Rosewood Massacre near Cedar Key, Florida

January, 4 2009

This travellog covers a quick visit to Cedar Key. A short visit is truly what this was.

On our way to south Florida for the winter we stopped for the night in a Super WalMart in Chiefland on US-19 about 20-miles east of Cedar Key. Our plans for tomorrow include getting together with friends tomorrow night in Inverness about 60-miles south of Chiefland. Thus we were looking for something exciting to do during the day since we were not meeting up with our friends until around 6pm.

Cedar Key was an easy decision since we both like to visit the island.

Cedar Key is a rapidly changing community. For years and years it was a small fishing village much like Key West. In the past 20-years it has been found by the *money* folks from outside and has been being transformed into a trendy resort town.

Ten miles east of Cedar Key on SR 24 is a small road side "Historic Marker" set up by the State of Florida. The historic marker is where the old black community of Rosewood, Florida used to be. Rosewood, is still marked on maps but we did not see anything that resembled a "community". But, we did stop and read this historic marker.

It is totally shocking to read about some of the things that happened in our early history. Some of these things are totally appalling, yet they happened in this country. Thankfully, the State of Florida has erected this historic marker for all to see. Events like this are things that we should never forget.

Rosewood Massacre took place near Cedar Key, Florida

Ten miles east of Cedar Key is the very small community of Rosewood or where "Rosewood" used to be. In the 1920's Rosewood was a small, mostly black, community of nearly 350 people. Today, it is remembered for the Rosewood Massacre of January 1923, in which over several days, white mobs attacked and killed blacks, and burned most of the buildings in the settlement.

Wikipedia has a good account of what has been termed the "Rosewood Massacre" you can read about it here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosewood_massacre

Rosewood Massacre took place near Cedar Key, Florida

While these "historical markers" provided by the state of Florida provide a condensed palatable history of the Rosewood Massacre, I think the Wikipedia coverage of events is a much better account. I can understand the State of Florida wanting to put the "best-light" on this incident. But the "unvarnished" truth is probably much too graphic to be told in detail.

OK, let's put that morbid bit of history behind us and continue on to Cedar Key, which is our objective.

Atlantic to Gulf Railroad from Cedar Key to Fernandina, Florida

I included this because Cedar Key has a long and storied history. Years ago there was a pencil industry based in Cedar Key. It lasted until the cedar trees were harvested.

Old doorway to building in Cedar Key, Florida

This old door opening on to main street attests to the age of some of the buildings in Cedar Key.

Cedar tree in Cedar Key, Florida

This is one of the cedar trees that so graciously provided Cedar Key with its sobriquet.

Oyster Reef in Cedar Key, Florida

This is a oyster reef exposed at low tide in Cedar Key, Florida.

A great egret is silhouetted in water so slick it forms a mirror.