Eatonville, Florida | |
|---|---|
| Town of Eatonville | |
 Eatonville Town Hall | |
 | |
| Motto: "The Town that Freedom Built" | |
 Location inOrange County and the state ofFlorida | |
| Coordinates:28°37′7″N81°23′0″W / 28.61861°N 81.38333°W /28.61861; -81.38333 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Orange |
| Founded (Lawrence) | c. 1880-1881[1][2] |
| Incorporated (Town of Eatonville) | August 15, 1887[2] |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Council |
| • Mayor | Angie Gardner |
| • Vice Mayor | Theodore Washington |
| • Council Members | Wanda Randolph, Rodney Daniels, and Tarus Mack |
| • Town Clerk | Veronica King |
| • Town Attorney | Clifford Shepard III |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.16 sq mi (3.00 km2) |
| • Land | 0.98 sq mi (2.55 km2) |
| • Water | 0.17 sq mi (0.45 km2) |
| Elevation | 95 ft (29 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 2,349 |
| • Density | 2,384.5/sq mi (920.65/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code | 32751 |
| Area codes | 407, 689 |
| FIPS code | 12-19650[4] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0282054[5] |
| Website | www |
Eatonville is a town inOrange County, Florida, United States, six miles north ofOrlando. It is part ofGreater Orlando. Incorporated on August 15, 1887, it was one of the firstself-governing all-black municipalities in the United States. (Brooklyn, Illinois, incorporated July 8, 1873, is the oldest incorporated Black town in the U.S.) TheEatonville Historic District andMoseley House Museum are in Eatonville.[6] AuthorZora Neale Hurston grew up in Eatonville and the area features in many of her stories.
TheRobert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School was founded in 1897 to provide education for black students in grades 6-12 and taught children for over 100 years.[7] In 1990, the town founded theZora Neale Hurston Museum of Fine Arts. Every winter the town stages the Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities. A library named for her opened in January 2004. Eatonville is home toWESH andWKCF, two television stations serving the Orlando television market.
The population was 2,349 at the 2020 census. The vast majority are Black or African American. Eatonville has no gas station, supermarket or pharmacy; only aFamily Dollar. With a median household income of $27,000, the town is struggling to survive.[8]
ArtistJules Andre Smith has done a series of paintings depicting life in Eatonville during the 1930s and 1940s. Twelve of these works are at theMaitland Art Center in the adjacent town ofMaitland.
Ten years after theEmancipation Proclamation, formerly enslaved people migrated to ruralCentral Florida, finding work in thecitrus groves.[1] J.E. Clark and several friends attempted to purchase a block of land to establish a "colony for colored people, but so great was the prejudice then existing against the Negro that no one would sell them land for such a purpose", according to Clark.[1] Lewis Lawrence, originally fromUtica, New York, agreed to help them in 1881. Lawrence convinced Captain Josiah Eaton, a neighbor and friend, to sell him 22 acres, which Lawrence subdivided. Upon each lot he had a small house constructed and instructed an agent to sell them. An article in theTallahasseeWeekly Floridian newspaper titled, "A Negro Colony in Florida" stated,
A Negro settlement has been established at Maitland...which is divided into forty-eight lots, 50x50 feet, to be sold to Negroes at from $19 to $30 per lot. Mr. Lawrence has erected on this land a framed church 30x20 feet, a bell for which has been presented by the Congregational Sabbath School of Chelsea,Connecticut. No liquor is ever to be sold or given away on the ground; no gambling or disreputable house of any kind will ever be allowed, under a forfeiture of the purchase.[1]
In 1884, theOrange County Reporter wrote about the “colored village at Maitland, sometimes known as Lawrence, the name of its worthy founder”. Mr. Lawrence requested that the settlement use the name Eatonville.[1] The following year, Maitland incorporated using votes from Black people, and at least one Black man was elected as a town officer. A year after incorporation, there were "discussions of separation as a peaceful, progressive-minded, mutually beneficial solution to the so-called 'race problem'.”[1] While sources seem to disagree on the exact date and year of the town's incorporation, the town's official site provides a detailed account of the process and the dates.[8]
TheTown of Eatonville was officially incorporated as a municipality on August 15, 1887.[2]
Jim Crow laws enforced segregation, violence and racial discrimination in theSouthern United States in the late 19th century. TheEatonville Speaker newspaper printed an invitation in 1889:
“Colored People of the United States! Solve the Great Race Problem by Securing a Home in Eatonville, Florida, a Negro City Governed by Negroes.” The article describes Eatonville as a "thriving community of 200-300 people — all colored, and NOT A WHITE FAMILY in the whole city.” The newspaper also recounts a near-lynching inSanford, nineteen miles away.[1]
Rev. Columbus H. Boger Sr. (1857-1918) was Eatonville's first mayor, serving from 1887-1888. He edited theFlorida Watchman newspaper.[9] A Post Office opened at Eatonville in 1889,[10] and closed in 1918.
Hurston's novelTheir Eyes Were Watching God is set in the town and nearby communities, many of which have disappeared with the expansion of Greater Orlando.
