City of Tampa to establish its first Black History Museum at historic church

TAMPA - On Monday, the Tampa Bay History Center and the Tampa Housing Authority formally announced that a new Black History Museum will be housed at the historic St. James Church at 1202 North Governor Street.

"We’re very excited about this journey," said Fred Hearns, curator of Black History at the Tampa Bay History Center. "Tampa has never had a truly Black history center that’s separate and apart from other projects. What’s really exciting is the location. It’s right in the middle of the historic scrub neighborhood, the first real community of the formally enslaved African people who lived here in Tampa and along Central Avenue, right across the street from where Ray Charles made his first recording when he lived here in the late 1940s."

Located just north of downtown Tampa, the Scrub neighborhood, also known as Central Avenue, was established by Tampa’s Black residents shortly after emancipation in 1864. In the heavily segregated city, the area grew into a thriving Black neighborhood, business district, and entertainment hot spot where famous Black musicians like Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, and Etta James once graced stages of what was known as "the Harlem of the South."

The St. James Episcopal Church, founded by Black immigrants from the Caribbean Islands in 1921, was in the heart of it all. 

Much of the thriving Black neighborhood was burned during violence that followed the police shooting of a young Black man in 1967. Today, the red brick building is one of the few surviving structures from the old Scrub neighborhood.

"Learning your history is so important, especially for young people," said Hearns. "It’s motivational when you find out that people who had much less than we have back in the time when Black people could not vote, had very few rights, and there were no Black elected officials, they persevered and overcame those challenges, and they did tremendous things, and they paved the way for this generation."

A two-million dollar renovation helped preserve St. James Episcopal Church, which is owned by the Tampa Housing Authority.

"It's not only that we have a Black History Museum to talk about our past, but also to look into the future as well," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said at a ceremony Monday.

"More people, I think, are talking about race relations in this country, about Black History, whether it’s important and how much we need," said Hearns.

Tampa's Black History is unique. Many Black airmen stationed at MacDill Air Force base loved the town and stayed. The Cigar Industry provided good jobs for Black people, as did the port where many longshoremen were African American.

Hearns' grandfather came to Tampa to work at the port years before the historic neighborhood was burned.

"This was a great place to live in spite of the fact that racism and Jim Crow segregation surrounded the city. But, on Central Avenue, that was a safe space," said Hearns.

No date was announced for Black history exhibits at the museum, but the venue is already hosting book discussions and special events, including a number of events this week that will celebrate Juneteenth.

On Tuesday, June 18, Central Ave Live celebrates Tampa’s music history with performances from local artists highlighting some of the musicians that played an integral part of the bygone Central Avenue music scene.

On Wednesday, June 19, St. James at Encore will host the "Fabric of Freedom: Juneteeth Fashion Show" featuring iconic looks from the late 1800s to the present. The event features live jazz music and refreshments. Tickets are $35.

A new Black history book club also meets quarterly at St. James at Encore.

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There are also ways to get involved in the future museum. 

"We’re looking for ambassadors, people who will help with us and volunteer to help get the word out about us and the different programs and projects that we’re involved in," said Hearns. "Those interested can contact me through the Tampa Bay History Center."

To keep up with the latest happenings, you can find the Tampa Black History Museum on Facebook and Instagram.

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