Little Haiti in Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Lemon City-Knightsville

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 15, 2021

1. Lemon City-Knightsville Marker

Inscription. Bound by the area east of I-95, between 71st and 54th Streets, the Lemon City community had at least three identifiable historic black communities at the turn of the 20th century, including this area, Knightsville. Surrounded by groves owned by white residents, the neighborhood consisted of five acres divided into small lots along a sand road (now NE 68th Street) that stretched west up the pineland ridge from Rock Road (NE 2nd Avenue). Knightsville was the cultural center of Lemon City’s black community, many of whom were of Bahamian descent. Two churches were located in the neighborhood, Mount Tabor Missionary Baptist Church, founded in 1894, and St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church, founded in 1901. Both churches were damaged in the 1906 Florida Keys hurricane, but were later restored. The lodge of the local chapter of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, a two-story wood frame building, was also located in Knightsville. The first floor served as a local school, while the second was used as meeting space and for social events. In the mid-20th century, as racial discrimination and urban renewal began to force

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

black residents out of Lemon City, both churches relocated northwest to the Liberty City area.

Erected 2019 by The City of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, The City of Miami in coordination with Alexander Adams, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1071.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1894.

Location. 25° 50.239′ N, 80° 11.553′ W. Marker is in Miami, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. It is in Little Haiti. It is at the intersection of Northeast 68th Street and Northeast 2nd Avenue, on the left when traveling east on Northeast 68th Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Miami FL 33138, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida

and on the Gold Coast.

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

Lemon City-Knightsville Marker looking southeast through intersection image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, June 15, 2021

2. Lemon City-Knightsville Marker looking southeast through intersection

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: Lemon City-Nazarene (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lemon City Pharmacy-Dr. Dupuis Office (approx. 0.3 miles away); Lemon City Train Station (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lemon City Post Office (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lemon City Library (approx. half a mile away); Little Haiti's Mache Ayisyen-"The Caribbean Marketplace" (approx. half a mile away); Vagabond Motel (approx. 0.6 miles away); The Cushman School (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Miami.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Lemon City Branch Library (was approx. half a mile away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . Lemon City and Little Haiti. (Submitted on June 18, 2021, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on January 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 18, 2021, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 867 times since then and 95 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 18, 2021, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.