Old Seminole Heights in Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Rogers Park Golf Course
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 8, 2025
1. Rogers Park Golf Course Marker
During the segregation era, the property that is now home to Rogers Park Golf Course, named for Garfield Devoe Rogers, was an African American community park. After church on Sundays, many families spent the day on the playground, baseball field, snack bar, dance pavilion, and picnic area.
Rogers donated the land to the City of Tampa since there were no parks available for African Americans in the city. The park was dedicated in 1951, and soon after Mayor Curtis Hixon gave permission to a group of caddies from Palma Ceia Golf & Country Club. to build a nine-hole course within the new park. The group-all African Americans-was led by Willie Black.
Working almost entirely by hand, the small but dedicated group cleared trees, crafted fairways, placed bunkers, and set out greens, and by 1952, Rogers Park Golf Course was a reality.
The Tampa Sports Authority took over management of Rogers Park, along with the citys two other golf courses, in 1976. The city added an irrigation system and then added to the overall property. In 2000, the Sports Authority embarked on a $4 million renovation, including a new irrigation system, rebuilt greens (to USGA specifications), extensive landscaping upgrades, and a new clubhouse.
Erected 2024 by Hillsborough County Historical
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Parks & Recreational Areas • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1951.
Location. 28° 1.18′ N, 82° 25.583′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. It is in Old Seminole Heights. It is on North 30th Street 0.2 miles north of East Sleigh Avenue, in the median. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7920 N 30th St, Tampa FL 33610, 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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Hillsborough County Historical Cemetery For All People (approx. 1.4 miles away); Middleton Senior High School (approx. 2.2 miles away); Ridgewood Cemetery (approx. 2.2 miles away); Spanish Exploration of Temple Terrace (approx. 2.4 miles away); Bruce B. Downs Boulevard (approx. 2½ miles away); St. Joseph Aid Cemetery-Montana City Cemetery (approx. 2½ miles away); Union Raiders Burn Tampa Blockade Runners (approx. 2.6 miles away); War Correspondents Memorial (approx. 2.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tampa.
Also see . . . Rogers Park Golf Course. (Submitted on January 10, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 8, 2025
2. Rogers Park Golf Course Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 10, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 222 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 10, 2025, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.
