The War of 1812 begins. In West Florida, British forces enlist both Blacks and Native Americans. The ensuing fight in the region becomes known as the Patriots War. Sarrazota (also known as Angola) existed in the Tampa Bay-Sarasota-Manatee area. Florida was a sovereign territory of Spain. Free people of color, formerly enslaved Africans (some were called Black Seminoles and Seminole Indians) lived along the Manatee River in a farming community that stretched into Sarasota.

During the Patriots War, more Blacks ally with the British. Their forces are defeated. In 1815, the British leave a fort at Prospect Bluff on the Apalachicola River to Blacks where they reside and create villages nearby with Native American allies. The place becomes known as Negro Fort.

Under the direction of then Gen. Andrew Jackson, the U.S. Navy attacks Prospect Bluff Fort. A cannon ball strikes the fort’s stockpile of ammunition causing an explosion that instantly kills about 270 of 320 inhabitants. Some survivors, including the fort’s Black commandant Garcon, were executed. Displaced Blacks moved south and throughout Florida.

Jeffrey Bolding, formerly enslaved in North Carolina came to the area in 1857 and worked for the Whitaker Family. He died at age 70 in 1904.

Lewis Colson came to Sarasota with his wife Irene. He drove the first stake into the ground to assist Richard Paulson in platting the town of Sarasota at Five Points in 1885. Sarasota was platted by the Florida Mortgage and Investment Company, a Scottish entity.

 In 1885 Colson worked with Robert E. Paulson to survey and plat the original town of Sarasota for the Florida Mortgage and Investment Company.

In 1897 Lewis and Irene Colson sold the deed for the land to build Bethlehem Baptist Church for $1.

In 1899, Bethlehem Baptist Church was the first church built by and for African Americans. John Mays, a carpenter and builder helped complete the construction of the church.

In 1899, Lewis Colson was appointed as the first minister of Bethlehem Baptist Church.

Between 1899 and 1937, twelve more African American churches are founded.

In 1900, Leonard Reid arrived in Sarasota from South Carolina. He graduated as valedictorian from Savannah Normal School before coming to Sarasota where he became a community leader.

In 1902, Sarasota is incorporated. Colonel John Hamilton Gillespie is elected as the first mayor. Leonard Reid worked for Col. Gillespie and assisted in designing Sarasota’s first golf course and became its first greenskeeper.

In 1903, Payne Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church was the second church built by and for African Americans. Leonard Reid and wife Eddye Coleman were influential in forming this church.

The arrival of the first train of the Seaboard Air Line Railway.

Between the years 1905 and 1925, the Gillespie Golf Course was opened.

In 1910, Josie Washington opened the first kindergarten in her home. Lucinda Wiggins also started a home-based school.  

In 1912, the first formal school facility for African American children was established in the Knights of Pythias Hall. Emma Edwina Booker, who Wright Bush helped to recruit, became the principal.

Mt. Moriah Christian Church is established in the year of 1913.

In 1914, the first addition to the Newtown Plat was filed on August 6,  creating 74 additional lots.

In the year of 1914, Newtown was established. The neighborhood was platted by C.N. Thompson and son on April 20. The subdivision contained 240 lots on forty acres designated “exclusively for colored people”.

In 1916, the Free and Accepted Masons, Pride of Sarasota Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and St. Mary’s Calanthe Court organizations were established.

Congress passed the Selective Service Act on May 18, 1917.

Recruiting officer Charles Ayler (from Bradenton) recruited black and white men to serve for battle in WWI, October 2,  1917.

More than 100 “Colored Selects” recruited from Sarasota and Bradenton were sent to train as Army soldiers at Camp Devens, Massachusetts on August 4, 1918.

In the year of 1918, Truevine Missionary Baptist Church is established.

In 1919, Anti-black race riots erupted in 26 cities across the country during the summer and fall.

There was a Florida land boom during the 1920s. Overtown’s business district grows with new churches, hotels, a movie theater and many other African American owned businesses.

During the mid-1920s, Newtown Heights opens.

The House of God Church is established in 1922.

In the year of 1923, The Knights of Pythias Hall School celebrated its first graduating class. The staff included Principal Emma Edwina Booker and teachers Aravia Benton Johnson, Lucinda Wiggins and Mayme Williams Faulk. Quessie M. Hall was in the first graduating class.

In 1924, Bethel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church was established.

In 1925, the Rosenwald Foundation provided “seed money” to construct Sarasota Grammar School (later renamed Booker Grammar School) at Lemon Avenue and 7th Street. It was the first public school built for African American students and had eight grade levels.

