Bookertown
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member hiddenrock
N 28° 49.582 W 081° 20.040
17R E 467414 N 3188794
The story of Bookertown
Waymark Code: WMHEQ
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/15/2006
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member tiki-4
Views: 78

The first African-Americans arrived in this area in 1885 as laborers for two railroads, the Orange Belt Railway and the Jacksonville, Tampa, and Key West Railroad. Many of these workers helped construct the J. T. & K. W. Railroad bridge over the St. Johns River making continuous rail travel possible between Tampa and Jacksonville.

In the 1890s African-American farm and turpentine workers settled along the Orange Belt Railroad tracks just west of Monroe Station and north of present day Bookertown. The area’s first black school was opened in 1898 by David Henry Clay Rabun for 18 children of farm workers.

In 1906, Michael Mackenzie Smith bought a large tract of pine woods which included the land that became Bookertown. Smith surveyed part of this property into lots which he sole to black farm workers. By 1910 six houses were owned by African-Americans in what was known as “Monroe’s Colored Section”.

In 1925, Reverend Henry Manning established the settlements first church nearby on Elder Road.

In 1926, The Sanford Development Company bought a large part of M. M. Smiths’s land around the Colored Section and surveyed it into parcels and platted streets for the purpose of establishing a place for African-Americans. In the same year, the county school board build the community’s first official school. In recent years this building has served as the community center. The streets were named in 1926 for distinguished personalities in African-American history.

The community derives its name from the famed Reformer and educator Booker Taliaferro Washington. However, since so many other places were named “Washington” the community was named “Bookertown”.

Marker Number: None

Date: Unknown

County: Seminole

Marker Type: City

Sponsored or placed by: Seminole County

Website: Not listed

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Recent Visits/Logs:
Date Logged Log User Rating  
hart612 visited Bookertown 05/27/2017 hart612 visited it
Markerman62 visited Bookertown 03/11/2014 Markerman62 visited it
whttiger visited Bookertown 05/23/2013 whttiger visited it
Jackie and Bob visited Bookertown 09/20/2006 Jackie and Bob visited it
Blue Man visited Bookertown 07/17/2006 Blue Man visited it

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