Historic Downtown Palatka church demolished
The City of Palatka a few days ago announced the temporary closure of some sidewalks downtown because 'the church located at 913 Reid Street will be demolished,' a city social media post states.
To some, like Mischa Johns, a Putnam County archivist, it's more than a church.
'So gently announced as 'a church,' but it's not just 'a church,'' she stated in a Facebook post. 'It's over a century of history in our African American community and it's being razed ... We have failed this beautiful old church, and my heart is broken for another lost piece of history.'
>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<
The following is from Mt. Tabor Baptist Church's website
Following the Civil War within the Reconstruction Era, the institution known as Mount Tabor First Baptist Church was officially established. The church was organized during a 'Wednesday Prayer Meeting,' on the 15th day of September, 1869, in Palatka, Florida. The original meeting place was in the 'Hudson Building' and the second meeting place was a nicely constructed 'Brush Arbor' (a rough, open-sided shelter constructed of vertical poles driven into the ground with additional long poles laid across the top as support for a roof of brush, cut branches or hay) built with the choicest shrubs.
Within the first two years (1869-1871), three ministers, Reverend R. P. Bishop, Reverend Jones, and Reverend Samuel Small formed the ministerial council that ordained the first Deacons: Jackson Wright, Ned Hutchinson and James Arnold. Reverend William Bell served as the first regular pastor (1871-1889) and also served two subsequent pastorates (1896-1898) & (1900-1902). In 1887, during Reverend Bell's pastorate it became a reality for this band of Christian believers to leave the 'brush arbor' and the congregation relocated to a newly built wooden church edifice at 913 Reid Street in downtown Palatka, which was dedicated on May 18, 1888. In 1912, the church facility was rebuilt under the leadership of Reverend F.W. Wells.
[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks]
[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
As a Florida teacher, I must navigate education restrictions with integrity
As I prepare to teach a new literature course at Palm Beach State College (PBSC) this term, I find myself hesitating over something that, until recently, would have been routine: selecting the works I assign to my students. The anthology adopted by our department includes powerful selections from African American, Latino, Asian American and LGBTQ writers — voices that capture the richness, contradiction and struggle of the American experience. These are voices I have taught for decades. But now I ask myself: Am I allowed to? Florida's 2023 legislation — most notably, Senate Bill 266 — prohibits instruction that espouses theories suggesting systemic racism, sexism, or privilege are inherent in the institutions of the United States and that they were created to maintain social or economic inequities. The language is broad, and the intent seems clear: to restrict the way educators discuss identity, history and power. But what is less clear is what this means in practice for teachers like me, particularly in college classrooms. I am a lifelong educator. I spent 36 years in the New York City Board of Education as a teacher, department chair and supervisor. For the last 12 years, I have taught English literature at PBSC. My passion has always been to encourage students to read deeply, think critically and reflect honestly — especially about the kind of country we live in and the lives we each bring to the table. That requires a broad and inclusive literary canon. It requires teaching James Baldwin and Langston Hughes not only for their artistry, but for the searing truths they offer about race and belonging in America. It means examining the cultural double-consciousness in Sandra Cisneros, the generational trauma in Ocean Vuong, the gender defiance in Audre Lorde. Literature becomes real when it speaks both to and through the student reading it. That is the essence of education. Opinion: Bipartisan support suggests better sex ed in FL schools. It's the opposite. But now, when I consider assigning those same texts, I worry: will presenting such works — even neutrally, even for discussion — be seen as violating this law? If I ask students to consider the historical roots of injustice in a work by August Wilson or Toni Cade Bambara, could that be construed as 'promoting a theory' rather than simply exposing students to a reality reflected in literature? Worse, the chilling effect has begun to erode the classroom itself. Faculty colleagues increasingly wonder whether they should self-censor — not out of agreement with the law, but out of a desire to avoid trouble. This is the real damage: when fear begins to replace curiosity, and when silence replaces speech. I do not seek to indoctrinate my students. I never have. I seek to challenge them, to open doors through literature that lead into the complicated, layered, and sometimes uncomfortable questions that make up life in a pluralistic democracy. That is not political. That is educational. Opinion: As a professor, I see how universities are failing. We need a new approach. Let us be clear: removing or discouraging the inclusion of marginalized voices in the classroom does not eliminate discomfort. It only eliminates understanding. If our students cannot engage with difficult truths in college classrooms, where are they to encounter them? If we cannot safely present a range of American experiences through our literary heritage, what remains of our intellectual freedom? I do not write this out of defiance, but out of love — for teaching, for literature and for the role education plays in shaping thoughtful citizens. The danger of this legislation is not only in its enforcement, but in its ambiguity. It turns teachers into second-guessers. It turns students into cautious bystanders. And it risks turning Florida's classrooms into places where only the most neutral, safest voices are heard. But the world is not neutral. Literature is not safe. And education, at its best, is a form of illumination, not erasure. Carmine Giordano is an adjunct lecturer in English at Palm Beach State College. He lives in Lake Worth Beach, and wrote this for The Palm Beach Post. This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FL law could silence Black, LGBTQ voices in the classroom | Opinion
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Willie Wilson: The Black church is left out of a key community rebuilding board in Illinois
