(Featured photo: Fred Barber at the Ace Theater. Courtesy Jetson Grimes Collection.) “For many retirees new to Sarasota, local history is high on the list of topics to explore — from landmarks like The Ringling and Historic Spanish Point to written chronicles of the real estate fortunes made and lost here. But in recent years, […]

“Following the 1954 landmark decision Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka, which ruled “separate but equal” unconstitutional, one of the first goals of the Sarasota NAACP was the establishment of a Negro beach. Because all north Sarasota beaches were for whites only, blacks had to go to an area adjacent to the Venice […]

Overtown Heritage Day, a re-dedication ceremony of the “First Black Community” historic marker, was held Sunday, May 19, 2019. Former Overtown residents returned to their community with Rosemary District and Sarasota Residents to honor the early African American pioneers who built the town’s infrastructure. Want to see more great photos from Overtown Heritage Day? Visit […]

(Featured photo: Nighttime in the Rosemary District. Courtesy Vickie Oldham Collection.) “Overtown was established in 1885, a year after the first African-American settler arrived in Sarasota. But it took 100 years for the site to be acknowledged with an official historical marker. This sign — removed for safekeeping during the feverish construction that has transformed the […]

“The Rosemary District is exploding with new development, and the ribbon-cutting is scheduled this weekend for the new Rosemary Square. But as we look toward the future, it’s also important to remember this area’s rich and diverse past.” Watch coverage from Suncoast View about Overtown, Sarasota’s first African American community: https://www.mysuncoast.com/video/2019/05/17/we-look-back-overtown-impact-suncoast-history-suncoast-view/?fbclid=IwAR2dp1zysu7VcbgVWAZCeHrvkur__ngoC-fFe0zC7FPFObXEbt-rMqE28f0

(Featured photo courtesy of INSTUDIO E PHOTO.) “It has all the makings of a good old fashion block party complete with food, dancing, and face painting. The message behind the festivities digs deeper into Sarasota’s past, officially naming Sunday May 19th as ‘Overtown Heritage Day’.” Read more from SNN News coverage about Overtown Heritage Day: https://www.snntv.com/story/40499606/rosemary-square-celebrates-overtown-heritage-day

(Featured photo courtesy of INSTUDIO E PHOTO.) Overtown Heritage Day, celebrating the first African American community in Sarasota, was one of the “Top 10 Things To Do This Weekend” from May 17-19, according to the Sarasota Herald Tribune. The event was listed as number three on the list. Read more: https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20190517/top-10-things-to-do-this-weekend-in-sarasota-bradenton-venice-may-17-19?fbclid=IwAR3XQMs8nIPf8pJQq2xiovmfjSfoUJ2K7rZ8Mgzwq4SzHV7RZqDqb3bwWMQ  

(Featured photo courtesy Vickie Oldham.) “Sarasota’s first African-American community, Overtown, will be in the spotlight during a Newtown History Makers panel next week. Overtown, a segregated residential area of just 20 acres, was the first black community in Sarasota in the 1920s. While Newtown continues to operate as an historical landmark, Overtown was lost to […]

(Featured photo courtesy of: YourObserver.com.) “Newtown Alive! and Visit Sarasota County organized a re-enactment of the caravans and Lido Beach wade-ins that advocated for integration. The event, held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, also commemorated the addition of Newtown’s African-American heritage trail to the U.S. Civil Rights Trail.” Read more about the impactful and […]

(Featured photo courtesy of: Herald-Tribune staff photo / Dan Wagner.) “More than a dozen Gators sat in a circle at the Goodwill Selby Newtown Center on Friday morning to launch an academic project that the community hopes will have a concrete outcome. The University of Florida architecture and construction students had come from Gainesville on […]

“Over the past few years, the Martin Luther King Way Corridor has made several strides towards redevelopment. Now the effort to revitalize the area is getting another push. In the past few years we’ve seen a new medical practice and even a few restaurants coming up on the MLK Corridor. But now, just recently, City […]

“Called one of the most significant historical sites in Florida and perhaps the U.S. by Florida historian Canter Brown Jr., Angola is a story of struggle, tragedy and, ultimately, survival in the quest for freedom.” Read more in Sarasota Magazine: https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/articles/2018/6/27/a-newly-excavated-settlement-highlights-florida-s-history-as-a-haven-for-escaped-slaves