Near Allenhurst in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Clifton Colored School
1890-1891
Photographed by Jay Kravetz, September 4, 2017
1. Clifton Colored School Marker
Inscription.
The Clifton Colored School. Before the Clifton Schoolhouse was built, Butler Campbell and Andrew Jacksons children were home schooled by a black teacher, Mr. Mahaffey. The teacher was paid five dollars for each student, after examination by the County School Superintendent. Any locality claiming a school had to provide a public school house, select at least one trustee, and secure a certified teacher. In 1890-91, Campbell and Jackson decided to build a proper school. A neighbor, Wade Holmes provided a one-acre lot on the northwest corner of his property. The three men built a 12 x 16 heart pine structure that sat on coquina cornerstones about one foot off the ground. The west-facing front was fitted with a double-paneled door. Two sets of glass-paned windows were on the north and south sides. The roof was made of cedar or cypress boards. Campbells children included Florida, Eugenia, Agnes, Henry and Willie, who was Valedictorian in 1892. Jacksons children were Annie, Mary, Floyd and Douglas, who was Valedictorian in 1893. Studies included reading, physiology, English, math and Latin. By 1910, the children were out of school or attending school elsewhere. In 1924, Eugenia returned to Clifton and later lived in the structure. When NASA bought properties on North Merritt Island in the 1960s, the families relocated to other areas and most of the houses were moved or demolished.
Before the Clifton Schoolhouse was built, Butler Campbell and Andrew Jacksons children were home schooled by a black teacher, Mr. Mahaffey. The teacher was paid five dollars for each student, after examination by the County School Superintendent. Any locality claiming a school had to provide a public school house, select at least one trustee, and secure a certified teacher. In 1890-91, Campbell and Jackson decided to build a proper school. A neighbor, Wade Holmes provided a one-acre lot on the northwest corner of his property. The three men built a 12 x 16 heart pine structure that sat on coquina cornerstones about one foot off the ground. The west-facing front was fitted with a double-paneled door. Two sets of glass-paned windows were on the north and south sides. The roof was made of cedar or cypress boards. Campbells children included Florida, Eugenia, Agnes, Henry and Willie, who was Valedictorian in 1892. Jacksons children were Annie, Mary, Floyd and Douglas, who was Valedictorian in 1893. Studies included reading, physiology, English, math and Latin. By 1910, the children were out of school or attending school elsewhere. In 1924, Eugenia returned to Clifton and later lived in the structure. When NASA bought properties on North Merritt Island in the 1960s, the families relocated to other areas and most of the houses were moved
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or demolished.
Erected 2005 by The Brevard County Historical Commission, the Brevard County Tourist Development Council, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-557.)
Location. 28° 45.031′ N, 80° 46.161′ W. Marker is near Allenhurst, Florida, in Brevard County. It is on Courtenay Parkway North (State Road 3), on the left when traveling south. This marker is very hard to find. It is on a piece of land with a lot of weeds in the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. It is 2.8 miles north of the Haulover Canal on the east side of State Road 3. It can be seen from the road, but the speed limit is 55 miles per hour in this section of State Road 3 and you have to really look closely. It is just pass a radar station, so slow down after you pass the station. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mims FL 32754, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s Space Coast. 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 July 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on September 5, 2017, by Jay Kravetz of West Palm Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 2,101 times since then and 233 times this year. Last updated on July 11, 2025, by Diane Murphy of Saint Cloud, Florida. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on September 5, 2017, by Jay Kravetz of West Palm Beach, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