The idea of having a reliable revenue stream from cannabis sales dedicated in part to rebuilding communities harmed by economic disinvestment, violence and the war on drugs is good. However, I am concerned the application of funding may be missing the mark. The Black church has no influence in the Restore, Reinvest and Renew grant program (R3) created under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act and administered by the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA). The 2019 law requires 25% of all cannabis revenue be used to support communities affected by economic disinvestment, violence and the damage caused by the war on drugs. As written, the law designated Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton as the chair of the board and empowered her to appoint several of the 40 board seats for the R3 program. The ICJIA has awarded more than $244 million in R3 program grants. The question must be asked — how can you talk about rebuilding the Black community without the Black church at the table? It is akin to passing legislation affecting children without having key stakeholders like parents and children involved. Also, should rebuilding Black communities be confined to those who have been involved with the criminal justice system? What about Ms. Velma Lewis, a 74-year-old African American woman who lost her Maywood home to a property tax sale because she made the decision to put a new roof on her house in lieu of paying her property taxes? Ms. Lewis' story is heartbreaking — her home had been paid off — she lost her Cook County home and all the equity to a tax buyer as reported by Injustice Watch. I wonder if the Black church could have helped save her home. The Black church is the backbone of the African American community. In addition to its spiritual function, churches provide social services including education, employment, political mobilization and fights for civil rights. The Black church was the catalyst for Civil Rights Movement. In light of deep cuts to federal and state programs, as well as rising utility and food costs, the Black church will be called upon to fill the gap in services. Additionally, churches must oppose efforts to rewrite the history of African Americans in the U.S. and the dismantling of diversity, equity and inclusion. There is no entity closer to the African American community than the Black church. It is an insult that Black church leaders are not at the table to make recommendations on what is needed to rebuild and stabilize the African American community. How can African American legislative leaders allow the Black church to be excluded? The law as established did not provide a seat for Black church representation. There are nine vacant R3 board seats appointed by the lieutenant governor. Interestingly, no Black church leaders are on the R3 board. The stated goals of the R3 program are to address disparities related to violence, unemployment, educational inequality and drug-related addiction, which are only becoming wider. Without question, the Black community was significantly harmed by the war on drugs. One provision of the 1994 Crime Bill was especially onerous and racially charged. The 100-1 sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and cocaine led to immeasurable harm on Black, brown and low-income communities. The damage continues in other forms of destabilizing efforts. Injustice Watch also found that Illinois is the last state to unlawfully strip wealth from homeowners facing property tax foreclosure. The report noted that since 2019 more than 1,000 owner-occupied homes in Cook County, like Lewis' property, were taken through foreclosure. The homes taken were concentrated in predominantly Black communities like Roseland, Englewood and Chicago Heights. Also, more than half of the homes were taken following an initial property tax debt of $1,600 or less. The Black church if properly resourced and unified could transform our communities. Widening racial gaps in unemployment, wealth, education, housing and other areas should cause leaders to reexamine the effectiveness of the R3 program and whether it should be expanded. The R3 grants fund programs in five areas: The Black church is the soil that helped grow phenomenal Black leaders. Any serious proposals to rebuild and stabilize the African American community must include the Black church at the table. The following are suggestions to consider that will empower the Black church and African American communities: The government working in concert with the Black church can help rebuild African American communities. I write this commentary to make those comfortable with excluding Black church leaders from directing resources for community rebuilding uncomfortable. Willie Wilson is a business owner, philanthropist and former mayoral candidate.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Jewish firefighter runs into burning Long Island Chabad, pulls Torah out as crowd prays outside: ‘A miracle'
A Long Island firefighter ran into a burning Chabad to save a sacred Sefer Torah from the flames on Tuesday — as members of the local Jewish community raced to the scene in prayer. Firefighter Michael Farca, who is Jewish, ran into the Chabad of Greenville to save the sacred religious scroll shortly after a fire tore through the building at about 7 a.m. Farca emerged with the Torah from the smoke-filled doors like a super hero in a movie scene, said Chabad member Igor Shamlov — who said the hero didn't have as much as a scratch on him — or the Torah — in a symbolic moment that brought the crowd to tears, Shamalov said. 3 Farca ran into the Chabad of Greenville to save the sacred religious scroll shortly after a fire tore through the building. Chabad of Greenvale 'The Torah scroll, for us, is priceless,' Shamalov told The Post, — adding that the faithful crowd erupted in tears at the sight. 'It is like saving a human life.' He explained that for the past two days, they have been celebrating Shavuot, which is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the Torah, making the scroll's rescue even more faith-confirming to him and others. The building was scorched, prayer books soaked and blackened, and much of the sanctuary left in ruins — but the Torah survived, which was enough for some to feel optimistic. 'The Torah is more than a book, it's our heart and soul,' said congregant Yuriy Davidov. 'Seeing it carried out safely felt like a miracle.' 3 The building was scorched, prayer books soaked and blackened, and much of the sanctuary was left in ruins. Google Maps Fire departments from across Nassau rushed to the scene around 7 a.m. and managed to stop the blaze from completely gutting the structure. Crews stayed on site for hours hosing down hot spots and assessing the damage. No injuries are reported, and the cause of the blaze is still under investigation, according to first responders. 3 Fire departments from across Nassau rushed to the scene around 7 a.m. Facebook Members said the synagogue suffered damage but not defeat — and that they're already planning to rebuild, calling the Torah's rescue a sign that their faith is stronger than ever. But until the rebuild is complete, Shamalov said they are looking for a new, temporary home to worship.
