Coconut Grove in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Evangelist Street Charles Avenue

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 24, 2018

1. Evangelist Street Charles Avenue Marker Side 1

Inscription. (Side 1)
In the late 1800s, African-Bahamians migrated to the United States after exhaustion of the islands’ rocky soil. South Florida and the Florida Keys, with similar geography and climate, became attractive destinations. Most Bahamians that settled in Coconut Grove were from the Island of Eleuthera, where the majority of inhabitants were formerly enslaved people from West Indian plantations. One of the first arrivals was Mariah Brown, who was among the first settlers to build their house in this area. When more immigrants settled in the neighborhood, the residents asked the town to put in a road. When the town refused, the Bahamian community built their own road from oolithic limestone (coral rock). Evangelist Street took its name from the neighboring churches, many of which served black congregations, including Macedonia Baptist Church, St. Agnes Baptist Church, and St. Paul’s Methodist Church. Another prominent individual from the Bahamian community on Evangelist Street was E.W.F. Stirrup, who built homes to sell and rent to other newly-arrived Bahamian immigrants. Evangelist Street/Charles Avenue symbolizes the

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thriving Bahamian community in the area. (Continued on other side) (Side 2) (Continued from other side) As the neighborhood grew, Evangelist Street grew with it. The street became the cultural and commercial center for the Bahamian community, and extended from Main Highway on the east to Douglas Road (SW 37th Avenue) on the west. In the early 1900s, the street name was changed to Charles Avenue after early settler Joseph Frow’s son, Charles. The Frow family sold land to many of the early Bahamian pioneers to build their homes. In the 1920s the business district moved to County Road, now Grand Avenue. While other parts of Coconut Grove continued to develop, the Charles Avenue area remained the same and was one of the last streets in Coconut Grove to be paved or receive sewers. Charles Avenue remains the backbone of the community and includes an important cemetery, where notable pioneers are buried, as well as historic shotgun homes owned by Mariah Brown and E.W.F. Stirrup. The Neighborhood Conservation District was formed here in 2005.

Erected 2016 by Coconut Grove Civic Club and the Florida Department of State. (Marker

Evangelist Street Charles Avenue Marker Side 2 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 24, 2018

2. Evangelist Street Charles Avenue Marker Side 2

Number F-885.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers.

Location. 25° 43.527′ N, 80° 15.2′ W. Marker is in Coconut Grove, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. It is at the intersection of Charles Avenue and Southwest 37th Avenue, on the right when traveling east on Charles Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Miami FL 33133, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida,

on the Gold Coast,

and in Greater Miami.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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: Churches (a few steps from this marker); The Historic Coconut Grove Cemetery

Evangelist Street Charles Avenue Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 24, 2018

3. Evangelist Street Charles Avenue Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); Architecture (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Cocoanut Grove Park (approx. ¼ mile away); Cocoanut Grove Public Utilities Company (approx. 0.3 miles away); St. Mary First Missionary Baptist Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); George Allen Avenue (approx. 0.4 miles away); Elizabeth Virrick Park (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Coconut Grove.

Evangelist Street Charles Avenue Scene image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 24, 2018

4. Evangelist Street Charles Avenue Scene

Credits. This page was last revised on March 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on June 2, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 657 times since then and 52 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 2, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.