13093 Henry Beadel Road, Tallahassee, Florida

In the morning we will receive an overview of the Tall Timbers Research Station and Land Conservancy from Kevin McGorty, the Land Conservancy Director. We will then visit the Jones Family Tenant Farm on the property. After the tour we will convene at Tall Timbers education building, where Dr. Brock will give an overview of sharecropping/tenant farming in the South and also explore the rise of hunting plantations in the Thomasville and surrounding Red Hills region. While sharecropping and tenant farming defined the post-Civil War South’s economy, the introduction of hunting plantations in Thomasville transformed the economic trajectory of the region. Hunting plantations catering to wealthy northerners not only brought an influx of capital to the region, they also promoted distinctive land use patterns, specifically the use of controlled burns in order to create a habitat for vegetation and wildlife. It is our intent to also have some descendants of the Jones Family on site to speak about their family’s role in tenant farming. This will be contingent upon their availability and ability to travel to the site due to Covid and/or their advanced ages and health.

Given the distance of Tall Timbers from restaurants, a box lunch will be provided to attendees. The lunch period will also offer an opportunity to explore the site individually and interact with the speakers.

214 Alexander Street, Thomasville

As part of this session, we will take a tour of the Jack Hadley Black History Museum led by its founder, Jack Hadley.  This museum contains an extensive collection of objects that not only trace the history of the African American community in Thomasville, but across the country and even globally.

Dr. Donaldson will give an overview of the life and times of Henry O. Flipper of Thomasville, who in 1877 was the first African American to graduate from West Point. After the Civil War, African Americans continued to serve in the U.S. Army, albeit in segregated units. Military service provided African Americans not only greater economic opportunity, but it also served to affirm their masculinity. African American regiments earned a well-deserved reputation for their bravery in the military campaigns in the West in the late 1800s. As part of this presentation, we will consider the efforts made to rehabilitate to the reputation of Flipper and remove the stain of an unjust court martial sentence.

738 W. Jackson Street, Thomasville

We will tour the exterior of the Imperial Hotel site, which is currently under renovation by the Jack Hadley Black History Museum. Mr. Hadley will give a brief overview of the role that Green Book hotels played for African American travelers and the Museum’s plans for interpreting the Imperial Hotel’s history.

Workshop Concludes for the Day – July, 11th