Frank B. Butler - St. Augustine, FL
N 29° 53.267 W 081° 18.797
17R E 469750 N 3306392
A blue plaque honoring Frank B. Butler is located in front of the Frank B. Butler Historic Building at 87A Washington Street in St. Augustine, Florida, USA.
Waymark Code: WMAYKF
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 03/12/2011
Views: 8
"Frank B. Butler was a black businessman, civic and political leader and founder of one of the few black beaches in Florida – all in a time when segregation was at its height in the Ancient City. He operated a grocery beginning in 1914 and the following year went into the real estate business. His company developed the College Park subdivision.
Butler’s civic activities included Past Master of the Mount Horeb Lodge and the Free and Accepted Masons #20 and president of the Colored Business and Professional Men’s League. Butler was the only black person from Florida to have an exhibit at the 1933 World’s Fair in Chicago, and, he was the first black in Florida to serve on a grand jury. He worked consistently to better life in the African-American community through improved social services, housing, political participation, and education.
Perhaps his most notable achievement was the land development located south of the city that became known as Butler Beach. Butler began this recreational area in response to segregated beaches nearby. This site and American Beach just north of Jacksonville were popular vacation resorts for African-Americans from northeast Florida and southeast Georgia."
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