by This page is dedicated to Florida historical markers near Port Orange The “Freemanville” Settlement. There are many historical markers in Florida. This marker in Volusia County is an excellent example.
The “Freemanville” Settlement
This Florida Historical Marker is entitled The “Freemanville” Settlement and is located in Port Orange in Volusia County, Florida. The location is 3431 South Ridgewood Avenue. Marker is on South Ridgewood Avenue (U.S. 1) north of West Ocean Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
Inscription on the Marker
The inscription reads:
The “Freemanville” Settlement. . Founded soon after the U.S. Civil War, the settlement that would become “Freemanville” was established by Dr. John Milton Hawks, an abolitionist and Union Army surgeon, along with other Union Army officers and the Florida Land and Lumber Company. In 1866, roughly 500 former slaves, many of whom had fought for the Union during the war, and their families initially settled here. An additional 1,000 freed slaves would arrive via steamboats in the following months. Of the 3,000 blacks that made Florida their home, roughly half settled near the Halifax River, thus making this area the most populous in Volusia County at that time. In 1867, Dr. Hawks named the settlement Port Orange. Due to harsh farming conditions and poor supplies, the settlement, the Florida Land and Lumber Company, and the integrated school, disbanded in 1869. Many settlers returned to their home states or headed for area citrus groves looking for work. However, a few of those originally freed slaves stayed. Over time, the settlement became known as “Freemanville.” Mt. Moriah Baptist Church is the last remaining structure from the pioneering African-American community in Port Orange, known simply as Freemanville.
Marker Sponsor and Install Date for The “Freemanville” Settlement
Placed by the City of Port Orange and the Florida Department of State.
Installed in 2002.
Maps & Location Views
Using mapping services from Google, we can show detailed location maps and street views if they are available.
Sometimes you will be able to see the The “Freemanville” Settlement Marker in Google Maps. A 360-degree view of the area near the marker is available on the link below. You can see the marker or monument and read it in many cases.
The History of Port Orange
More than a century before the Pilgrims set foot at Plymouth Rock, in 1513, Florida began its modern-day history, of which Orlando is a part.
During this period, Florida was still part of the United States Territory and not yet a state; therefore, many Native American tribes occupied land throughout Central Florida, including Seminole Indians who had migrated there from Georgia during the First Seminole War (1817-1818).
In 1838, the U.S. Army built Fort Gatlin south of the present-day Orlando City limits to protect settlers from attacks by Indians during the Second Seminole War. During the Civil War, Orlando’s role included supplying the Confederacy with food, cattle, and horses from the vast plantations in the region.
Today Orlando is recognized as a global tourist attraction and entertainment city
About the Florida Historical Marker Program
One of the most well-known and noticeable public history initiatives of the Division of Historical Resources is the Florida Historical Marker Program. It is intended to increase residents’ and visitors’ enjoyment of Florida’s historic places and to increase public knowledge of the state’s rich cultural past.
About Floridamarkers.com & Florida Historical Markers Near Port Orange The “Freemanville” Settlement
This experimental site tests the functionality and capabilities of Programmatic SEO. This site is attempting a new method that helps to improve search engine visibility by creating dedicated landing pages at a large scale. Thumbwind Publications LLC owns this site.
