While exploring St. Augustine, both residents and visitors are exposed to the city’s rich history. The fingerprints of influencing cultures of the city’s foundation are visible in the various architectural designs of its buildings and roads. Some of these historic sites are even the stages and grounds of past wars and conflicts. Spanish, Native Americans, French, British, and even pirates are forces from the past that have fought on the soil and the coast of St. Augustine and have left their mark on the city. These are some of the familiar names and themes that people have come to associate with St. Augustine’s history, but there is more. There is a history of the city that is not buried under centuries of time. There is a history of battles and conflicts that is only a few decades old but has just as much relevance as that of any of St. Augustine’s forts and brick-paved streets. The Civil Rights Movement is that powerful and often unmentioned history of St. Augustine.
Although the Civil Rights Movement is commonly thought of as period of American History between the 1950’s and 1960’s, the monumental struggle actually began much earlier on January 1, 1863, when President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation freeing all men held as slaves went into effect. But even setting this ground-breaking law as the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement is to reluctantly omit the actions of many brave men and women who fought for the rights and freedoms of African-Americans long before the Emancipation Proclamation was signed. In truth, for the authenticity of preserving history, The Civil Rights Movement should be considered a long series of events and sacrifices that culminated in the generally accepted time frame of the 1950’s and 1960’s. It is also during this space of time that we find some of the most incredible examples of the movement’s braver participants in action in St. Augustine.
For those seeking to experience more about the history of St. Augustine, there are several guided tours offered by the trains and trolley companies of the city. During these tours passengers ride down the narrow streets of downtown and continue on to the warm breezes of the beach. The amazing sights of grand cathedrals, old store-fronts, cobble stone streets, and a functioning lighthouse are often intriguing to visitors. But to get a full embrace of the Civil Rights Movement’s course through St. Augustine one must embark on the self-guided tour of ACCORD’s Freedom Trail.
ACCORD, an acronym for The Anniversary to Commemorate the Civil Rights Demonstrations, is an organization whose goal is to recognize the people and places of St. Augustine that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. ACCORD’s Freedom Trail is a journey through sites of St. Augustine where markers have been placed recording the history and significance of each locations’ place in the Civil Rights Movement. The trail brings to light the often forgotten or hidden places of the city’s fight to bring equal rights to all people. It is a trail marked by bloodshed, broken hearts, triumphs, and milestones. The trail also has ties to such nationally prominent people of the Civil Right’s Movement as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackie Robinson.
There are currently thirty-one sites on St. Augustine’s ACCORD’s Freedom Trail self-guided tour including the following:
112 M.L. KING AVENUE
In 1964 this was the house of Robert Victor Bell, his wife Willie Mae Bell, and their daughter, Veronica Bell. The brave family used their home to accommodate those of the Civil Rights Movement visiting St. Augustine. One of their famous guests, an aide to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., J.T. Johnson was an instrumental participant in the infamous swim-in at the segregated Monson Motor Lodge where the manager poured acid in the pool while Johnson and other participants swam.
79 BRIDGE STREET
Built in the 1950’s by Dr. Rudolph N. Gordon, The Rudcarlie Building was the first medical building without racially segregated waiting rooms. Later the office was rented by another member of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Robert E. Hayling. The office also served as a meeting ground for Dr. King and other civil rights leaders.
33 BERNARD STREET
The segregation of public schools lasted in St. Augustine until 1963. Between the years of 1963 and 1964 nineteen black students, the majority residing on Bernard Street, enrolled in the formerly all-white schools. The house on Bernard Street on the Freedom Trail is in honor of those students, two of which actually lived in the house.
167 GAULT STREET
This is the former home of the Roberson family, one of several other families along the street active in the Civil Rights Movement. The patriarch of the family, Bungum Roberson was the local treasurer for Dr. King’s Christian Leadership Conference. Mr. Roberson’s home was fire-bombed after his sons entered the all-white Fullerwood School. Only the steps remain of the destroyed home.
A1A BEACH BOULEVARD (St. Augustine Beach Pier)
In the summer of 1964, both black and white protesters from around the country came together on the then “Whites Only” beaches of St. Augustine. Television and newspaper coverage of the tense event revealed the brutality and ills suffered by the protestors. The acts of these courageous souls were a part of many other protest that eventually led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
84 ST. BENEDICT STREET
In the 1940’s Rev. Shepherd Hunter and his wife Alberta lived at this location. Their house acted as parsonage for St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church where Shepherd Hunter served as pastor. St. Paul A.M.E. hosted rallies with Jackie Robinson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The granddaughter of Shepherd and Alberta Hunter became the first black woman to attend the University of Georgia.
57 CHAPIN STREET
This was the home of Willie Galimore, the most famous athlete to hail from St. Augustine. Nicknamed “Galloping Gal” for his speed, Galimore was an All-American player at Florida A&M University. He played professionally for the Chicago Bears from 1957-1964. Aided by his fame and notoriety, Galimore supported and joined civil rights demonstrations in his hometown of St. Augustine. He also became the first black person to register at the Ponce De Leon Motor Lodge. A local recreational facility has been named in his honor.
94 SOUTH STREET
The White family inhabited this house while they made their notable contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. James White and his wife Hattie Lee took part in protests and even served time in jail for their commitment to gain equal rights for all. Led by the fearless examples of their parents, the children of James and Hattie White took their stance in the civil rights struggle. In 1964, their son, Samuel White was one of four black teenagers who spent six months in jail and reform school after a sit-in at Woolworth’s lunch counter. Earning the monicker as the “St. Augustine Four”, Samuel White and the other three teens helped propel the civil rights movement through their selfless actions under harsh and unfair treatment.
1074 WEST KING STREET
This is the former home of Georgia Mae Reed. On March 31, 1964, Mrs. Reed and four other St. Augustine women formed a racially mixed group and sat down to be served at the Ponce De Leon Motor Lodge. The women were arrested. The treatment of Mrs. Reed and her friends was spread by the media across the country. Their defiance and demand for equal treatment was a powerful move in the civil rights struggle.
81 BRIDGE STREET
The home of Cora Tyson was a very important place in the civil rights movement. At that time, Mrs. Tyson was a cafeteria manager at Webster Elementary School. While away from work, Tyson opened her home to the many people coming to St. Augustine to join the fight against discrimination. Tyson’s hospitality afforded great meals, rest, and safety to those willing to sacrifice so much to help others. Many of the men and women who enjoyed the kindness of her home logged their names in her family bible. One such notable person to sign Tyson’s bible was the minister and author, C. T. Vivian. The close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. acted as a leader and organizer of the Civil Rights Movement.
There are many other sites to discover on ACCORD’s Freedom Trail, each one as important and as meaningful as the last. The lessons learned and the experiences gained from these past battles for equal rights are just as needed today as they were then. This city, this country, and this world cannot afford to ignore the brave and some times sacrificial actions of our past civil rights heroes. In this age when senseless racism and bigotry are again raising their ugly heads, perhaps visiting sites that remind us of the struggles, victories and events of the past will encourage us to find the means to conquer these ailments of society.
To learn more about ACCORD and its self-guided Freedom Trail readers can visit their website at accordfreedomtrail.org. Brochures for the Freedom Trail are also available at the St. Augustine Visitor Information Center.
