Curry Houses National Register Historic District / Refuge of Peace

Curry Houses National Register Historic District, also, Refuge of Peace. . , Curry Houses National Register Historic District , On this site, Captain John and Mary (Kemp) Curry built 22 homes after purchasing 30 acres from Dr. Franklin Branch in 1859. Their extended family of 29 moved here from Key West on a self-built ship "Ariel". Simon Bartholf, Richard Roberts, and Bahamian carpenters had arrived earlier, constructing these two houses on site. Upon Captain John's death, the two homes were inherited by a son, Samuel George Curry and his wife, Amanda (Andress) and later passed to their daughter Mary Amelia. Their youngest daughter, Theodosia Lloyd, built the house that stands across the street in 1925. She gave it to her son Phillip and his wife Theresa (Martin). Theresa lived there until the 1980's. The three houses are now museums interpreting the history of this area., Refuge of Peace , The Curry homestead, including the Manatee Mineral Springs, is ground steeped in history. Pre-Columbian mounds stood here. As a Spanish territory until 1821, Blacks seeking freedom from enslavemnt headed south into Florida. Border skirmishes and slave raids caused men, women, and children to seek safer havens south of the Manatee River at Angola, a spot on Florida's Underground Railroad that has been documented by archaeological evidence. In 1821 it was destroyed in a large slave raid. Hundreds were captured but some escaped to the Bahamas or the interior of Florida. In 1864, Union Sailors came ashore and destroyed the Curry saw mill/grist mill. In August, 1864 under the leadership of Capt. John Bartholf, 40-60 soldiers of the 2nd Colored Infantry camped on this site.