Black History Comes Alive in Landmarks

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Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute became Bethune-Cookman College and now has many building designated as national historic landmarks

Photo Credit: Bethune-Cookman College

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Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune

Photo Credit: Contributed Photo

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Dr. Bethune with Eleanor Roosevelt in 1936.

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Statue of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune at Bethune-Cookman University, Daytona Beach

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Goodwood Museum & Gardens' picturesque East Lawn, Tallahassee

Photo Credit: Amanda Chamberlain Hammerli

Visitors to the Riley House, Old Dillard Museum or Bethune-Cookman University just might hear whispers from the past. The sites offer a glimpse into the role schools, jazz clubs and other gathering spots played in shaping Florida’s turn-of-last-century black communities.

The first black high school in Fort Lauderdale, Old Dillard, also displays household items common in the 1920s, and pays homage to former teacher and jazz saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley.
Mary McLeod Bethune’s former Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls, which she founded in 1904 with five students, is now the more than 3,600-student Bethune-Cookman University.

American Beach, on nearby Amelia Island, provided one of the only beachfront retreats open to African-Americans.

Tallahassee’s Riley House, the home of teacher John Riley, served as a beacon of hope for others trying to flee poverty through education; nearby Goodwood Museum and Gardens’ “Blended Lives” program brings it all together by focusing on the historical interaction between blacks and whites in the state capital.