In 1925, New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church, Bethel Christian Methodist Episcopal, and Church of God in Christ are established.

In 1926, The Colson Hotel opened to accommodate African American residents and travelers.

In 1928, Greater Hurst Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is established.

During the 1930s and 40s, Sarasota accelerates the development of Newtown with the construction of a housing project along Orange Avenue and increased housing standards in the Overtown area.

In 1930, The Shiloh Primitive Baptist Church is established.

In 1930, Newtown Day Nursery opened and was later renamed the Helen R. Payne Center.  

In 1930, Helen R. Payne opens the Johnson Camp celery farm on Fruitville Road.

In 1932, Church of Christ was established.

In 1935, Booker High School graduated its first class: Marthena Riley, Nacoma Williams (Carter), Annie Mae Blue (McElroy) and A.L. Williams.  

In the year of 1937, Emma E. Booker obtained her bachelor’s degree after 20 years of part-time study. During that same period, she was a school principal and teacher.

In 1937, Bee Ridge Turpentine Camp opens.

Between the years of 1937 to 1956, Nine Devils baseball team had great success through the Florida State Negro League.

In 1939, Booker High School relocated to Orange Avenue and 32nd Street in Newtown. Many African American students had moved from Overtown to Newtown.

In the year of 1939, The T.B. Health Unit was organized to combat the spread of tuberculosis.

Between the years of 1939 and 1940, Florida formed nine branches of the NAACP.

During the 1940s, Herbert and Catherine Jenkins hired African American general contractor Rev. J.H. Floyd to construct their grocery store.

During the 1940s, The Lily White Security Benefit Association #59 was established in Sarasota under the leadership of Deacon Jack Harris. The Association provided medical care to poor black people throughout Southwest Florida.

In 1940, A USO building for African American soldiers was built in Newtown.

In 1940, he first public housing development in Newtown opened with 60 units.

In 1941, the first NAACP State Conference of Branches in the nation was formed held from October 17-19 in Florida.

Between 1943 and 1945, John “Buck” O’Neil, Newtown’s famous Negro Leagues player and Major League Baseball manager served in the U.S. Navy.

In 1946, Roland W. Rogers arrives in Sarasota as principal of Booker School. Former students described him as a disciplinarian with a booming voice who taught the mantra “cleanliness is next to godliness.” In collaboration with dedicated teachers, parents and other concerned citizens of Newtown, Booker schools developed new academic and sports programs and were consolidated. They also achieved accreditation by the Southern Association of Education.

In 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first African American in the modern 20th century era to play on a major league team, the Brooklyn Dodgers.

In 1948, Mrs. Letha Range organized the Choirs Union, a group of nine church choirs from the African American community. Proceeds from Sunday afternoon concerts helped the Old Folks Aid Home.

On 1948, President Harry S. Truman signs an executive order to desegregate the U.S. military.

On the year of 1949, the Elks Club was established.

Between the 1950s and 1960s was the Civil Rights Era: Many protests were held to desegregate schools, beaches and restaurants.

During the 1950s, the Colored Women’s Civic Club was formed by women in Newtown and led by Mrs. Mary Emma Jones. The Club was on the forefront of the battle for equal treatment and civil rights. Members were a catalyst that brought about major changes in health care, social services, and recreation for the Newtown community.

During the 1950s, Henrietta Gayles and Edna Nothage, RNs were the first African American public health nurses hired by the Sarasota County Health Department to serve the African American community and seasonal migrant camp laborers.

In the year 1950, Under the “Slum Clearance Program” the city began removing housing stock in the Overtown area

On the year 1950, A public housing development called “The Courts” opens with 100 units.

In 1951, The Old Folk Aid Club was formed as a result of a proposal made by Rev. J.H. Floyd.

In 1952, Sarasota County branch of the NAACP founded.

In 1952, Pine tree turpentine production was exhausted in Sarasota.

On 1954, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote the landmark Supreme Court decision in Brown vs  Board of Education, which abolished the “separate but equal” policy and mandated school desegregation.

In 1954, Mamie Baker Young Establishes the first Special Education Department in Sarasota.

On October 3, 1955 one hundred African American residents drove to Lido Beach to wade in the water in defiance of Jim Crow regulations.

