These examples were a reality for African Americans in Eatonville. , 84 minutes. Embattled Freedom: Journeys through the Civil War's Slave Refugee Camps. In Multicultural Geographies: The Changing Racial/Ethnic Patterns of the United States, edited by John W. Frazier and Florence M. Margai, 3140. Many towns offered freedom from white dominance and the chance for blacks to govern themselves. In addition to Zora Neale Hurston, the famed author and folklorist whose works inspired Januarys annual Zora! [1] The town is named after Josiah Eaton. Zora Neale Hurston was born on January 7, 1891 in Eatonville, Florida. Eatonville provides the backdrop for much of Hurstons literary work. 2 2016), 225-235. The towns population in 2000 was 2,432. Why Here?: Eatonville, Florida and Zora Neale Hurston As Floridians, we are used to hot summers, but this July has broken records for heat, and these conditions can lead to dangerous heat-related illnesses if people arent careful. Over the next several years, Hurston would travel in the South, interviewing
storytellers in Florida and Voodoo doctors in New Orleans. 34 2011), 7587. It originated from the enslaved African community of Davis Bend, Mississippi, which was created, in the 1820s, by slave-plantation owner Joseph Davis as a "model" slave community on a plantation. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. The First Incorporated All African American Town: Eatonville A former defensive end in the NFL, he played for the San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Rams and the . St. Lawrence African Methodist Episcopal Church - The Historical Marker Later, Club Eaton was a popular performance and layover spot for a wide array of Black entertainers.6United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form." Zora Neale Hurston timeline (1930-1935): The Library of Congress offers a timeline of Hurston's theatrical and fictional publications, including collaborations with Langston Hughes. St. Lawrence African Methodist Episcopal Church Marker Inscription. Princeville was socially as well as environmentally vulnerable, due to racism and the sustained threat of white supremacist violence from nearby communities. 3 (1986): 34084. The , With extreme weather all over the United States and in the news, yet with little, Zinn did not merely record history, he made it: as a professor at Spelman College. Modeled after, Tuskegee Institute, a school started by Booker T. Washington in Tuskegee, Alabama, the mission of Hungerford School was to provide top-quality academic and vocational training to boarding and day students. "Sex and Color in Eatonville, Florida." We had little money, but we didnt want for anything either. The newly elected Mayor Angie Gardner is not the first woman mayor of Eatonville, but with her visionary leadership and solid commitment to its people and history, she is poised to lead the town into the future. Joseph E. Clark founded Eatonville in 1887, 22 years after slavery ended in the U.S. With the establishment of the town, Black people finally found a place where, instead of just existing on the margins of a white town, they could live autonomously. 1. Eatonville: The Town That Freedom Built - Orlando Magazine Her 1937 novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is generally
considered to be her most powerful novel. A last stand in a losing war? Eatonville was a community
founded in this tradition. EATONVILLE, Fla. (AP) A developer on Friday ended plans to purchase a 100-acre (39-hectare) property from the local school system in a historically Black town in Florida following a public outcry that the deal threatened the cultural heritage of the community made famous by Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston. Founded in 1889 by Robert Hungerford and others who made up its governing body, the school was named in honor of Hungerford's physician son. Email: zep@zinnedproject.org, Web design and development by new target, inc, Everyone knows the name of Christopher Columbus, but how many of us can name a, With the release of the Universal Pictures film, The Lorax, based on Dr. Seusss classic, While womens history should be taught all year, we can use this month to examine, What a timely and important film this is. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009. The 1930s and early 1940s marked the peak of Hurstons
literary career. Tucked between Maitland and Winter Park, just 5.28 miles to the north of Orlando, lies the town of Eatonville, the oldest incorporated African American municipality in America. Not if they can help it. By Kristy Andersen. Download and read this issue and others on. Eatonville, FL 32751. PO Box 73038 Washington, D.C. 20056 Of the more than one hundred black towns founded between
1865 and 1900, fewer than twelve remain today. A bronze plaque at the entrance to town notes the incredible history of the Club Eaton. Required fields are marked *. Your choice of any book published by the Florida Historical Society Press. Developer drops land purchase in historically Black town Murrell Taylor, Amy. In 1904, thirteen-year-old
Zora was devastated by the death of her mother. Eatonville is located a few miles north of Orlando, Florida. 34 2011), 76. A journal about real and imagined spaces and places of the US South and their global connections, Joe A. Mobley, "In the Shadow of White Society: Princeville, a Black Town in North Carolina, 18651915,", United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service, ", Charles S. Killebrew Photographic Collection, Here's What's Become of a Historic All-Black Town in the Mississippi Delta, Mississippi Department of Archives and History, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Eatonville Historic District, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form. ABOUT More than 90% of it is about racism. The founding of this town stands as an enormous achievement for once-enslaved black men and women throughout the United States. Exploring
Florida: A Social Studies Resource for Students and Teachers
Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional
Technology,
College of Education, University of South Florida 2002. Incorporated in 1887, it is the first town successfully established by African American freedmen. Open Rivers: Rethinking Water, Place, and Community 2 (2016): 1628. Celebrating the Historic Town of Eatonville, Florida Nathiri said, As a small community of 2,500, its sitting on the largest undeveloped parcel of land in Orange County. Fly has spent more than four decades researching Black towns. Rosemary Dios Mons, 23, and her 11-month-old child Faith Rivera Dios, An annual fourth of July tradition in Naples is Fireworks at the Pier, but due to damage from Hurricane Ian, it had to be canceled. Teaching Activity. "The Side of the River - The Story of Princeville (full movie)." It was founded by 27 men on land adjacent to Maitland sold by a white former Union Army captain, Josiah Eaton, with the intention that it become a city of black self-government. All FHS Members receive our newsletter,The Society Report, a 10% discount at Florida Books and Gifts bookstore in Cocoa Village, and early notice of special events, including our Annual Meeting and Symposium. B.E. The town earned regional notoriety for its numerous Black owned businesses and organizations, as well as for its tradition of protecting Black people's voting rights amid racial violence. Excerpted from "Enabling Connections to Empower Place: The Carolinas" in Black Landscapes Matter (University of Virginia Press, 2020). | Contact Us. It was named after Lewis Lawrence, who donated the land on which the church was built. Zora Neale Hurston: Crash Course Black American History #30: Historian and educator Clint Smiths lesson on Zora Neale Hurston includes several resources for further learning. During Reconstruction, and with newfound access to political and economic power, Black towns and institutions emerged wherever Black people lived. He had given his life to save the lives of some African-Americans who were besieged with scarlet fever. This community
shaped her life and her writing. As an indicator of the place attachment expressed by residents, the town's population increased after the rebuilding periods that followed numerous floods. 1887 - The Town of Eatonville was established as the FIRST Incorporated African-American municipality in the United States on this date. January 18, 2007. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/mound-bayou-1887/. Over the years, the school system sold parcels of the land for nearly $8 million while decreasing the acres required for educating Black children to zero. Privacy Policy The land was donated to a trust operated by the Robert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School, a private boarding school built to provide vocational education to Black students in the segregated South. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2003. Festival (which Nathiris preservation group puts on every year) regularly attracted over 50,000 people before COVID. By Victoria Bond and T. R. Simon. All FHS Memberships run for one year from the month payment is received. 181 pages. In Florida, its Zora. [4] The establishment of the town quickly help other areas. Her works
have increased in popularity with the passing of time. : The above biographical video from Alabama Public Televisionprovides a visual look at her remarkable life and the legacy of her work as a folklorist, author, anthropologist, and documentary filmmaker.