Skip to content

Sway to its rhythm, tap into the neighborhood’s heartbeat, visit landmarks and meet its courageous trailblazers who built a thriving community. Newtown is a resilient community undergoing revitalization and redevelopment. It has a rich legacy and is located on Florida’s Cultural Coast considered “the cultural center of the southeastern United States.

Newtown’s history

Dignity, Courage and Determination

Your search is over! Actually, the first step of your study about how Newtown developed and grew is done. A team of experts made your work easier. Historians, a cultural anthropologist, architectural historian and preservationist joined volunteers in combing the area’s archives and repositories to collect information about Newtown and Overtown’s history.

Residents shared their photographs, treasured memories and memorabilia.

Over 400 primary and secondary source documents about life in two of Sarasota’s oldest communities were found. We hope our work will increase your curiosity, raise more questions and spark new discoveries.

Newtown Alive For over 100 years, African American residents played a major role in the development of Sarasota. View Newtown’s historic timeline over the last century.

Newtown’s Timeline

Newtown’s evolution over the last century
For over 100 years, African American residents played a major role in the development of Sarasota. Black labor cleared snake infested land for real estate developers, laid railroad ties, harvested celery, helped plat golf courses and labored in the homes of Sarasota’s influential power brokers cooking, cleaning, ironing and rearing children.
Book a Trolley tour today
Understanding local African American history is so important, especially now. We tailor group tours according to the date that works best for organizations. Seats are available for individuals always. There are no daily tours. Email us about the next tour: newtownalivesrq@gmail.com

Price: $45 Online payments accepted via PayPal.

The Soul of Sarasota | Greater Sarasota

We follow Newtown born and raised spoken word artist, Melanie Lavender. Inspiring the community through her words, she continues to cultivate strength and to speak up about the need for representation in Sarasota. Through her story, we explore Newtown’s rich culture and heritage as a vital force for the future of Sarasota.

Watch this episode and more at: wedu.org/greater

Suncoast People: Vickie Oldham

Most former journalists either retire or move on to another career. My guest, Vickie Oldham has navigated her way through a career in broadcast journalism, historic preservationist, higher education administrator, author, documentary filmmaker, and the President and CEO of a nonprofit that is focused on building a cultural arts center and history museum in her hometown of Sarasota. Ms. Oldham is an example of how an individual has applied her professional knowledge and experience to a career transformation – again and again. If you’re looking at a career change or if you need some inspiration, take a listen. You just might walk away with something you didn’t know.

Buck O'Neil - Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Speech

News

Sarasota artist celebrates history of Newtown with new quilt

Vickie Oldham initially learned about Peg Green’s new art quilt but only truly felt its emotional impact when she visited Green’s home to see it in person. The quilt, titled “Leadership: Vickie Oldham, Newtown Alive,” symbolized progress in Oldham’s work in preserving the history of Newtown, a predominantly Black community in Sarasota. Oldham, the president […]
News

Newtown Women Leaders in Community Engagement in Preservation and Heritage Tourism

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County recently published an insightful blog post titled “Women Leaders in Community Engagement in Preservation and Heritage Tourism.” The article highlights the significant contributions of women leaders in preserving and promoting heritage tourism within the Sarasota community. The blog post delves into the pivotal role of women in driving community […]
News

Ringling Museum celebrates Newtown Community Artist

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is hosting a new exhibition, “Glimpse of the Artist: A Community Celebration,” highlighting the cultural diversity and artistic output of Sarasota’s predominantly African American Newtown community. The exhibition, on view at The Ringling’s Community Gallery, is presented by the Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition and is co-curated by […]
News

Fox13:Home carrying legacy of Sarasota’s first Black community to be relocated, transformed for cultural center

SARASOTA, Fla. – A home in Sarasota‘s Rosemary District will soon carry the legacy of the city’s first Black community. Plans are in the works to transform it into an African American cultural arts center and history museum, but first the home has to be relocated. “This house was the homestead of Mr. Leonard Reid […]
News

SUNDAY ‘NOIRE: Black Historian Shares The Hidden History Of Newtown, A Historically Black Neighborhood In Florida

Deep within Sarasota, Florida lies the historic neighborhood of Newtown, a community where thousands of African American residents flocked in the early 1900s. The Black community built their own safe haven in the quaint seaside town after Jim Crow Laws enforced racial segregation throughout the South. Formed in 1914, the neighborhood was once home to […]
News

