This special program will occur at 22495 Chinsegut Hill Rd, Brooksville, FL, on Saturday, May 18, 2024, starting at 10 a.m. Fred Hearns, curator of Black history, leads a special program with Gary Ellis, director emeritus of Gulf Archaeology Research Institute, and Rodney Kite-Powell, director of the Touchton Map Library, where we will discuss the location’s historical significance. Michael Jones, Ed.D., will also speak about the local implications of recent archaeological findings. Jesse Pisors, Ed.D., president of Pasco-Hernando State College, will welcome guests to historic house tours, compliments of the college. 

Rodney Kite-Powell will be available for a Q&A session immediately following the presentation. House tours, lasting 30 minutes each, start at 11 a.m., and the final tour begins at 4 p.m.

Registration is not required for this free event.

Supported by

About Florida Emancipation Day

On May 20, 1865, Florida officially emancipated its enslaved population in Tallahassee. Union Gen. Edward McCook read President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation from the steps of the Knott House at the state Capitol. This day marked the liberation of all enslaved Black individuals in Florida who had not yet been freed. 

Since then, May 20 has been observed as Florida Emancipation Day across various communities in the state. The federal holiday, Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, commemorates a separate national day of emancipation.