Downtown in Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Woolworth Sit-In
Tampa's Former F.W. Woolworth Store
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, May 30, 2018
1. Woolworth Sit-In Marker Side 1
George S. Middleton High School
George Edgecomb, President of Student Council · Alberta Gaskins · Arnold Dubose · Arthenia Joyner · Barbara Wright · Carl Warren · Doris Cross · Eloise Gordon · Inez Anderson · Jacqueline McKinney Preston · James "Jim" Hargrett, Jr. · Joy Lawe Armstrong · Nelson Griffith · Pearl Higdon Urshery · Tereceia Vann · Theodore Lawe
Howard W. Blake High School
Shafter Scott, President of Student Council · Bernard Clark · Bernard Flowers · Betty Austin · Carmen Grinan · Eddie McIntosh · Evelyn Alexander · Flerida Gonzalez · Henry
this page online
Erected 2018 by Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council, Tampa Woolworth Project.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical date for this entry is February 29, 1960.
Location. 27° 57.048′ N, 82° 27.554′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. It is in Downtown. It is at the intersection of East Polk Street and North Franklin Street, on the right when traveling west on East Polk Street. This marker and building sits just north of the historic Tampa Theater. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 East Polk Street, Tampa FL 33602, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Tampa Bay. It is also in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker:
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, May 30, 2018
2. Woolworth Sit-In Marker Side 2
Another marker is no longer nearby. WDAE ---Florida's First Radio Station (was about 400 feet away but has been permanently removed).
Also see . . .
1. The Tampa Woolworth Project. (Submitted on July 18, 2018, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)
2. Woolworth Marker Unveiling May 19, 2018 (YouTube, 3 mins.). "On Feb. 29, 1960, Clarence Fort led a lunch counter sit-in for racial integration at the F.W. Woolworth store in Downtown Tampa. The sit-in and peaceful civil rights protestors, consisting primarily of students from Blake and Middleton High Schools, were memorized with the unveiling of a historical marker outside the former Woolworth's storefront at 801 N. Franklin Street. The marker was made possible through the work of Tammie Field's Tampa Woolworth Project, the Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council, and community supporters."
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, May 30, 2018
3. Woolworth Sit-In Marker in middle of picture looking west on Polk St. toward Franklin St
Additional commentary.
1. Monument Names
I saw this on CBS Sunday Morning today. I notice the list of names on the metal sign is arranged alphabetically, but by first names. Wouldnt the proper way to list them be alphabetically but by last names? Or is there a reason it was done this way?
— Submitted January 18, 2026, by Tami Toney of Pensacola, Florida.
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, May 30, 2018
4. Clarence Fort
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, May 30, 2018
5. Lunch Counter
Credits. This page was last revised on February 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2018, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,137 times since then and 113 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on July 18, 2018, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
