Rosewood, Florida

Coordinates: 29°14′N 82°56′W / 29.233°N 82.933°W / 29.233; -82.933
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Rosewood, Florida
ZIP code
32625
Area code352

Rosewood is an

African-American community prospered there in the early 20th century, until a white mob destroyed it in the 1923 Rosewood massacre
.

History

Settlement

Rosewood was settled in 1845, with its industry centered on timber, from

cedar trees; there were pencil mills in nearby Cedar Key. The initial settlers of Rosewood were both Black and White. When most of the cedar trees in the area had been cut by 1890, the pencil mills closed, and many White residents moved to Sumner. By 1900, the population in Rosewood had become predominantly Black. The village of Sumner was predominantly White, and relations between the two communities were relatively amicable.[2]
The population of Rosewood peaked in 1915 at 355 people.

Two Black families in Rosewood named Goins and Carrier were the most influential. The Goins family brought the

U.S. Census. In 1920, the combined population of both towns was 344 Blacks and 294 Whites.[5]

Before the massacre

As was common in the late 19th century South, Florida had imposed legal racial segregation under Jim Crow laws, requiring separate Black and White public facilities and transportation.[6] Blacks and Whites created their own community centers: in 1920, the residents of Rosewood were mostly self-sufficient. They had three churches, a school, a large Masonic Hall, a turpentine mill, a sugarcane mill, a baseball team named the Rosewood Stars, and two general stores, one of which was White-owned. The village had about a dozen two-story wooden plank homes, other small two-room houses, and several small unoccupied plank farm and storage structures. Some families owned pianos, organs, and other symbols of middle-class prosperity. Survivors of the Rosewood massacre remember it as a happy place. In 1995 survivor Robie Mortin recalled at age 79, "Rosewood was a town where everyone's house was painted. There were roses everywhere you walked. Lovely."[7]

Etymology

The name "Rosewood" refers to the reddish color of cut

cedar wood
.

Economy

Before 1923

A black and white photograph of a large building featuring a sign that reads "E Faber's Cedar Mill"; More than a dozen white men sit on a large cedar log in the foreground
This pencil mill in Cedar Key was an integral part of local industry.

Rosewood was settled in 1845, 9 miles (14 km) east of

timber. Two pencil mills were nearby in Cedar Key; several turpentine mills and a sawmill 3 miles (5 km) away in Sumner helped support local residents, as did farming of citrus and cotton. The hamlet grew enough to warrant the construction of a post office and train depot on the Florida Railroad
in 1870, but it was never incorporated as a town.

Decline of Rosewood's economy (1923–1950)

In 1923, during the infamous Rosewood massacre, the entire town of Rosewood was razed except for John Wright's General Store.[8] After the majority of the population fled Rosewood, the once profitable turpentine industry began to fade as newer, alternative synthetic products were being produced. By 1950, the turpentine industry practically no longer existed.[9]

Since 1950

Since the 1950s, several businesses were established in Rosewood, including a general store;

airfield. Several neighborhoods have been developed around these businesses.[10]

Rosewood Massacre

Main article:
Rosewood Massacre

In January 1923, white men from nearby towns lynched Sam Carter allegedly in response to a claim that a white woman, Fannie Taylor, in nearby Sumner had been beaten and possibly raped by a Black drifter. When Black citizens defended themselves against further attack, several hundred Whites organized to comb the countryside hunting for Black residents and burned almost every structure in Rosewood. Survivors hid for several days in nearby swamps and were evacuated by train and car to larger towns. The local sheriff and the Governor refused to send aid, including the National Guard. Although state and local authorities were aware of the violence, they made no arrests for the activities in Rosewood. The town was abandoned by Black residents during the attacks. None ever returned.

Massacre reparations

In the spring of 1994, the Florida state legislature voted to award $2 million in compensation for the nine surviving family members (equaling $150,000 each). In December 2010, a state scholarship was established for descendants of families that survived the massacre.

Governor Jeb Bush in 2004 placed a plaque memorializing the massacre in front of John Wright's general store, the only remaining structure from the Rosewood Massacre. This plaque was vandalized on at least one occasion when it was shot at from a passing car.[12]

Legal Issues

During the debate over Florida House Bill 591,

William Minoru Hohri
vs. United States.

Community services

In 1980, the Rosewood Volunteer Fire Department was officially established and the station number was designated as 80 in District 4.[14]

Films

References

  1. ^ Rosewood on Google Maps
  2. ^ Colburn, David R. (Fall 1997) "Rosewood and America in the Early Twentieth Century", The Florida Historical Quarterly, 76 (2), pp. 175–192.
  3. ^ Jones, et al. "Appendices", p. 135.
  4. ^ Jones, et al. "Appendices", p. 163.
  5. ^ Jones et al., p. 20.
  6. ^ Pildes, Richard H. "Democracy, Anti-Democracy, and the Canon", Constitutional Commentary (2000), 17, p 12–13.
  7. ^ Jerome, Richard (January 16, 1995). "A Measure of Justice", People, 43 (2), pp. 46–49
  8. ^ "Rosewood Massacre (1923)". Black Past. 23 March 2008. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
  9. ^ Hughes, Dan. "archaeologist". Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
  10. ^ "US Businesses in Cedar Key". US-Business. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
  11. ^ "Home - Florida Student Scholarship & Grant Programs".
  12. ^ DeGregory, Lane (6 June 2018). "The last house in Rosewood". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  13. ^ https://ir.law.fsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?httpsredir=1&article=1498&context=lr&httpsredir=1
  14. ^ Nyhart, Alan (December 5, 2015). "History of the Rosewood Volunteer Fire Department". Rosewood Heritage. 1 (1): 1–120.

Further reading

External links

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