Week One: Historic Eatonville and the Fight to Preserve"America's First Incorporated Black Town" in the 21st Century

Eatonville: The Creation

    Following the American Civil War, many freedmen continued to live in the deep South and form their own communities. This was evident in central Florida, where Black freemen gathered to form the historic community of Eatonville, the first black settlement in the Southern states. Eatonville, since 1887, has culturally and demographically been a black settlement. Eatonville stands as an anomaly in comparison to other Black communities settled in the late 19th century. Black freedmen flocked to territories like Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma, yet eventually were abandoned as the 20th century appeared; Black cities became subject to statehood and democratic rule, quickly demoting and demoralizing their chance at equal citizenship and equating them to second-class citizens ("Black Towns," 283). On top of the move from territory to statehood, smaller Black cities could not compete against the capital value of the larger cities within their perception; 1915 saw thousands of African Americans going North to cities like Detroit, Chicago, and New York to combat both economic and political issues they had faced in territories and Southern states ("Black Towns," 285). 

The Survival of Eatonville

Eatonville's original divison plan.
Photo from Scot French, 2018.

    Eatonville is unique, as it's very survival goes against the "norm" of Black townships and communities that existed in 20th century America. Eatonville was founded in 1887 as what Dr. Scot French describes as a "residential labor colony" under the supervision of Lewis Lawerence (French, 60). Even under the ideas of Black property ownership, French argues that Eatonville survived for multiple reasons: Property planning over generations, Patronage by white visitors and locals, proximity that allowed them influence in the economy, protective coloration that maintained them as a "black community," and works of Joseph Clark that boosted  notability and gave them publicity as a independent village (French, 66-67).

Eatonville in the Modern Age

    Eatonville finds itself in the middle of a conflict that weighs it's very history; Within the past two decades, Eatonville has been subject gentrification, completely changing the dynamic and discourse of Eatonville as a whole. The Hungerford school saw portions of it's property being sold off over the years, yet the destruction and removal of the main building itself saw the very survival of Eatonville's history at risk. Efforts both to preserve and protect the communities' identity and culture exists on the political and educational level. Politically, a lawsuit is being pursued to reinforce the original purpose of the property as a a Black institutional site, fostering the land to be used in the promotion of Black history and education. In a educational manner, UCF has partnered with local organizations to promote the conservation and memorialization of artifacts of Hungerford school's history; I had the privilege last semester to attend and lead multiple interviews with alumni, preserving the living memory of the campus and the culture that will disappear following the loss of a generation. 

    The threat of losing the Hungerford property is a direct threat to the demographic of Eatonville, which is a direct threat to Black memory and culture. If there is no Hungerford, there will soon be no Eatonville. Without the representation of Eatonville, generations of success, turmoil, oppression, and justice are lost as voices that will never be heard. 

Sebastian Garcia and I interviewing
Brynda Allen and Shellen Washington, alumni
of Hungerford school. Hannibal Square, 2023.
Photos by Scot French

Our team and participants.
Hannibal Square, 2023. Photo by Scot French.

References

Quintard Taylor, "Black Towns," Encyclopedia of African American Culture and History (1996 entry), 2nd. ed.

Scot A. French, "Social Preservation and Moral Capitalism in the Historic Black Township of Eatonville, Florida: A Case Study of 'Reverse Gentrification,'" Change Over Time: An International Journal of Conservation and the Built Environment, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Spring 2018): 54-72.