St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

650 Julia Street

ACCORD Freedom Trail

Photographed by Mrs. Shirley Williams-Galvin, March 5, 2011

1. 650 Julia Street Marker

Inscription. This house was built in 2008 by Habitat for Humanity for one of the Ancient City's civil rights heroes, Audrey Nell Edwards. Along with JoeAnn Anderson Ulmer, Samuel White, and Willie Carl Singleton, she was one of the "St. Augustine Four." As young teenagers, they were arrested for seeking service at the segregated lunch counter of the local Woolworth store on July 18, 1963, and spent the next six months in jail and reform school when they refused to sign a statement for the County Judge that they would no longer take part in civil rights demonstrations. Their case attracted national attention as an example of injustice, and pressure from around the country finally forced the governor and cabinet of Florida to free them in January 1964. They had missed Thanksgiving and Christmas with their families, but they had shown that the civil rights movement could not be crushed. The St. Augustine Four were praised for their steadfastness by Jackie Robinson and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (who called them "my warriors").

A block north of here is historic Woodlawn Cemetery, the final resting place for many prominent African Americans.

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Among them is Miss Cuter Eubanks (1927-1985) whose arrest with Mrs. Mary Peabody, the 72-year-old mother of the governor of Massachusetts, at the Ponce de Leon Motor Lodge was front-page news across the country in 1964. Willie Carl Singleton and Samuel White, two of the St. Augustine Four, are buried there, as are civil rights activists Loucille Plummer and Gertrude Bias.

The movement in St. Augustine led directly to the passage of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964.

This Historical Marker Presented this 2nd Day of July, 2009 by Northrop Grumman

Erected 2009 by The 40th Anniversary to Commemorate the Civil Rights Demonstrations, Inc. (ACCORD).

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Heroes. In addition, it is included in the Florida, St. Augustine Freedom Trail series list. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1964.

Location. 29° 53.722′ N, 81° 20.237′ W. Marker is in St. Augustine, Florida, in St. Johns County. It is on Julia Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 650 Julia Street, Saint Augustine FL 32084,

650 Julia Street and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mrs. Shirley Williams-Galvin, March 5, 2011

2. 650 Julia Street and Marker

United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in First Coast

and in Greater Jacksonville.

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: Evergreen Cemetery (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Randolph Caldecott (about 700 feet away); San Sebastian Cemetery (about 700 feet away); Pinehurst Cemetery (approx. 0.2 miles away); New Augustine Colored Elementary School #36 (approx. ¼ mile away); Zion Baptist Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); 96 Evergreen Avenue (approx. 0.3 miles away); S.D.W. Smith, Ancient City, Mt. Horeb #20 (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Augustine.

Also see . . . The ACCORD Freedom Trail. Website

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homepage (Submitted on March 6, 2011, by Gwendolyn Duncan of St. Augustine, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on September 20, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 6, 2011, by Gwendolyn Duncan of St. Augustine, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,235 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 6, 2011, by Gwendolyn Duncan of St. Augustine, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.