The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-04-16
A NEGRO CITY.
Moving Ahead 10 Become Great
Educational Center.

Educational Center.
Eatonville, Fla. April l5.-Saturaay was
star day In the life of this noted negru
city, and marks new era IN its advance
ment as an experiment Of self-governmenr
BY the eolored race.
Deacon E. c. Hungerford, the Chester.
Conn, banker and philanthropist, who is
large real estate owner in this county
deco a large central lot to the trustees OF
reward Waters College. at Jacksonville,
with an option on an additional lot if
nesaed IN the future. for the erection OF
college buildings
Presiding Elder Moore and other mem
peIs OF the conference committee were
mere last week and closed liberal terms
Win Deacon Hungerford and made the
iihal decision on the removal of the col
4eSS 70 THIS place at an early date.
Inc change means a good deal for the
INSTITUTION as well as this little city. Il
removes the students from a large. busting
CITY. with It's varied distracting elements.
70 quiet, rural environment. 1t also
brings the college into a strictly negro COM
munlty-a city whose officials and resi-
GENTS are all respectable, orderly and in
dustrlous cOlOred people, with two
chufcheS (Methodist and BaptisD and a
me me public school. with two excellent
teachers, as feeder TO the college.
some eight years ago the late Hon. Lewis
Lawrence, bosom friend of Senator ROs-
coe ConkAngi and a famous newspaper
orange grove at Mainland, suggested the
idea OF giving the negroes Of this vicinity
a little town of their own and letting them
ny t1e experiment OF self government.
Hon. J. NJ. Wilcox of Philadelphia also a
large owner of real estate here, and the
late Capt J. c. Eaton, formerly of the
united states navy, who had a winter
nome on Lake Catherine, joined in the
movement and EatonV.lle was given a
start. Many of the best negroes were
IRON Georgia, and had plenty of intelE-
gence, snap, and some money with which
TO push the enterprise along. 1t has more
than held its own through recent 'ihard
times, ana comes to its new era-the edu-
caUonal one-with a solid basis to rest its
future growth upon. Eatonville was nam
ed IN honor Capt Eaton, and Editor Law
renee memory IS enShrned in ST. Law
renee chapel of the Methodist congrega-
uon, a somewhat peculiar thing for a
Methodist church to do-make a modern
saint.
The southern colored Methodist church
has a strong foothold in Eatonville yet
ministers of all ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS and
black-are always cordially welcomed TO
ottlciaite. The venerable Bishop A. B.
Whipple comes over frequently from his
winter home in Maitland "a mile away and
breaches here, where he is greatly be-
loved by the people of both the Methodist
and Baptist church.
Miss Rose Elizabeth Cleveland, the sis
ter of President Cleveland. who is
staunch Presbyterian rs well as demo-
GRAFT has attended services here and taken
quite an interest in the religious, intel
iectual and industrial progress of the
race. She is a strong opponent of the
AFRICAN colonization scheme, and finds
III EatonVille additional reasons for adVo-
eating that the south is the natural home
OF the negro, and that they will do bet
ter here If they are honest, industrious
and sober and become householders and
lamd-owners, like the people of Eaton
Not only is Edward Waters College
10 be brought here, and its operation en-
larged as an educational power for the
M "a he faf
Is really a college of art has also mate
rallied. A lot has been purchased near
the Baptist church in an excellent locsa-
ton, and Contractor D. A. Morrison is
now fixing up the working plans for
handsome college building. The recent
first session of the art school, held under
many drawbacks, gathered here a large
number of pupils from several southern
states. With the new building complets I'D
and the institution fairly started, it, like
Edward Waters College, will bring not on
ly crowds of pupils here. but many re-
spectacle and well-to-do colored families
viii move here to give their children an
forts added.
If this anticipated future growth of
kiatcnville proves to be healthy In all
its developments and the little CITY he
comes large and well-governed one 1t
may be that eloquent and gifted John
Iemple Graves can gain new impulse
from It's success to more zealously advo-
cate his grand scheme to make a. Negro
state somewhere on the American con-
tinent for tho colored people who de-
sire a change of some kind. Up to the
present time the Eatonville experiment
has not called for the highest display of
craftsmanship or the best qualities of
municipal rule STILL all things consider
ed, it has been, in the highest sense, a
great success. In no section of Florida
is there as little stealing, drunkenness
and shiftlessness as in and around Eaton
vile. The people are intelligent, indus
trious, well-dressed, mostly home-owners,
and satisfied to live under their own vines
and fig trees, at peace with all the world
Their city marshal has very little to do
and the mayors court a. great deal less.