Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Charles Avenue
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014
1. Charles Avenue Marker
Inscription.
Charles Avenue. . The first black community on the South Florida mainland began here in the late 1880s when Blacks primarily from the Bahamas came via Key West to work at the Peacock Inn. Their first hand experience with tropical plants and building materials proved invaluable to the development of Coconut Grove. Besides private homes, the early buildings included the Odd Fellows Hall, which served as a community center and library, Macedonia Baptist Church, home of the oldest black congregation in the area, and the A.M.E. Methodist Church, which housed the community's first school. At the western end of Charles Avenue is one of the area's oldest cemeteries.
The first black community on the South Florida mainland began here in the late 1880s when Blacks primarily from the Bahamas came via Key West to work at the Peacock Inn. Their first hand experience with tropical plants and building materials proved invaluable to the development of Coconut Grove. Besides private homes, the early buildings included the Odd Fellows Hall, which served as a community center and library, Macedonia Baptist Church, home of the oldest black congregation in the area, and the A.M.E. Methodist Church, which housed the community's first school. At the western end of Charles Avenue is one of the area's oldest cemeteries.
Erected by Sponsored by Eastern Airlines in cooperation with the Historical Association of Southern Florida.
Location. 25° 43.544′ N, 80° 14.717′ W. Marker is in Miami, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. Marker is at the intersection of Charles Avenue and Main Highway, on the right when
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traveling west on Charles Avenue. The marker is located next to the Coconut Grove Theater parking lot fence. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Miami FL 33133, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Evangelist Street/Charles Street Designation Report (pdf file). Charles Avenue is "the most peculiar and unique street in South Florida" - Historic and Environmental Preservation Board, City of Miami. (Submitted on July 23, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida.)
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014
2. Charles Avenue Marker
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014
3. View of Charles Avenue looking west
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014
4. Coconut Grove Cemetery on Charles Avenue
The cemetery scenes in Michael Jackson's Thriller video were shot here.
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014
5. One-story "shotgun" house on Charles Avenue
The name “shotgun” was given because of the typical alignment of the house’s doors; supposedly, a bullet fired at the front door would pass straight through the house and out the back door. The rooms are lined up, one behind another, usually the living room, then one or two bedrooms, and the kitchen at the back. The shotgun houses are usually tiny (12 ft wide) constructed on piers with no setback from the street, a front porch, wood frame, wood siding and, sometimes, chimneys made of stone.
Photographed By Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014
6. Two-story "shotgun" house on Charles Avenue
Some variations to the "shotgun" style can be found on Charles Avenue, such as wider houses with one and a half or two stories in height.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 25, 2017. It was originally submitted on July 22, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. This page has been viewed 620 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on July 22, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 23, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.