Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-24
TOWN GOVERNED BY NEGROES,
ODD Story OF the Rise and Growth of
Eatonville, Fla. Unique in the South.


Way down on the tip of the Florida
peninsula is a little town which is wholly
peoped and governed by negroes 1t has
a city government, clubs, churches ana
even woman's club, and Is splendid
argument for those who plead that the
c"lored man will be success ana help
ful citizen If he only gets a chance, says
the New York Mail and Express.
The city is called Eatonville, and is one
mile from Maitland. Its population con-
sists OF 10 families and $50 people. It is
decidedly prosperous, and there is not a
single one room cabin in the town. All tho
dwellings have three rooms and most of
them more than that.
l.. II. Lawrence a resident OF Maine
who made his winter home in Florida,
was one time driving through the coun-
try little ways out of Maitland. He saw
some negroes holding n Sunday service
under some trees and n little farther on
he saw another group Of negroes gambling
He returned to the first group and asked:
"Why don't you build a church so that
you may have proper place to hold your
meetingsT' They told him that such was
their desire, but they could get no land
no one around there would sell land to n
negro. This disinclinatior to sell land was
due partly to the feeling that the colored
man would become too independent II he
had property Of his own and partly to the
fact that every inch of land was used by
the white folks for orange culture.
YANKEE STRATEGY.
"Where would you like TO build your
church," he asked. They pointed over on
the hill and answered, over there on
Cant. Eatons land
The Maine man drove away and the
next day he visited Capt. Eaton. He told
Capt. Eaton ne wanted to buy land and
q hC hD1 co. hat Ia 4
care to make public right away. Capt
Eaton was an accommodating man when
he was dealing with white folks" SO he
sold a large piece" and the man from
Maine built $1,000 church on it. Then ho
turned II over to one of the men he had
seen gambling akirg him truetee of tho
seen gambling, making him trustee of the
church the colored man could no longer
gamble and ne at once reformed. The
Maine man also gave $50 toward incidental
expenses the first year.
Later moro acres OF land were bought
and turned over to J. F. Clark to sell IN
10 by iOO feet lots to any negro who wished
TO buy. Now there are 80 acres belonging
to the town and all we'll taken care Of 1t
Was % years ago that the town sprang
into existence and In 1855 this negro settle
ment applied to the State government for
incorporation as city Election Of
mayor, aldermen and councilnen proceed
allowed to hold an office unless he had
home. and this has always been the rule,
For eight years the same officers have
been in power and it Is only recently that
there have been any political parties. All
were of one big party, with the best man
for tho place" as its principle, but within
tho last year there has been a tendency to
divide on the lines of the two foremost
political parties.
DESERTED JAIL
The town is policed by coored police
men, and the people say that the
town Jail has been used only three
times In six years for Eatonvlle people.
There Is not mortgaged piece of proper
ty In the town and the people send their
children to the town school. which takes
them through the seventh grade. There
Is also night school where the grown
ZIP people may go.
Orange growing and pineapple raising
are the chief industrlnls OF the town. II
has sugar cane mill. which Is the only
one for miles around, so the white people
come to Eatonvlle to have their sugar
ground at a negro mill. Some of the mon
work in the summer hotels which are near