Black History

Tampa Bay History

Black Roots: From Dobyville to College Hill

On the evening of Friday, Oct. 6, 2023, the Tampa Bay History Center invites you to embark on a captivating historical journey.

Sep 11, 2023

Press Release

Travails and Triumphs exhibit receives special commendation from Hillsborough County

Today, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners recognized Travails and Triumphs with a special commendation.

Sep 07, 2023

Videos

Twistin’ Down Central: A Tribute to Tampa’s Black Music Legends

Tampa Red, Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Webb, and Ray Charles are just a few of the notable musicians to play in Tampa during Central Avenue’s heyday. Join us as we dive into the work of legendary Black musicians that lifted spirits and defined Central Avenue’s cultural legacy.

Aug 15, 2023

Near The Cross: Tampa’s First Black Churches

In spite of being enslaved, Black people in Tampa formed a church in 1863–Mt. Sinai African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church–located in the Scrub. In the following decades, other Black congregations …

Aug 07, 2023

Black Roots: From Dobyville to College Hill

Join us for a discussion with friends and neighbors who lived in 1960s Tampa during segregation. We’ll also watch a clip from the documentary film “The Tampa Technique.” Black people …

Aug 01, 2023

Central Avenue Walking Tour

Tour "the Harlem of the South," Tampa's Central Avenue district.

Jun 30, 2023

Central Avenue Walking Tour

Tour "the Harlem of the South," Tampa's Central Avenue district.

Jun 29, 2023

Tampa Bay History

Dobyville: One of Tampa’s forgotten Black neighborhoods

Some find it surprising that Tampa's White elite were not the only people to find a home in Hyde Park during the early years of the neighborhood. Many of Tampa's Black residents lived in the Dobyville section of the neighborhood.

Jun 06, 2023

Tampa Bay History

Black business district grew from the roots of segregation

Much has been written about the heyday of the Central Avenue business district, the main business and recreation center for Tampa’s African American community through the 1960s. The story of …

May 30, 2023

Press Release

Tampa Bay’s newest Black history exhibit opens on Water Street

This expansive exhibit is a first for the Tampa Bay area and will anchor the History Center’s third-floor galleries on Water Street.

May 30, 2023