Cultural Resource Survey of
North Port St. Joe
The North Port St. Joe (NPSJ) Cultural Resource Survey is part of a larger group of research projects that focus on the City of Port St. Joe and surrounding area, located within Gulf County, Florida. The larger project is organized and administered by the Florida Resilient Cities (FRC) Program, through the University of Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience (FIBER),and supported by a grant from the Jessie Ball du Pont Fund. Collectively, these projects examine the intersection of community resiliency and social equity as part of a long-term recovery strategy from environmental threats and socio-economic challenges. The NPSJ Cultural Resource Survey project examines the cultural identity of the African-American community that settled in this location and that has been under represented in prior studies of the City’s heritage resources. Working with key local organizations and individuals, this study of cultural, historical,
and architectural resources aids in the understanding of the broader context within which the community evolved, the socio-cultural and environmental forces that shaped the community, and the current conditions “on the ground.” This survey project documents and assesses the range of built resources, including extant buildings dating from the 1920s to the present day, and includes a variety of building use types; residential, commercial, educational, recreational and spiritual structures and sites. Expanding on the awareness of the role played by racial segregation and the impact of integration during the 1960s on the community, this project examines the importance of the Civil Rights movement through research at a pivotal site, the former George Washington High School. This research supports a recommendation to prepare a National Register nomination for the property.
The following research questions informed this study:
• What are the origins, history, and development of the North Port St Joe community?
• How does this community’s history fit within the context of the overall developmental history of the City of Port St Joe, Gulf County, and the south-east region of the Florida Panhandle?
• What historical/ archival documents are available to facilitate research?
• Which historical/ architectural resources are extant, and which have disappeared?
• Who were important individuals in the historical development of the NPSJ community?
• What is the period of significance and level of integrity for the NPSJ community, as defined by the National Park Service?
• What are the socio-cultural values associated with the site of the George Washington High School? What historical/ architectural resources remain on the campus
In addition to these research questions, the Team also considered this additional question to guide recommendations for future work in the community.
• How can these resources be interpreted and adaptively reused to benefit the community?
The results of this research provide benefits to the community of North Port St. Joe in several ways.
• Important historical documents, including photographs, newspaper articles, other publications, documents, personal communications and oral histories from several sources were compiled and scanned into a single repository, and shared with the project champions.
• The remaining architectural resources in the community of North Port St. Joe are documented, assessed and recorded in a digital database. These inventoried resources can now be added to the Florida Master Site File database.
• A picture of the community’s historical development is emerging from the research along with identifying important historical themes. These themes include:
• Impacts of industrial development and natural resources extraction on the creation, subsequent rise and decline of the NPSJ community,
• Impact of economic fluctuations on the community, timber logging, mineral extraction, fishing industry regulations and decline.
• Environmental threats, both short-term (catastrophic events such as hurricanes) and long-term, (such as environmental degradation, water quality, etc.) on the community.
• Social and racial divides reflected in the development patterns, segregation and integration, and how these political and social forces affected the community during the 20th century.
The Project Team utilized a standardized methodology for conducing Cultural Resource Surveys with the following phases of work.
Documentary Research
The first phase consisted of gathering information on the City’s history, architecture and neighborhood development patterns. A variety of primary and secondary sources were consulted for identifying individual structures and neighborhoods for potential examination. Three oral histories were conducted with key community figures. Existing local archives were documented, historical photographs and other documents were scanned and entered into a digital database.
Field Work
Both principal investigators visited the area prior to the start of the field work project. A neighborhood windshield survey helped understand the character of the community and the quantity and character of extant historical resources. The Gulf County Property Appraiser site was used to create the list of addresses with tax parcel ID numbers for each parcel in the study area. Using a documentation app developed with assistance from the UF Geoplan Center and UF HP Masters student Kim Rose, which utilizes the ArcGIS Collector platform, site data was gathered through a parcel-by-parcel field survey conducted over a two-day period by the student teams. The app is designed for use on smart phones or laptops, with the capability of linking photographs taken with the phone to each parcel’s geospatial and physical data, and compiled on a GIS map. The form includes fields that correspond to the data needed to complete a Florida Master Site File form for each parcel.The data was also correlated on an excel spreadsheet, which simplified the analysis of the aggregate data for certain features, such as quantity of resources of a certain architectural style, type of use, or physical condition.
Evaluation and Assessment
From the field data, Florida Master Site File(FMSF)forms and location maps were prepared for each parcel. The data can then be tabulated by field to assess quantities and analyze conditions of the resources. For example, the physical condition of the resources (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, Ruinous or Vacant)is represented by a color-coded symbol onthe GIS Map of the survey area.
