February is Black History Month.
Author: Douglas C. Lyons
Legend of Black Caesar haunts the Florida Keys
Black Caesar was a pirate of some renown who plundered ships off the Florida Keys, or so goes a legend worthy of mention during Black History Month.
‘Battle of Bloody Mose’: The defense of St. Augustine
On Saturday, June 28, the Fort Mose Historical Society hosts a reenactment of the Battle of Bloody Mose in St. Augustine.
Higgs Beach: African memorial is Key West link to slave era
Experts believe Higgs Beach in Key West is the site of the only African refugee cemetery in the United States.
A low point in Florida History: The Rosewood massacre
100 years ago, a white mob attacked an established Black community near Cedar Key and forever changed this remote corner of Florida. Here’s the story of the Rosewood Massacre.
Fort Gadsden, ‘Negro Fort’ history buried in Apalachicola National Forest
One of Florida’s least accessible historic sites, Fort Gadsden, also known as “The Negro Fort”, is a tale of war — and the deadliest cannonball in American history.
Once the ‘colored beach,’ outstanding state park honors civil rights leaders
The outstanding beach known as John U. Lloyd State Park is being renamed to honor Fort Lauderdale civil rights leaders Von D. Mizell and Eula Johnson.
‘Saltwater Railroad’ had its roots on Cape Florida
Free Blacks and runaway slaves met on Cape Florida’s beaches, seeking passage to a better life in the Bahamas.