Black History in the Ancient City
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| Butler Beach (Photo by Florida Memory) |
You don't need to look far in St. Augustine, FL to celebrate Black History Month. The Ancient City's black history spans from 1565, with black crew members accompanying Spanish conquistador Pedro Menendez across The Atlantic, to St. Augustine's pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement.
We could write pages of historic sites to visit, but here is a sampling of a few of them:
Dip your toes in The Atlantic while learning about Frank Butler and historic Butler Beach. Frank Butler began purchasing oceanfront property on Anastasia Island in 1927. He eventually acquired a large tract stretching across the island. He opened it to African-Americans and it became the only stretch of beach between American Beach (North of Jacksonville) and Daytona Beach where African-Americans were allowed to enjoy the sea.
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| Frank B. Butler (image from St. Augustine Historical Society) |
Visit the house where Zora Neal Hurston lived for a year and wrote her autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road. If you are not familiar with this noted author, purchase yourself one of her books NOW!
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| 791 West King Street where Zora Neal Hurston rented a room in 1942 |
Head to the center of town and literally
walk in the footstep of Civil Rights Movement Leader Andrew Young. It is along this path where Young
was met with violent opposition as he led a march from Lincolnville to the Plaza de la Constitución.
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| Andrew Young Crossing sign |
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| Footsteps commemorating Andrew Young's march to The Plaza de La Constitución on June 9th, 1964. |
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| St. Augustine Foot Soldiers monument |
Some of the most famous Foot Soldiers were four black teenagers who were arrested in the summer of 1963 for ordering cokes and hamburgers at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown St. Augustine. This was part of the sit-in campaigns being lead by students throughout the southeast. Refusing to give up their rights to protest, the youths at this counter were jailed for six months. Audrey Nell Edwards, JoeAnn Anderson Ulmer, Willie Carl Singleton, and Samuel White became heroes of the Civil Rights Movement and came to be known as "The St. Augustine Four".
This piece of history, the actual Woolworth lunch counter where sat The St. Augustine Four, can be seen at The Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center. Plan to spend a good amount of time in this museum as you walk "The Road to Black History that Runs Through Lincolnville."
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| Woolworth Counter on display at the Lincolnville Museum (image from St. Augustine Record) |
Text and Photos (except where noted) by Robbie Boggs, FPAN Staff