Brooksville's Bethlehem Progressive Baptist Church

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Oak with resurrection moss shading a trail in Withlacoochee State Forest, Brooksville.

Photo Credit: Jane West

Hernando County's Bethlehem Progressive Baptist Church was built in 1861.

Florida has a rich and diverse history.  African American landmarks and legacies exist in various locations throughout the state. The following historical sites can be found in Hernando County. 

Brooksville
Bethlehem Progressive Baptist Church
661 South Brooksville Avenue
According to oral histories, Frank Saxton, a white man, built this church in 1861 for his former slaves. By 1869, 15 black Baptist churches in the state formed the Bethlehem Baptist Association. Fort Taylor Cemetery, south of Brooksville is the resting place of Fort Taylor’s late 1800s African American
community, most of whom worked in the timber business. Enville Cemetery in Masaryktown contains the remains of those employed in the turpentine and lumbering industry that flourished between 1890 and 1915.

Adapted from Florida Black Heritage Trail, published by the Florida Department of State, in partnership with VISIT FLORIDA, copyright 2007. For more information on African American sites, please visit flheritage.com.

Additional information can also be found at: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/milesmedia/floridablackheritage/