Before the days of racial integration, Club Eaton was a popular stop on theChitlin' Circuit, hosting performers ranging fromB.B. King toAretha Franklin,Ray Charles,Sam Cooke,The Platters,Duke Ellington,Ella Fitzgerald,Billie Holiday andJames Brown.[11]
The EatonvilleHistoric District was designated and added to theNational Register of Historic Places on February 3, 1998. The district is bounded by Wymore Road, Eaton Street, Fords, and East Avenues, Ruffel, and Clark Streets. It contains 48 historic buildings. Several are related to the town's establishment as a home for African Americans and to its most famous former resident,Zora Neale Hurston.[12]
Some homes and buildings located in the Eatonville Historic District:
Eatonville is located at28°37′7″N81°23′0″W / 28.61861°N 81.38333°W /28.61861; -81.38333 (28.618727, –81.383440).[13]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2), of which 1.0 square mile (2.6 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (9.17%) is water.
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild winters. According to theKöppen climate classification, the Town of Eatonville has ahumid subtropical climate zone (Cfa).
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 125 | — | |
| 1910 | 108 | −13.6% | |
| 1920 | 125 | 15.7% | |
| 1930 | 136 | 8.8% | |
| 1960 | 857 | — | |
| 1970 | 2,024 | 136.2% | |
| 1980 | 2,185 | 8.0% | |
| 1990 | 2,170 | −0.7% | |
| 2000 | 2,432 | 12.1% | |
| 2010 | 2,159 | −11.2% | |
| 2020 | 2,349 | 8.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[14] Florida Department of Agriculture[15] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 2000[16] | Pop 2010[17] | Pop 2020[18] | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White (NH) | 169 | 147 | 265 | 6.95% | 6.81% | 11.28% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 2,151 | 1,788 | 1,692 | 88.45% | 82.82% | 72.03% |
| Native American orAlaska Native (NH) | 7 | 0 | 6 | 0.29% | 0.00% | 0.26% |
| Asian (NH) | 7 | 16 | 7 | 0.29% | 0.74% | 0.30% |
| Pacific Islander orNative Hawaiian (NH) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00% | 0.05% | 0.04% |
| Other race (NH) | 0 | 2 | 10 | 0.00% | 0.09% | 0.43% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | 12 | 9 | 47 | 0.49% | 0.42% | 2.00% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 86 | 196 | 321 | 3.54% | 9.08% | 13.67% |
| Total | 2,432 | 2,159 | 2,349 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2020 United States census, there were 2,349 people, 849 households, and 437 families residing in the town.[19]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 2,159 people, 709 households, and 514 families residing in the town.[20]
As of thecensus[4] of 2000, there were 2,432 people, 761 households, and 548 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,469.5 inhabitants per square mile (953.5/km2). There were 858 housing units at an average density of 871.2 per square mile (336.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 89.31%African American, 7.5%White, 0.49%Native American, 0.29%Asian, 1.56% fromother races, and 0.82% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 3.54% of the population.
In 2000, there were 761 households, out of which 35.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.0% weremarried couples living together, 37.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.9% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.92 and the average family size was 3.42.
In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 33.6% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 19.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.
In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $29,457, and the median income for a family was $31,042. Males had a median income of $21,719 versus $21,328 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $11,257. About 21.9% of families and 25.0% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 29.3% of those under age 18 and 24.5% of those age 65 or over.
The Town of Eatonville has aMayor-Council government.
Interstate 4 passes through the city limits, but there is no exit. The closest exits areFlorida State Road 423 (to the south) andFlorida State Road 414 (to the north).[33]
TheRobert Hungerford Normal and Industrial School was founded in 1897 for vocational education for Black students by Professor and Mrs. Russell C. Calhoun, a graduate ofTuskegee Institute. At that time, segregation in the South provided few opportunities for non-whites. The 160 acres (65 ha) land was donated by E.C. Hungerford ofChester, Connecticut in memory of his physician son, Robert, who died ofyellow fever. Cash donations came from across the country, including $400 fromBooker T. Washington. The school was successful and more than 100 students were boarding in 1927, as well as local children attending and adult classes offered at night. Ten years later,Orange County provided bus transportation for black children from nearbyWinter Park to attend the school. The school provided both vocational and college preparation, teaching English, Latin, history, general science, biology, algebra, geometry, industrial arts and home economics. Students could also learn bookkeeping and typing, physical education and agriculture. Programs for drafting and radio were added during the 1940s. The campus included girls & boys dormitories, a dining hall, library, chapel, laundry, industrial training shops, home economics laboratory, equipment barn and farmland. To keep expenses down, students were assigned various duties around the campus including jobs at the school's dairy, chicken coops, gardens and janitorial/maintenance of the institution's classrooms and buildings. The school had been privately funded until theOrange County Public Schools (OCPS) took control in 1950. The Hungerford School was closed in 2010.[7]
The Hungerford campus had grown to 300 acres (120 ha) in 1950, and was held in trust for the school. That land was almost 40% of the town of Eatonville. 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".[8] Since the original purchase, OCPS has petitioned the courts multiple times to reduce the number of acres required to be used for the education of black children from 300 to 100 with OCPS receiving almost $8 million. The remaining 100 acres (40 ha) parcel was appraised in 2019 for $20 million, but the OCPS announced their intention to sell the land to a developer for $14 million on March 31, 2023.[8] The plans include a "new community" of 350 homes, apartments, retail businesses and restaurants. 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.[8]
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Municipalities and communities ofOrange County, Florida,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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