Lemon City-Boles Town

Lemon City-Boles Town. . 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 twentieth century, including this area, Boles Town. The neighborhood was named for Elijah and Rosa Boles, who had moved to the area from Lake City and were one of the original black families to settle Lemon City. Nicknamed “Lottie,” Elijah was one of Lemon City’s first entrepreneurs. In the late 1800s, he bought a portion of Lemon City librarian Ada Merritt’s homestead, west of Miami Avenue and NW 57th Street. There he built a number of small wooden houses along a single street surrounded by tropical fruit orchards that included lemons, avocados, mangos, and more. Boles rented the houses and ran a small general store. These successful business and land ventures allowed him to become one of the most affluent African Americans in the town. Elijah and Rosa held church services in their home prior to the construction of any black churches in Lemon City. In 1901, the Mount Tabor Missionary Baptist Church was organized in the Boles’ home before it moved to the Knightsville neighborhood. The Reverend B.F. Goodwin was named its first pastor.