Wallace in Daytona Beach in Volusia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Howard Thurman Home
614 Whitehall Street
| — | Black Heritage Trail | — |
Photographed by Stephen Thomas White, January 7, 2026
1. Howard Thurman Home Marker
The house, built in 1888, was the birthplace and childhood home of Howard Thurman. The restored structure reflects the appearance and character of its historic association with the life of Howard Thurman.
Raised by his illiterate, formerly enslaved grandmother, Thurman became the first Black in Florida to pass 8th grade, paving the way for educational equality in the Florida school system. Thurman's professor taught Thurman on his own time, enabling him to gain acceptance to the Florida Academy Baptist High School in Jacksonville. Thurman solicited the assistance of James N. Gamble, of Procter & Gamble, who paid for his school expenses while in Jacksonville, according to the Thurman Home National Register nomination.
In 1936, Thurman spent six months in India, giving 136 lectures in 50 cities, culminating with a meeting with Mahatma Gandhi. At the meeting, Gandhi proclaimed, "It may be through the Negroes that the unadulterated message of nonviolence will be delivered to the world.", as printed July 31, 2019, in the Conversation, "How Howard Thurman met Gandhi and brought nonviolence to the civil rights movement."
Howard Thurman met Gandhi and brought nonviolence to the civil rights movement."
Gandhi's philosophy and practice deeply influenced Thurman's understanding of nonviolent resistance and shaped his later role as a mentor to Civil Rights Leaders. Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. embraced the Gandhian principles of nonviolent resistance as a core strategy for the civil rights movement.
Thurman authored more than 20 books, including Jesus and the Disinherited, which provided spiritual guidance for the civil rights movement.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was often seen reading it before dawn during much of the Civil Rights Movement, according to the Thurman Home National
this page online
When Thurman gave the commencement address at Bethune-Cookman College in 1963, he was recognized with a parade in his honor and was provided with a key to the city. Listed in the Florida Black Heritage Trail guide and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.
Timeline
1888 Home Built
1889 Howard Thurman Born
1917 Moved to Jacksonville
1923 Graduated from Morehouse College
1925 Ordained Baptist Minister
1932 Dean & Professor at Howard University
1936 Met Mahatma Gandhi
1949 Wrote Jesus and the Disinherited
1990 Placed on the National Register of Historic Places
Erected by City of Daytona Beach and the Department of State, Division of Historical Resources.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. A significant historical date for this entry is July 31, 2019.
Location. 29° 11.954′ N, 81° 1.296′ W. Marker is in Daytona Beach, Florida, in Volusia County. It is in Wallace. It is on Whitehall Street 0.1 miles east of Cedar Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at
Photographed by Stephen Thomas White, January 7, 2026
2. Howard Thurman Home Marker
Regionally, this marker is in First Coast. It is also in the American South and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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: Historic Childhood Home of Dr. Howard Thurman (a few steps from this marker); Masonic Lodge No. 36 (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mount Bethel Baptist Institutional Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Mount Zion AME Church (approx. 0.2 miles away); Daytona Times Building (approx. ¼ mile away); Olds Hall (approx. 0.4 miles away); Delos A. Blodgett House (approx. 0.4 miles away); John H. Dickerson Community Center (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in
Photographed by Stephen Thomas White, January 7, 2026
3. National Register of Historic Places plaque
Also see . . .
1. Howard Thurman Home. (Submitted on September 30, 2026, by Stephen Thomas White of Norfolk, Virginia.)
2. Howard Thurman’s Florida Roots. (Submitted on September 30, 2026, by Stephen Thomas White of Norfolk, Virginia.)
3. African American Heritage . (Submitted on September 30, 2026, by Stephen Thomas White of Norfolk, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on October 14, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 30, 2026, by Stephen Thomas White of Norfolk, Virginia. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 30, 2026, by Stephen Thomas White of Norfolk, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
