Did You Know... Eatonville

Did you know the Town of Eatonville was the first U.S. city to be incorporated by African Americans? After the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, more than 100 communities were founded by African Americans. Racial tension after the Civil War led many African Americans to establish "race colonies" rather than be faced with segregation in white communities. Eatonville was the first of these race colonies to be incorporated and is one of only about 12 that remain in existence today. On August 15, 1887, a unanimous vote of 27 registered African-American voters formed the Town of Eatonville, making it the first such town in the United States and placing it in the history books. Did you know Eatonville is the childhood home of a famous 20th century writer, folklorist and anthropologist? Zora Neale Hurston was not only a resident of the Town of Eatonville, but also used the town as the setting for what became her most powerful and acclaimed novel, 1937's Their Eyes Were Watching God. She traveled extensively throughout the South, writing about the cultures and folklife she found. She so loved the Town of Eatonville she claimed it as her birthplace in her autobiography. The town holds the ZORA! Festival each winter to honor Hurston and the cultural contributions of all African Americans to the United States and the world. Reprinted from Quality Cities January/February 2007 Photo courtesy of the Department of State and the State Library and Archives of Florida Back to City Trivia Home