Centennial Hall at Edward Waters College

Named to commemorate the centennial celebration of the AME Church, this three story brick structure was built in 1916 by the Rev. Richard L. Brown, one of the few black architects and builders of the period.

The building was home ...

Catherine Street Fire Station #3

Built in 1902 to replace a fire station destroyed by the Great Jacksonville Fire of May 3, 1901, the station was manned by black firemen for several years.

Originally located at 12 Catherine Street, the fire station was moved in ...

B.F. Lee Theological Seminary Building at Edward Waters College

This three-story building was built in 1925-1927 to house the Theological Department of Edward Waters College (founded In 1905).

In 1914, the first graduating class included Henry Y. Tookes, who later became a bishop in Florida.

Information provided by Florida Division ...

Bethel Baptist Institutional Church

This building has long served as the focal point of the religious and community life of Jacksonville's black citizens. The congregation was organized In July 1838 with six charter members, including two slaves belonging to Elias G. Jaudon.

During the ...

Little Rock Central High School

Little Rock High School, now Central High School National Historic Site, is a national emblem of the often violent struggle over school desegregation. Parting the Waters author Taylor Branch calls the Little Rock crisis "the most severe test of the ...

Orange Park Negro Elementary School

Completed in 1938, Orange Park Negro Elementary School represents one of the few buildings constructed by the school board in the 1930s. Today it is the property of the city of Orange Park.

Information provided by the Florida Division of ...

Old Shadeville High School Marker

In 1931, a black high school for Wakulla County was constructed as an addition to the Shadeville Elementary School. After providing education to black students for 36 years, Shadeville was closed due to school desegregation in 1967. A monument was ...

Perry Post Office

Florida artist George Snow Hill painted the Cypress Logging mural on canvas in 1938 for the Perry Post Office, as part of the Public Works of Art (WOA) Project during the Great Depression. The panel honors the mostly African American ...

New Brooklyn Missionary Baptist Church

The New Brooklyn Missionary Baptist congregation, one of Perry's most prominent black churches, formed in 1914. The church was remodeled in 1963 and again in 1989.

Information provided by Florida Department of State.

Picture courtesy of New Brooklyn Missionary Baptist Church.

Jerkins High School

County school board minutes from May 1887 show education for Taylor County blacks came from the roots of Spnng Hili Missionary Baptist Church. Henry R. Jerkins. Jr., principal in 1930, had the most memorable impact. Jerkins arrived not long after ...