Community Engagement
Individual community members graciously shared their photographs, memories and other historical files with the Project Team. Clarence Monette, a long-time community resident and retired media specialist for the George Washington High School, shared his research on community residents through an extraordinary digitized collection of obituaries spanning several decades. Nathan Peters Jr., curator of the George Washington High School Museum. allowed us access to the museum’s archives for digitizing the photographic collection, and welcomed us with wonderful lunches at his family’s café in a revitalized structure on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in North Port St. Joe.Ms. Minnie Lively, a retired teacher, shared her memories of the impact of integration on the Gulf County Schools system with us in a recorded interview. Archival work at the public library was facilitated with the support of Mimi Minnick, Gulf County Coordinator, Corinne Costin Gibson Memorial Library. Ms. Charlotte Pierce, Clerk of the City of Port St. Joe,coordinated contacts within the City government for the team.
For historic preservation-focused projects, the community engagement process is a key component in fostering a more inclusive understanding of that community’s heritage resources. Working with the NPSJ-PAC, the team participated in a community meeting on February 9, 2020,to share the project approach and gain insight and feedback from community members. On a more informal basis, every day in the field provided opportunities to engage with local residents, who were supportive of this effort to understand and protect the resources of their community.
The Project Team then prepared a PowerPoint presentation of the Cultural Resource Survey findings and met virtually with the key principals of the NPSJ-PAC to share the results of the work and make recommendations for next steps and future project considerations.
The North Port St. Joe Cultural Resource Survey, resulting in these tangible work products:
• 305 new Florida Master Site File (FMSF) forms, including 2 Resource Group forms
• The survey of the site of the former George Washington High School, a significant community resource with buildings and grounds. producing 3 new FMSF forms, 2 updated FMSF forms, and 1 new Resource Group form
• Creation of a geo-spatial database compiling the results of the survey project to date
• PowerPoint presentation of research findings, presented via Zoom conference to our community partners on April 22, 2020
• A Story Map web link
• Recorded interview with two local informants on the history of North Port St Joe, important community figures during the period of significance, events during the school integration and Civil Rights movement, and important places and structures in the community
• Digitized record of photographic collection at the GWHS Museum
Geo-spatial Database Compiling Survey Results of Architectural Resources
Research in these areas identified important themes to establish a historical context for the survey project:
• Study of history of the region, Gulf County, and the larger community of Port St. Joe, with emphasis on the development of the African-American community of North Port St. Joe
• Identification and research on the biographies of key figures and important families related to the resources within the survey area
• Study of architectural resources found within survey area
New paths for research:
• Local sites and key figures significant to the community’s heritage, in the context of community development, African-American heritage and the Civil Rights movement
• Potential for a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the George Washington High School site, including the extant structures; gymnasium, classrooms and ancillary buildings and structures, ball fields and recreational facilities
Due to the extraordinary circumstances relating to the Covid-19 pandemic, theTeam had to pivot midway through the project. Fortunately, the field survey work was completed prior to the University’s Springsemesterrestrictions on travel as part of the state-wide response. The Team was able to complete the data-gathering on the physical condition of the properties, document the information on the physical fabric, and complete the assessments. Additionally, the team was able to scan important historical records, including the collection of photographs at the GWHS Museum.
From the data, the team was able to complete the Florida Master Site File forms and supporting documents, and prepare a PowerPoint presentation to the representatives of the NPSJ-PAC.Individual property histories were sometimes challenging to research, as not all records of ownership are available digitally. A second trip to conduct deed research would be beneficial at a future date.
Included in the recommendations for next steps are the following:
• Research and prepare a nomination to the National Register of Historic Places for the former George Washington High School campus, to aid in planning for adaptive reuse of the site and structures.
• Continue work with the NPSJ-PAC on how this research can inform plans for redevelopment of the commercial corridor of Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
For the near term, one goal will be the creation of an accessible database of the extant historical and architectural resources within the survey area. Longer term, the research findings can provide a context for understanding, interpreting and leveraging the community’s cultural heritage for future redevelopment strategies for this community. Historic Preservation as a field is by nature multi-disciplinary. The range of other projects conducted within the framework established by the FRC provided a broader perspective for our focused research, and we appreciate the opportunities to see what the other teams were developing as their own projects progressed.
TEAM
Morris Hylton III, Program Director, Historic Preservation, mhylton@ufl.edu
Linda Stevenson, Adjunct Professor, Historic Preservation, archtext@ufl.edu
Clarissa Carr, Program Research Coordinator, Historic Preservation, clcarrdi@ufl.edu
Sujin Kim, Envision Heritage Post-doctoral Fellow, Historic Preservation, shyhiphop@ufl.edu
Collaborating Students: Megan Ayotte, Harshitha Beere, Alayna Jackson, Ryan Lester, Tyler Smith, Sam Stokes, and Shristi Tamraker
Community Partners: North Port St Joe Project Area Coalition (NPSJ-PAC), and Dannie Bolden, Vice President, NPSJ-PAC.