USAToday: Sun, sand and civil rights: Uncovering Black history at the beach and beyond

Sarasota, Florida’s white sand beaches and crystal-clear waters draw visitors from far and wide, but they weren’t always so welcoming. “Few of our guests, our international and domestic tourists who come here, understand why these beaches are open to Black and brown people from everywhere in the world,” said Vickie Oldham, who chronicled 100 years of local Black history […]
News

Herald Tribune: “A coalition is teaching Sarasotans about African American history, as it waits to open a museum”

Vickie Oldham wants Sarasotans to understand the courage and dignity of the African American residents who built Sarasota’s infrastructure. Black laborers built the railroad that ran through downtown Sarasota, Oldham noted. They helped clear snake-infested land on the barrier islands to ready it for development. And some worked for John Ringling’s circus.   Such stories […]
News

Sarasota County Schools Unveils Statue of Groundbreaking Educator

Newtown Alive and Sarasota County Schools this weekend unveiled a bronze plaque cast in the likeness of Mrs. Dorothye Smith that will adorn the front of Southside Elementary School for generations to come. After completing her education at Bethune-Cookman University, Smith began her career in Sarasota teaching African-American fourth graders at Emma E. Booker Elementary […]
News

Back to Angola Festival to Celebrate Historic Ties Between The Bahamas and Bradenton, FL

“The Oak Tree Community Outreach, a local not-for-profit corporation, is hosting  an international event July 19-21 at The Curry House at Reflections of Manatee Inc., 1305 4th Ave East, with historical  significance to The Bahamas and Bradenton, Florida. The Back to Angola Festival  will celebrate the blended history of Red Bays, Bahamas, and the early 1800s community known as […]
News

Lost and found: A haven for former slaves

“After reading a short passage from Canter Brown Jr.’s book, “Florida’s Peace River Frontier,” Vickie Oldham was so startled she had to read the passage again. And then again. And again. “I wanted to commit it to memory,” she says. Oldham, who grew up in southwest Florida, had always been a student of the area’s […]
News

Get to Know Newtown Through its History

“The African American community in Sarasota known as Newtown is a local gem containing the rich history of people, places and events that contributed greatly to the development of our beautiful city by the sea.” Read more from this overview of Newtown Alive from Visit Sarasota: https://www.visitsarasota.com/get-know-newtown-through-its-history
News

Oldham and Williams: Newtown needs an arts center and museum

“Cultural arts centers, museums and libraries situated in the heart of African American neighborhoods add texture, vibrancy and richness to a community. The facilities bring diverse people together and invite residents, visitors and guests to venture into underrepresented communities. Welcome doors swing open both ways for an understanding and exploration of the unknown and unfamiliar. […]
.

In Memoriam: Rev. Wade Harvin Jr.

Wade Harvin’s favorite memories of Sarasota occurred when the family moved to Delson Quarters in June of 1945. He grew up surrounded by charming, caring neighbors and playmates whose eyes were always set on achieving what seemed impossible.

In this spirit, Harvin went on to become the first African American branch manager of Coast Federal Bank and participated in the 1960’s sit-ins to integrate Lido Beach. He would not step foot on its sand for many years to follow as a result of a hateful act, but because of the efforts of him and many others, all people today can enjoy the beautiful shores.

Rev. Wade Harvin Jr. passed away on April 10, 2019, but his impactful legacy will always be remembered by the community.

Pictured above: Wade Harvin

Get the Book!

Newtown’s evolution over the last century

A new book about the history of Sarasota’s African American community is now available. Find out why early settlers came to the tiny fishing village, how they made a living, and why they organized a self-sustaining neighborhood. The book also describes their religious and social traditions, medical and military history and their emphasis on education. Whether you are new to Sarasota, a frequent visitor, an educator, historian or a longtime resident trying to connect the dots in your family tree, we believe the personal stories of courage, dignity and determination of Newtown and Overtown residents will be enlightening and inspiring.

The men and women fought for equal rights, triumphed over Jim Crow segregation, KKK intimidation, and vigilante violence. A diverse group of historians, community scholars, a cultural anthropologist, historical architect and preservationist and volunteer researchers united to present the glorious history of strivers who refused to give up.

Celebrate the history and cultural heritage of Newtown, one of Sarasota’s oldest communities. Enjoy our culture, history interviews and podcasts.