In the year of 1957, Dr. John W. Chenault moved to Sarasota from Tallahassee. On the year of 1957, Dr. John W. Chenault moved to Sarasota from Tallahassee. Chenault had the first African American medical office in Newtown and was the first African American given practicing privileges at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

In the year 1957, Florida A& M University student Edward E. James, II courageously confronted City Manager Ken Thompson and became the catalyst for the integration Sarasota County libraries.

Between the 1960s and 1970s, Sarasota County Health Department ended its “whites only” policy.  

In the year of 1960, Newtown was now home to about 6% of Sarasota County’s population (around 7,000 people)

The public housing development “Bertha Mitchell” opens with 100 units in 1960.

A federal lawsuit was filed when Sarasota County schools refused to desegregate in 1961.

In the year 1962, the first African American students enrolled in white schools. The desegregation order divided Newtown into four districts and closed the Booker schools. Bay Haven became the first integrated county elementary school and enrolled 29 black students.

Gwendolyn Atkins graduated from Florida A&M University (FAMU) nursing school in 1964 and got a job that year at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.

During the year 1965, Roland Rogers took the position of Coordinator of Community Relations for the Sarasota County School Board.

In the year 1964, Mrs. Viola Sanders organized the Amaryllis Park Neighborhood Association to support neighbors who were sick or bereaved. She started the practice of sending cards, flowers and resolutions to the sick or the family of the deceased, collecting donations door-to-door. Neighbors formed a crime watch and walked their community.

In 1965 Michael Campell dies in the Vietnam war. This is the first Vietnam War casualty from Newtown.

In 1967 the Sarasota County schools are integrated.

On the year 1967, in defiance of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the City of Sarasota passed an ordinance against interracial beaches. Carloads of Newtown residents drove repeatedly to several segregated beaches, protesting the discriminatory Jim Crow policies until they were revoked.

In 1967 Booker High School is closed.

In 1968 Booker Jr. High School is closed.

In 1968

On May 4, 1969, a boycott by 2,353 African American students in Sarasota County Public Schools was held to protest the proposed closing of Amaryllis Elementary School.

In the 1970s Walter Reid, Jr presented a farewell to his high school by becoming the first African American to give the graduating speech to the then recently integrated Riverview High School. Reid’s presentation was so dynamic the he received a standing ovation from the crowd in attendance, and the media coverage the next day filled with accolades.

In his years at the integrated Riverview High School, he was the only African American that was a member of the National Honor Society, and graduated with High Honors.

In the year 1970, Georgia Thomas was congratulated for 25 years of service as a nurse at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. She began working at the hospital in 1945 when it integrated its staff.

Booker High school re-opens in 1970.

In 1971 the Henry L. Porter Evangelistic Association, Inc. was established

In the year 1971, the public housing development “Janie Poe” opens with 128 units and “Cohen Way” opens with 72 units.

The show “Black Almanac” hosted by Dr. Ed James II begins the 2nd week of April 1972 on Sarasota’s ABC affiliate, ABC 7. Dr. Edward James II requested the construction of a dugout at the Newtown Estates baseball field to protect players from inclement weather. The dugout is dedicated in honor of Dr. James.

In 1972, Dorothye Smith was appointed as principal of Southside Elementary. She was the first African American named as principal of a predominately white school.

In 1973, the Union of Concerned Parents is formed.

In 1975, the First Freedom Fund Banquet was held in Florida.

In 1978, public housing development “McCown Towers” opens with 175 units

In the year 1979, a federal lawsuit was filed by Newtown activists against the City of Sarasota. The plaintiffs were Edward James, William F. Jackson, John H. Rivers, and Sheila E. Sanders. Fred E. Soto, Mayor of Sarasota; Ron Norman, Vice-Mayor; T.J. “Tony” Saprito, Rita Roehr, and William McCullough were the defendants.

The suit sought a judgment against Sarasota’s at-large system that diluted black voting strength. The plaintiffs wanted an injunction to prevent the defendants from holding any other elections under the at-large system. They also wanted the court to order that city commissioners be elected from single-member districts.

During the 1980s, the Northside Progressive Men’s Club and The North County Civic League are formed.

In the year 1980, Sarasota Sickle Cell Foundation was formed with Clara Williams as President. The foundation offered financial and medical assistance with counseling and education.

Florida hosts the NAACP National Convention for the first time in 1980.

The West Coast Center for Human Development and Koinonia Missionary Baptist Church were established in 1980.

Six Florida community -based organizations (C.B.O.s), including Newtown’s Union of Concerned Parents were wrongly accused of crimes by the FBI in 1981. 

