Orange County School District gives Eatonville land for State’s first African History Museum

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County School District moves to give Eatonville acres of land for future use of State’s first African History Museum

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Tuesday, Orange County Public Schools said it would write a letter of intent to give several acres of the Hungerford property to the Town of Eatonville to build the state’s first African American History Museum.

“The partnership really is strong even after the museum is built, so I am really looking forward to this,” said Karen Castor Dental, OCPS board member.

The board said the letter would state the district wants to partner with the town while still under litigation, knowing it’s restricted.

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“This is just a step in a long road. [but] Right now, we have to at least achieve a step to make progress,” said Lavonda Wilder, founder of Eatonville’s Chamber of Commerce.

The Hungerford property once held the first school for African Americans in Central Florida in Eatonville.

In the late 1800s, the land was donated by the Hungerford family. A school was established in 1897, and the property was obtained by The Orange County School Board in 1951.

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The original plan was to keep the land in the town’s hands and serve education purposes.

The town is one of 13 sites eyed for the proposed building.

“When you think about the first African American-incorporated municipality in the nation that can sustain itself going forward, then that means we will be there for our generations,” said Angie Gardner, Eatonville Mayor.

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Under the letter, the board said the district would look into teaming with the town to use the building for educational field trips for all OCPS schools.

Friday, the town’s museum committee will submit a presentation to the state African American Task Force.

“The uniqueness of our town and being a testament, a living testament as it is. The museum just fits, and I would think that anyone in their reasonable sense would agree with that,” said Gardner.

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