St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
262 West King Street
ACCORD Freedom Trail
Photographed By Mrs. Shirley Williams-Galvin, March 5, 2011
1. 262 West King Street Marker
Leo C. Chase, Sr., who had previously managed the Huff Funeral Home in Lincolnville, opened one of the oldest businesses in St. Augustine, this funeral home in 1955. His son, Arnett Chase, took over after his father's death in 1977. Another son, Leo C. Chase, Jr., was the first St. Augustinian killed in the Vietnam War, and a nearby park was named in his honor in 1965.
During the 1960s, this was a place of sanctuary for civil rights activists who were subjected to harassment in St. Augustine. The funeral home's ambulance was used to take marchers to the hospital when they were beaten in the downtown area. Dianne (Mrs. Arnett) Chase took part in the demonstrations that led to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.
There were many black elected officials in St. Augustine in the decades after the Civil War, but the shooting of black alderman John Papino by a white city marshal during an official meeting in 1902 was the act of terror that put an end to black political office holding for more than 70 years. Arnett Chase made history in 1973 when he was elected to the city commission as the first black elected official in modern times.
In 2008, a Chase limousine went to the Jacksonville airport to pick up the Rev. Dr. C. T. Vivian, one of Dr. Martin Luther King's closest associates. Vivian
this page online
This Historical Marker Presented this 2nd Day of July, 2009 by Northrop Grumman
Erected 2009 by The 40th Anniversary to Commemorate the Civil Rights Demonstrations, Inc. (ACCORD).
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Florida, St. Augustine Freedom Trail series list. A significant historical month for this entry is July 2009.
Location. 29° 53.432′ N, 81° 19.867′ W. Marker is in St. Augustine, Florida, in St. Johns County. Marker is on West King Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 262 West King Street, Saint Augustine FL 32084, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); S.D.W. Smith, Ancient City, Mt. Horeb #20 (approx. 0.2 miles away); 57 Chapin Street (approx. 0.2 miles away); 570 Christopher Street (approx. ¼ mile away); 96 Evergreen Avenue (approx. ¼ mile away); Zion Baptist Church
Photographed By Mrs. Shirley Williams-Galvin, March 5, 2011
2. Chase Funeral Home and its ambulance mentioned in the marker
The 262 West King Street Marker is further to the left of this view of the funeral home.
Also see . . . ACCORD Freedom Trail. Website homepage (Submitted on March 6, 2011, by Gwendolyn Duncan of St. Augustine, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on September 20, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 6, 2011, by Gwendolyn Duncan of St. Augustine, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,180 times since then and 47 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 6, 2011, by Gwendolyn Duncan of St. Augustine, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