In 1984, Newtown Little League became part of Little League International and opened up play the first weekend in April with eight teams. The founder and President was Fredd Atkins; the Vice President was Ricky Thomas and the Head Coach of Officials was Ervin Crummer.

In 1985, Fredd Atkins was elected the first African American to serve as a City of Sarasota Commissioner. 

In 1994, the celery fields were purchased by Sarasota County and converted into a tourist destination.

In 1995, Sarasota named the Buck O’Neil Baseball Complex in honor of Buck O’Neil who gained fame in the Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball.

The Sarasota County Health Department eliminated home visits in 1995.

In 1999, the Abundant Life Christian Center was established by Pastor Kelvin Lumpkin with 11 members.

In the year 2000, the Amaryllis Park Neighborhood Association was reorganized on June 6 with Mr. Calvin Bryant as President.

In the year 2000, Trinity Christian Fellowship Center Incorporated was established on July 9 by Rev. R. Vincent Smith, III.

Between the years 2001 and 2003, Carolyn Mason became the first female African American to serve as mayor in the history of Sarasota.

Overtown stakeholders reached a consensus to seek Historic District designation in 2001.

In 2002, Overtown was designated as “the first black community” in Sarasota, was entered on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

In 2002, the Newtown-North Sarasota Redevelopment Office was established to support and strengthen the community in areas of economic and business development; administration; neighborhood strategic alliances; redevelopment projects; and enriching the recreational, educational and environmental well being of local residents and stakeholders.

The EPA designated the former city “dump” site in Newtown as a “Brownfield” in 2004.

In 2005, the documentary “Condemned” illuminated racial disparities of public housing living conditions in Sarasota.

In 2008, Carolyn Mason was elected as the first African American female elected to serve on the Sarasota County Board of Commissioners.

In 2009

Public housing development “Janie’s Gardens Phase I” opens with 86 units in 2009.

“A Whitepaper 2009: Sarasota’s Newtown Healthcare Iconoclasm” is published by James E. McCloud condemning the appalling state of healthcare for African Americans in Sarasota.

Trinity Christian Fellowship Center, Inc. acquired 19.1 acres of land in Sarasota to construct a sanctuary, children’s church, gymnasium,  a school and retirement center in 2009. 

Abundant Life Christian Center merged with Bethesda Word of Faith Church and became Light of the World International Church in 2010. 

A $60 million rebuild of Booker High School transformed the campus into a 21st century learning environment with state-of-the-art classrooms, labs and offices in 2010. 

The 44,000 square foot Robert L. Taylor Community Complex opened with amenities and activities for all ages with a strong focus on programs for teens in 2011. 

Public housing development “Janie’s Gardens Phase II” opens with 68 affordable housing units and retail spaces along Newtown’s primary thoroughfare in 2011. 

In 2015, athletes Tony Green (NFL Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks) and Patrick Carter (NFL Detroit Lions, the Los Angeles Rams, the Houston Oilers and the Arizona Cardinals) were inducted into the Riverview High School Hall of Fame.

Patrick Carter was inducted into the Florida State University Hall of Fame in 2015.

In 2015, the Newtown Conservation Historic District Project kicks off with a team of experts selected to document Newtown’s 100-year history in a research report, through oral histories and an analysis of historic resources. The team consists of  volunteer researchers from ASALH and the community; and Project Director Vickie Oldham, Cultural Anthropologist Dr. Rosalyn Howard, Architectural historian Dave Baber, Sarasota architect Chris Wenzel and social media strategist and photographer Kacey Troupe.

In 2016, a groundbreaking was held on November 9 for a Sarasota Memorial Health Care System outpatient clinic’s construction at 1825 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Expected completion date is Summer 2017.  The clinic will offer primary and preventative care by resident physicians training in the Internal Medicine Residency Program at Sarasota Memorial. They will be under the supervision of physicians on the faculty of Florida State University College of Medicine.

The Board of Sarasota County Commissioners granted final approval for development of a Newtown website on January 26, 2016.

In the years 2016 to 17- Booker High School has the most diverse student enrollment of all Sarasota County schools. There are one third African American, Caucasian and Latina students.

A few of the oldest businesses still remain open in Newtown:  Jetson’s Creative Trends, Brother Lance’s food stands, the Town Hall Restaurant, Second Chance Last Opportunity and Dollar Dynasty.

Public housing development “Janie’s Gardens Phase III” opens with 72 units in 2016.

Newtown Conservation Historic District team is awarded the “community service” award at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Breakfast on January 19, 2016.