Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Howard W. Blake High School
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 28, 2024
1. Howard W. Blake High School Marker
During most of the era of forced racial segregation, Tampa's Black high school students only had two schools to attend - Booker T. Washington in Ybor City and George S. Middleton in East Tampa. The post - World War Il population boom prompted the school board to construct more schools, including a new Black high school. That was the short- lived Don Thompson High School, which was replaced, in 1956, by Howard W. Blake High School.
Named for Booker T. Washington's former principal, the original Blake High School was located on Spruce Street along the Hillsborough River. The building still stands and is now the home to C.V. Stewart Middle Magnet School.
The Blake High Yellow Jackets instantly became fierce rivals with the Middleton Tigers. Sporting events, especially football games, were hotly contested. Despite the rivalry, the two schools alumni bases worked diligently together to further the local, and national, Civil Rights Movement.
In 1971, when school integration finally took hold in Hillsborough County, the original Blake became a junior high school. Blake High School re-opened in 1997, with a different location and integrated student body, but with the same pride that came with wearing the black and gold of old Blake.
Erected 2024 by City of Tampa,
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1956.
Location. 27° 57.495′ N, 82° 28.088′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. It is on North Boulevard 0.1 miles north of West Main Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1701 North Boulevard, Tampa FL, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s 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 States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Clara C. Frye (here, next to this marker); West Branch Library (approx. Ό mile away); Madame Fortune Taylor Bridge (approx. 0.4 miles away); Roberts City (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lynching in America / The Lynching of Robert Johnson (approx. 0.4 miles away); Phillips Field (approx. 0.4 miles away); Tampa Free Public Library (approx. half a mile away); Billy Graham Began Here (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tampa.
Also see . . . Howard W. Blake High School. (Submitted on January 8, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 8, 2025
2. Howard W. Blake High School Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on February 19, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 8, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 941 times since then and 111 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 8, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.
