ACCORD Freedom Trail

This area in the heart of Lincolnville was associated with black education for nearly a century. This lot was the site of the Presbyterian Parochial and Industrial School, headed by Rev. James H. Cooper. It was demolished in 1940 and the grounds became part of Excelsior School.

Across the street there were two school buildings dating back to the Flagler Era of the late 1800s, before the existing Excelsior School was built in 1925. It was the first public high school serving black students in St. Augustine. Before that, a public high school education had only been available to whites.

One of the early teachers at Excelsior was Edward D. Davis (1904-1989), who became president of the Florida NAACP and worked with civil rights martyr Harry T. Moore and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall on a campaign in the 1940s to equalize the pay of black and white teachers. At the time, blacks were paid only about half as much as their white counterparts were. Davis published his autobiography A Half Century of Struggle for Freedom in Florida in 1981.

Many Excelsior alumni made important contributions to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, including Henry Thomas (one of the original Freedom Riders), members of the Eubanks family, Henry and Katherine Twine, and College Football Hall of Famer Willie Galimore.

In 2005, the Excelsior building opened as the city's first museum of African American history.

This Historical Marker Presented this 2nd Day of July, 2009 by Northrop Grumman

Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.

Show me all markers in:  St Augustine, FL  |  St Johns County  |  32084  |  Florida  |  United States of America

112 M.L. King Avenue
97 M.L. King Avenue
Freedom Trail - 113 DeHaven Street
Black Catholic Heritage Historical
St. Paul A.M.E. Church
120 DeHaven Street
111 Lincoln Street
84 St. Benedict Street
First Baptist Church of St. Augustine
222 Riberia Street

• GPX
• KML
• LOC

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.