St. Petersburg's Historic African American Neighborhoods

by Rosalie Peck, Jon Wilson

Overview

Pepper Town, Methodist Town, the Gas Plant district and the 22nd Street South community-these once segregated neighborhoods were built by African Americans in the face of injustice.

The resilient people who lived in these neighborhoods established strong businesses, raised churches, created vibrant entertainment spots and forged bonds among family and friends for mutual well-being. After integration, the neighborhoods eventually gave way to decay and urban renewal, and tales of unquenchable spirit in the face of adversity began to fade.

In this companion volume to St. Petersburg's Historic 22nd Street South, Rosalie Peck and Jon Wilson share stories of people who built these thriving communities, and offer a rich narrative of hardshipsovercome, leaders who emerged and the perseverance of pioneers who kept the faith that a better day would arrive.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781596292796
Publisher:	History Press, The
Publication date:	02/01/2008
Series:	American Heritage
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	1,144,517
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.20(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Rosalie Peck is a retired social worker with a Masters in the field. After graduating from Bethune-Cookman College, she worked in Detroit and LA before returning to St. Petersburg in the 1970s. She retired in 1978 and now devotes most of her time to writing. In 1992, she was named Ms. Senior Florida.
Jon Wilson is a lifelong journalist, having been a reporter, editor, and editorial writer at the St. Petersburg Times during his 35-year career there. He has a Masters degree in journalism and has been pursuing a Master of Liberal Arts with a focus on Florida Studies.
Jon and Rosalie teamed up in the past to write St. Petersburg's Historic 22nd Street South (History Press, 2006).

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Introduction 9

Chapter 1 The Old Ties 13

Chapter 2 Remember the Gladiators 19

Chapter 3 Home in the Neighborhoods 29

Chapter 4 The Business of Life 45

Chapter 5 Battling Jim Crow's Terrorists 59

Chapter 6 Helping Build Community 67

Chapter 7 The Power of the Word 77

Chapter 8 How Much Remains? 85

Epilogue But Where Did All the Mangoes Go? 97

Appendix 1 Heroes of World War II 101

Appendix 2 A Historic Timeline 107

Appendix 3 A Sampling of Businesses, 1937-1947 115

Appendix 4 Fun and Names 117

Appendix 5 Historic Churches 121

Notes 123

About the Authors 127