Ridgecrest in Pinellas County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Dansville

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, November 15, 2022

1. Dansville Marker

Inscription. This area was historically known as Dansville, named for one of its founding residents, Dan Henry. The twelfth of fifteen children, Henry moved here from Dawson, Georgia, with his brother Lloyd’s family in the early 1920s. At the time, citrus groves covered the sandy ridges of Pinellas County, and the brothers found employment loading citrus at freight stations on the Seaboard Air Line Railroad. Lloyd was the first to purchase property of his own. In 1928, he built a house and started a grove in nearby Baskin. Dan followed suit, and by 1946 had purchased two 40-acre tracts at this location. He built a house for his family and soon invited other African American families to settle on the property. Smaller lots were created from the master tract by “stepping off” an area large enough to accommodate a new home. Eventually, the tight-knit, self-sufficient community consisted of about 80 houses, a store, and Mt. Olive Baptist Church. On October 3, 1992, a tornado swept through the area. It destroyed 26 homes and damaged many others. As part of recovery, Pinellas County assisted residents in rebuilding, and documented the community’s

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history through an award-winning oral history project.

Erected 2020 by Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board, Dansville Neighborhood Development Corporation, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1127.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1928.

Location. 27° 53.483′ N, 82° 48.949′ W. Marker is in Ridgecrest, Florida, in Pinellas County. It is at the intersection of Wilcox Road and Pine Street, on the right when traveling west on Wilcox Road. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Largo FL 33774, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast

and on 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

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, November 15, 2022

2. Dansville Marker

Looking northwest

States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Gandy Bridge Tower (approx. 0.6 miles away); Fire Engine (approx. 0.7 miles away); Walsingham House (approx. 0.7 miles away); McMullen House (approx. 0.7 miles away); H.C. Smith Store (approx. 0.7 miles away); Moore House (approx. 0.7 miles away); Outhouses (approx. 0.7 miles away); Caboose (approx. 0.7 miles away).

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, November 15, 2022

3. Dansville Marker

Looking southeast

Credits. This page was last revised on November 16, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 16, 2022, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 532 times since then and 51 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 16, 2022, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.