ZORA NEALE HURSTON TELLS US THAT THIS WENT QUITE SMOOTHLY, THERE WERE NO REAL CONFLICTS. In a Town Apart, the Pride and Trials of Black Life Tucked away seven miles north of downtown Orlando, Eatonville may not seem that special in first impressions, but here lies a community possessing great historical significance, a legacy of racial progress and ultimate success. The racial makeup of the town was 89.31% African American, 7.5% White, 0.49% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 1.56% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. The district is bounded by Wymore Road, Eaton Street, Fords, and East Avenues, Ruffel, and Clark Streets. Legacy: After the Civil War, freed black slaves began establishing communities to escape the indignities of racism. That it even happened was remarkable. Russell and Mary Calhoun, two students of the Tuskegee Institute, formed a school in 1899. Eatons name lives on with the town in the most obvious fashion. So that kind of animosity that did exist and that destroyed Rosewood that animosity that drove the Black people out of Ocoee did not exist in terms of the relationship with Maitland and Eatonville.. Existing residents claim the new development would wipe out the historic community and violate the land agreement, so locals are in a fight with the school board.[7]. In the years following the war, black settlements began organizing throughout the United States. Story produced by Robbyn McFadden. As the towns around it grew, and its place in the economy diminished. However, fewer than 150 became legally-recognized municipalities. Eatonville, FL 32751. However, black settlers still desired to establish and incorporate a town of their own. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. Incorporated on August 15, 1887, it was one of the first self-governing all-black municipalities in the United States. Hungerford, resulting in the school being named in memory of his son, a doctor who died while treating sick black children in Louisiana. An unprecedented week at the Supreme Court, Neil Diamond on "A Beautiful Noise," Parkinson's, and being thankful, July 2, and the end of apartheid in America, withdrew their bid and terminated the purchase agreement, Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts, Black Settlements in America (Everett Fly), Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, "Eatonville Renaissance" 10-Year Initiative, Excellence Without Excuse Community Computer Arts Lab & Learning Center. >> AND WE CAN' FORGET THE ANNUAL ZORA FTAS, NAMED AFTER THE INTERNATIONALLY ACCLAIMED OFFER ZORA NEALE HURSTON, WHOSE FA CE IS SPRING GO THROUGH OUT THE COMMUNITY, ALL OF WHICH IS BEEN, BREATHING HISTORY OF A TINY TOWN ON FREEDOM, BUILT BY FREED MEN, JUST TWO DECADES AFTER BEING EMANCIPATED. "In deference to the viewpoints expressed by so many in the community, the leadership of OCPS has decided not to extend the contract or entertain other bids at this time," the statement said. I think the story of Eatonville starts there. Lawrence built and donated a church to the community even before it was a town. A brief history of Eatonville: The Town That Freedom Built, BUT EATONVILLE IS SO MUCH MORE. Eatonville is located a few miles north of Orlando, Florida. Eatonville: The Town That Freedom Built - Orlando Magazine Jim Crow laws enforced segregation, violence and racial discrimination in the Southern United States in the late 19th century. By the 1870s, Central Florida became the scene of feverish land purchases and settlement activity. In fact, when you go into the school, one of the first things you see is this whole wall of faces. A community with a past and present that coexist and a future constantly being reimagined. Stands of pine and palmetto scrub separated the town site from the lakes shores. This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties, Toggle Eatonville Historic District subsection, Robert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School, "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Eatonville town, Florida", "A Florida town, once settled by former slaves, now fights over "sacred land", "United States Postal Service Postmaster Finder", "Eatonville Had Own Answers To The Cotton Club", National Register Of Historical Places, Section 8, Page 5, Florida's Black Public Officials, 1867-1924, Encyclopedia Of African American History, pg.478, "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990", "In a Town Apart, the Pride and Trials of Black Life", "Zora Neale Hurston Dust Tracks Heritage Trail, Zora Neale Hurston Branch Library", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Eatonville,_Florida&oldid=1157970406, Populated places established by African Americans, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox settlement with possible area code list, Articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0, Anthony Grant ~ 2015 - removal for voter fraud, This page was last edited on 1 June 2023, at 03:59. Residents of historically Black town sue to stop land sale - Yahoo News [8] J.E. ", Another speaker, Otis Mitchell, said, "For y'all to come and put all this stuff up here and think we as Black people going to be able to stay here? Descendants of Eatonville, Florida, are fighting over what they call "sacred land." CBS News reports the town was founded in 1887 by Joe Clark. It's sitting in a very sweet position geographically.". In one respect, you were self-segregating this Black community that was able to preserve itself. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8km2), of which 1.0 square mile (2.6km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26km2) (9.17%) is water. During Reconstruction, all Black communities, or race colonies, started popping up in the South. Van Eaton and others who created a town that lasted when many others did not. Shame on yourself. Booker T. Washington even writing about it in his work called The Negro in Business where he features Eatonville as a model of the African American entrepreneurial spirit. Thats an honor, were proud of that, Franklin said. The Town that Freedom Built: The story of Eatonville, America - WFTV Because Eaton was well-known. You know, I think it has not always thrived economically. >> IN ONE RESPECT, YOU WERE SELF-SEGREGATING THIS BLACK COMMUNITY THAT WAS ABLE TO PRESERVE ITSELF. That's where she . Eatonville, six miles from Orlando, was one of the first all-black towns incorporated in the U.S. after the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation that ended slavery. Historical Society of Central Florida's honors Judge Belvin Perry Jr. Eatonville is historically remarkable. ITS PLACE IN THE ECONOMY DIMINISHED. Every winter the town stages the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities. 