American Beach in Nassau County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Guzman House
Jessie Parkhurst Guzman - Ignacio L. Guzman
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, February 2, 2023
1. The Guzman House Marker Side 1
Inscription.
The Guzman House. Jessie Parkhurst Guzman - Ignacio L. Guzman. , Side 1 , The Guzman house is a one-story masonry frame Vernacular style home. It has an irregular plan protected by a side facing gable roof with a front gable extension. The exterior walls are covered with wood shake shingles. The fenestration consists of bronze aluminum double-hung sash windows with one over one lights. The cottage has a closed-in front porch and a car porch, all-inclusive in the single-story building. This cottage was built in 1963 as an American Beach summer home for African American professors, Jessee P., and Ignacio L Guzman. Both served on the faculty of the Tuskegee institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. The Guzman house is significant in that it represents the diversity of people who traveled to American Beach to enjoy the "Negro Ocean Playground" during the period of segregation. During the heyday of American Beach, individuals and families from all over the country purchased property to become part of the community. Abraham Lincoln Lewis' vision of a resort for all people provide independence and affirmed status among people of color during segregation. The Guzman family's influence on American Beach provided inspiration, and became the "North Star" to people of color. , (Continued on other side) , , Side 2 , (Continued from other side) , Jessie P. Guzman was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1898. From an early age she was academically, professionally, and community oriented. She graduated from Howard University (AB 1919, Alpha Kappa Alpha), Columbia University (M.A. 1924), University of Chicago, and American University. Guzman was an author, archivist, historian, civil rights activist, educator, and college administrator. In 1954, she ran for a seat on the Macon County Board of Education, the first African American to do so. For more than forty years, Jessie Guzman served as the Dean of Women and Director of the Department of Research and Records at the Tuskegee Institute, which included the management of records of lynchings in America for the NAACP. Her husband, Dr. Ignacio L. Guzman was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico in 1898. His career at the Tuskegee institute began in the early 1920s, where he taught and ran their lithography department. There he met and married Jessie in 1940. They retired to American Beach in 1965. The two of them were lifelong supporters of Tuskegee Institute, active in Macon County community, and prominent figures on American Beach. , A Florida Heritage Site
Side 1
The Guzman house is a one-story masonry frame Vernacular style home. It has an irregular plan protected by a side facing gable roof with a front gable extension. The exterior walls are covered with wood shake shingles. The fenestration consists of bronze aluminum double-hung sash windows with one over one lights. The cottage has a closed-in front porch and a car porch, all-inclusive in the single-story building. This cottage was built in 1963 as an American Beach summer home for African American professors, Jessee P., and Ignacio L Guzman. Both served on the faculty of the Tuskegee institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. The Guzman house is significant in that it represents the diversity of people who traveled to American Beach to enjoy the "Negro Ocean Playground" during the period of segregation. During the heyday of American Beach, individuals and families from all over the country purchased property to become part of the community. Abraham Lincoln Lewis' vision of a resort for all people provide independence and affirmed status among people of color during segregation. The Guzman family's influence on American Beach provided inspiration, and became the "North Star" to people of color.
(Continued on other side)
Side 2
(Continued from other side)
Jessie P. Guzman was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1898.
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From an early age she was academically, professionally, and community oriented. She graduated from Howard University (AB 1919, Alpha Kappa Alpha), Columbia University (M.A. 1924), University of Chicago, and American University. Guzman was an author, archivist, historian, civil rights activist, educator, and college administrator. In 1954, she ran for a seat on the Macon County Board of Education, the first African American to do so. For more than forty years, Jessie Guzman served as the Dean of Women and Director of the Department of Research and Records at the Tuskegee Institute, which included the management of records of lynchings in America for the NAACP. Her husband, Dr. Ignacio L. Guzman was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico in 1898. His career at the Tuskegee institute began in the early 1920s, where he taught and ran their lithography department. There he met and married Jessie in 1940. They retired to American Beach in 1965. The two of them were lifelong supporters of Tuskegee Institute, active in Macon County community, and prominent figures on American Beach.
A Florida Heritage Site
Erected 2021 by The Friends of American Beach, Inc., and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1129.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, February 2, 2023
2. The Guzman House Marker Side 2
• Education • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1963.
Location. 30° 34.495′ N, 81° 26.723′ W. Marker is in American Beach, Florida, in Nassau County. It is at the intersection of Waldron Stret and Julia Street, on the left when traveling north on Waldron Stret. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5455 Waldron Street, Fernandina Beach FL 32034, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s First Coast, in Greater Jacksonville, and on the Sea Islands. It is also in the American South. 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 2, 2023, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 924 times since then and 72 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on April 2, 2023, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.
