By Shaun Ryan
The rich, textured history of St. Johns County would be impossible to fully appreciate without knowing about the struggles, the triumphs, the contributions and the cultural influences of its Black population.
Fortunately, several organizations work tirelessly to ensure that local Black history is not forgotten. Because that history is long and varied, each of these groups focuses on a specific chapter.
Now, a new initiative is bringing together all those chapters so that local residents and visitors alike will be able to more comprehensively appreciate the role that Black residents have had in shaping St. Johns County, the state of Florida and America as a whole.
On Wednesday, Aug. 13, the St. Johns Cultural Council, joined by leaders in the African-American community and project partners, officially launched the St. Johns County Black Heritage Trail.
Though not a trail in the traditional sense with a linear string of focal points, this is a bit more like a directory of 20 important sites to visit. It is the key to a self-guided exploration that introduces people to major historic places and events as well as lesser-known parts of the Black experience.
Sponsored by the St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Florida Division of Historical Resources, the trail has three primary components: a 64-page guidebook that relates 500 years of Black heritage in St. Johns County; a website with further information and interactive maps; and new signs at five county parks calling attention to important episodes of Black history related to those sites.
“In St. Johns County, in St. Augustine, we celebrate being the first in a lot of things,” said Jeff Potts, executive director for the St. Johns Cultural Council. “I don’t think the world realizes that we are also the first community to embrace freedom.”
Thomas Jackson, a founding member of the Fort Mose Historical Society, addressed this need to educate people about Black history here.
“I have been a lifelong resident of St. Augustine and St. Johns County, and the history of the Black community has taken a back seat to the histories of the Spanish, British, Minorcan, etc.,” he said. “The Black Heritage Trail project was a pleasure to work on, especially to see the juices flowing during the group sessions. It will certainly be a valuable addition to the efforts already done, as well as those that are in progress, to help tell the whole story of Black history in the St. Augustine and St. Johns County area.”
And, while many people are aware of high-profile events in history, other lesser-known events have occurred throughout the county. Several of these are included in the guidebook.
“When something was going on downtown, something was going on uptown, and something was going on over town, and something was going on on the west side,” said Jackson.
The trail is hoped to bring more people to the county’s various sites in Black history. This can only augment the growing interest in places like Fort Mose, where in May the 1738 Fort Mose reconstruction project opened to the public.
“We have visitors that come from all over the United States, and we have people that enquire from all over the world,” said Jackson.
The trail takes visitors to all corners of the county, following the story of the Black people from Spanish colonization through the Civil Rights Movement. It features churches, schools, businesses, neighborhoods and homes.
Highlights include ACCORD Civil Rights Museum & Freedom Trail, the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center, Fort Mose Historic State Park, St. Benedict the Moor School, Dr. Robert B. Hayling Freedom Park and the Spuds, Armstrong and Elkton communities. Interpretive signs have been added to Alpine Groves Park, St. Augustine Beach Pier Park, Butler Beach, Elkton and Collier-Block-Puryear Park in West Augustine.
Through this project, the public will learn about the first man of African descent to visit our shores, arriving with Juan Ponce de León in 1513; Gracia Real de Santa Teresa de Mose — Fort Mose — the first free Black community in North America; the enslavement and emancipation of African-Americans in Florida; demonstrations that led to passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; and much more.
The arrival of the Gullah Geechee people, a onetime rice plantation near Ponte Vedra, the visit by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the accomplishments of the Chicago Bears’ Willie Galimore, and Florida Memorial College, where famous author Zora Neale Hurston briefly taught — it’s all here to discover.
The well-attended Aug. 13 event, held at The Waterworks in St. Augustine, featured presentations by key project participants, including Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs, regional manager of Broward County Library’s African American Research Library and Cultural Center; Regina Gayle Phillips, executive director of the Lincolnville Museum and Cultural Center; Brenda Swann, director of grants and operations for the St. Johns Cultural Council; and Jackson, among others.
Hobbs was a consultant on the project.
“The Black history of St. Johns County is exceptional because of its depth and diversity, spanning five centuries and ties to African, Spanish, English, French and indigenous histories,” she said. “There are powerful stories of freedom-seeking and freedom-fighting that deserve to be elevated. The Black Heritage Trail sheds light on this rich historical legacy and is positioned to educate and enlighten thousands of people.”
Speaking to attendees at the Aug. 13 event, Phillips encouraged people to learn more about the historic figures who once made up this county.
“I hope that you guys will take time in whatever community you live to look at: What was here before there was this nice housing development?” she said. “Who were the people who lived here before? Who were the people that were pioneers of this area? It’s all over this county from north, south, east and west.”
“This project brings greater recognition to the people and places that helped build and define St. Johns County,” said Swann. “We hope it inspires reflection, pride and a deeper understanding of our shared history.”
Afrobeats artist Cellus and his band performed live music at the Aug. 13 event.
To learn more or obtain a free guidebook, go to stjohnsculture.com/bh. Guidebooks can also be acquired by emailing sjchistoriccoastculture.com or by visiting the St. Augustine Visitor Center.
