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By Mike Stroud, April 4, 2012 | |
| | | 1. Roper Park / Old City Park Marker | | |
Inscription. Roper Park is the original site of the parade grounds and barracks for the East Florida Seminary, a non-sectarian
educational institution and a forerunner of the University of Florida, which was located in Gainsville in part due to the
presence of the Seminary. James H. Roper (1835-1883) moved to Gainesville in 1856 after he recieved his degree
from Trinity College in North Carolina. He started the first school, in the new town, the Gainesville Academy, which
moved to this site in 1857. It was the only school in the county that operated in during the Civil War. The East Florida
Seminary in Ocala closed when the war began , and Roper, a member of the State Senate in 1865-66 and the Board
of Education, engineered its relocation to Gainesville by donating his school's building and site in 1866. The
Seminary accepted students who lived east of the Suwannee River.
Roper was president for the first two years and remained on the Board of Education through 1883. After his
resignation as president, Roper pursued his interests in rental property, orange groves, and his livery stable,
amoung other activities. He was a Gainsville city councilman in 1876. He died at age 48 in Mt. Gilead, N.C.
(Reverse text)
The barracks for the East Florida Seminary were built on this site in 1886, behind | | | | 
By Mike Stroud, April 4, 2012 | |
| | | 2. Roper Park / Old City Park Marker, reverse side | | |
this marker and directly east of the
academic hall.The two-story frame building had a double veranda along the south side, and a two-story porch
surrounded an open courtyard in its center. The 197' by 90' building occupied the north half of the block.
Out-of-town students lived in 45 12'x14' rooms that contained two iron beds with moss mattresses and feather
pillows, a study table, a washstand, and a stove. Male teachers occupied 14 rooms. The kitchen, bathrooms and
infirmary were located in seperate buildings north of the barracks, and the two-story dining hall was located on the
east side of the lower floor.Parade grounds where male students were required to do daily military drills occupiedthe
south half of the block (in front of this marker).
The Friday dress parade was attended by many of the locals, particularly the young ladies. When Gainsville was
awarded the University of Florida, a torchlit parade wound its way through the streets, and around the drill field.
The City of Gainesville purchased the block in 1906. In 1907, Mayor William Thomas bought the barracks and added
them to the nearby White House Hotel.
Erected 2003 by A Florida Heritage Site The Alachua County Historical Commission and Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-492.)
Location. | | | | 
By Mike Stroud, April 4, 2012 | |
| | | 3. Roper Park / Old City Park Marker amid the present day park | | Three sides of the park, today, have single family houses while the west side houses the First United Methodist Preschool | | |
29° 39.32′ N, 82° 19.367′ W. Marker is in Gainesville, Florida, in Alachua County. Marker is on NE 2nd Street near NE 5th Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Click for map. Located in the park. Marker is in this post office area: Gainesville FL 32601, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. City of Gainesville (approx. 0.2 miles away); East Florida Seminary (approx. 0.2 miles away); First Gainesville Skirmish / Battle of Gainesville (approx. 0.2 miles away); Spanish Cattle Ranching (approx. 0.2 miles away); Confederate Soldier Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Josiah T. Walls (approx. 0.3 miles away); Alachula County Courthouse (approx. 0.3 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Gainesville.
Credits. This page originally submitted on June 5, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 125 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 5, 2012, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
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