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The Hungerford School was closed in 2010. DaJen Eats Cafe Eatonville, FL. 1 minute read. He was the mayor of Maitland and to name Eatonville after this mayor, the former mayor of Maitland was to say it has the blessing of all the better classes in this area, French said. On the fifteenth of August, 1887, the town was officially incorporated when twenty-seven registered black voters indicated their intention to create a municipality. Editor: Carol Ross. The History and Legacy of Eatonville, Florida's Pioneering African This authentic rural community was founded by Thomas C. VanEaton. >> EACH BATTLE FOUGHT, EACH BATTLE WON. >> IT WILL SIMPLY DESTROY THE ENTIRE TOWN. The latter novel includes an overview of the town's founding through the eyes of the main character. T. Michele Walker. Indian Henry guided Thomas VanEaton to Mt. Clarke managed to buy additional property from Eatons tract so that, by the time of incorporation, Eatonvilles original city limit encompassed 112 acres. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. Association to Preserve the Eatonville Community, Police arrest 16-year-old in connection to Monday night DeLand shooting, Orange County deputies investigate Tuesday night shooting, victim found in car, The Florida Mall in Orlando announces wave of newcomers to open later this year, OIAs Terminal C getting new pedestrian with help of Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Owner of Seminole Towne Center mall in Sanford owes more than $800K in property taxes. He imagined that Florida had great potential and that it could be the most northernized of the southern states. Eatonville, FL Instead, Eatonville was allowed to flourish. >> TO NAME EATONLLVIE AFTER THIS MAYOR, I THINK THAT WAS PROTECTIVE. Eatonville was officially incorporated on October 28, 1909, after the Eatonville Lumber Company brought in more people to work in its mill. However, OCPS purchased the land from the trust in 1951 for about $16,000 with the stipulation that it be used "for the education of Black children". Eatonville, Florida - Wikipedia Nathiri's opinion is that Eatonville's survival will depend on who wins the fight over this land, which is as closely tied to its past as it is to its future. Hurston's novel Their Eyes Were Watching God is set in the town and nearby communities, many of which have disappeared with the expansion of Greater Orlando. I think that was protective. So what that means is that it was the oldest Black town to be recognized by the United States government as a self-governing, self-determining Black community, McCall said. But every year- up until the coronavirus pandemic- the grounds come alive to celebrate the citys most famous former resident, Author and Anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. By: The James Madison Institute / December 6, 2017, The History and Legacy of Eatonville, Floridas Pioneering African-American Town. With the goal of teaching vocational skills to boys and girls, the school also helped students tend crops, raise poultry, prepare their own meals, and learn trades for income. "What we have the ability to do here is to leverage the genius of Zora Neale Hurston and the authenticity of Eatonville as a cultural and historical space," said Nathiri. >> NAMING THE TOWN AFTER JOSIAS EATON, ONE OF THOSE PROMINENT WHEIT CITIZENS, CERTAINLY DIDNT HURT GIVEN THE HOSTILE RACIAL , CLIMATE AND VIOLENCE AGASTIN BLACKS AT THE TIME. Known then as Fort Maitland, this community of white northerners employed the freedmen and their families with clearing land, planting citrus groves, and helping build infrastructure, including a railroad connecting Fort Maitland to Jacksonville. Several are related to the town's establishment as a home for African Americans and to its most famous former resident, Zora Neale Hurston. Excerpt Today, folks can visit the Zora Neale Hurston Museum or the library named in her honor. The town is now mainly a residential community, but it also has a small number of businesses such as barbershops, restaurants, and a Family Dollar store. Every year before the pandemic, thousands of people would pack into the town of Eatonville to celebrate author Zora Neale Hurston; but outside of that, many people dont know the impact this small Florida town had on America. [35], The Robert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School was founded in 1897 for vocational education for Black students by Professor and Mrs. Russell C. Calhoun, a graduate of Tuskegee Institute. You know, I think it has not always thrived economically. BUT IF YOU STOPND A TAKE A MOMENT, YOULL QUICKLY NOTICE THIS HISTORICAL GEM. Municipal organization was not easy for African Americans. They could manage their own business.". They lacked many of the necessary funds and materials to build a town from the ground up. 307 East Kennedy Blvd. The town was founded as a black haven, Nathiri says. This station is part of Cox Media Group Television. But freedmen and their families were persistent and eventually succeeded in forming a town of their own in Central Florida. Incorporated in 1887, it is the first town successfully established by African American freedmen. Growing up in "exclusively a colored town" (Hurston), Hurston had no awareness of her coloredness. The significance of Eatonvilles incorporation would be proudly advertised by its citizens. WHEN YOU WALK INTO ITS POST OFFICE, YOU CANT HELP BUT FEEL AND OLD TINY SMALL TOWN CHARM. Between 1865 and 1900, there were approximately 400 black towns, settlements, and enclaves. You can either find yourself with an indigenous community, the Seminoles where you would be safe and you are be immersed in their society.
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