Jacksonville, FL

Edwin Stanton School
DESCRIPTION: Jacksonville blacks formed an Education Society and in 1868 purchased the land for this school for $850; when this newer structure was built in 1917, it was reportedly the only high school for blacks in the country; now a college preparatory school for grades 9 thru 12

ADDRESS: 500 West Beaver Street  MAP

PHONE: 904-630-6760

Catherine Street Fire Station #3
DESCRIPTION: Built in 1902 after the great Jacksonville fire, the station was manned by African American firemen for years; it is now the official fire museum that features a horse drawn fire wagon and other memorabilia

ADDRESS: 12 Catherine Street  MAP

PHONE: 904-630-0618

Clara White Mission Center
DESCRIPTION: A simple Masonry Vernacular style building by H. J. Kluthro; a mission home dedicated to a pioneer member of Bethel Baptist Church; Clara's kindness and influence is still felt throughout the community at this center for free dinners and popular holiday celebrations; a designated historic landmark. Dr. Eartha White's restored living quarters are on the second floor

ADDRESS: 611 West Ashley Street  MAP

Old Brewster Hospital
DESCRIPTION: Built in 1885 as the Boylan-Haven private school for African American girls; the seeds of its medical care history were planted by Superintendent Hattie Emerson who started a nurse training program in the 1890s; by 1901 the school was deeded to the Women’s Home Society of the Methodist Church re-chartered as Brewster Hospital, the first for African Americans in Jacksonville; its charter was unchallenged until the 1964 Civil Rights Act opened larger, more modern hospitals to African Americans; under funded, and thus less able to compete, by 1966 Old Brewster closed

ADDRESS: 915 West Monroe Street  MAP

Strand Theater Site
DESCRIPTION: On this corner site stood the finest historically Black Theater in Jacksonville; it rivaled the Apollo Theater of Harlem and the Regal Theater of Chicago for artistry and popularity in its heyday; the building is demolished, but fortunately its heritage is survived by the nearby Ritz Theater in LaVilla

ADDRESS: 703 West Ashley Street  MAP

Kingsley Plantation
DESCRIPTION: In 1817 Zephaniah Kingsley purchased this heavily wooded property to raise sugar, cotton and other cash crops; Kingsley was married to an African, but in the twisted sense of humanity prevalent in his day, he judged that slavery was essential to agricultural success in the South; he enjoyed the fruits of a "master's house" built in the same year and now restored; after driving a couple miles in a narrow wooded road you encounter the ruins of slave quarters, which form an arc around the plantation entrance; built mostly of clay and seashells, some are remarkably well preserved and thought to be the oldest remaining slave quarters in Florida; the original work bell and tools used by enslaved people can be seen and touched; allow plenty of daylight before making the drive to this unforgettable site

ADDRESS: 11676 Palmetto Ave on Fort George Island  MAP

PHONE: 904-251-5537

St. Augustine, FL

Lincolnville
DESCRIPTION: Sneak away from the touristy coastal part of town to visit the historically Black district of Lincolnville, just a few blocks inland from downtown bounded by Cedar, Riberia, Cerro and Washington Streets; Lincolnville was founded by newly freed African Americans in 1866; its businesses and nightlife remained prosperous until desegregation in the 1960s; for a touch of history and culture, stop by St. Paul's AME Church at 85 Martin Luther King Ave and St. Mary's Missionary Church at 69 Washington Street and the Willie Gallimore Community center at 399 Riberia Street

ADDRESS: 85 Martin Luther King Ave  MAP

PHONE: 904-392-1721 tours