Greenville in Madison County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Ray Charles Childhood Home
Photographed By Kia Scott, February 7, 2012
1. Ray Charles Childhood Home Marker
This home is a reconstruction of the home where musician Ray Charles (1930-2004) lived with his mother, Aretha Williams, and adopted grandmother, Margaret "Muh" Robinson, shortly after his birth in 1930, until about the age of five. "RC", as Ray was known by his friends, received his first piano instruction from Wiley Pitman, owner of the nearby Red Wing Cafe. Ray and his mother later moved into a small house behind the cafe. At age seven, Ray's sight failed and he was sent to the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine. The modest wood frame vernacular house he grew up in was probably constructed in the 1920s. It had no electricity or indoor plumbing. Meals were prepared on a wood-burning stove. A hand-primed-pump supplied water from a well next to the house. A fireplace in one of the four small rooms provided warmth, and open windows and doors allowed breezes to cool the house. Because of advanced deterioration, the abandoned house was scheduled for demolition in 2006. The town of Greenville purchased the structure to preserve the memory of Ray Charles. With a grant from the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation, the Town
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Erected 2008 by Town of Greenville and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-651.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Entertainment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1930.
Location. 30° 27.887′ N, 83° 38.343′ W. Marker is in Greenville, Florida, in Madison County. Marker is on SW Ray Charles Avenue. Nearby location - Near Greenville Elementary School. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 443 SW Ray Charles Avenue, Greenville FL 32331, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Town of Greenville (approx. half a mile away); Florida Honors and Remembers our POW’s and MIA’s (approx. 5.6 miles away); a different marker also named Florida Honors and Remembers our POW’s and MIA’s (approx. 5.8 miles away); John Hicks and Hickstown (approx. 8.4 miles away); Concord Missionary Baptist Church (approx. 11.8 miles away); Lamont Community (approx. 12.1 miles away); Shady Grove Methodist Church (approx. 12.2 miles away); Shiloh Methodist Church (approx. 12˝ miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.
Also see . . . Ray Charles Statue, Greenville, Florida. This site is less
Photographed By Kia Scott, February 7, 2012
2. Ray Charles Childhood Home Marker
Photographed By Kia Scott, February 7, 2012
3. Ray Charles Childhood Home Marker
Photographed By Kia Scott, February 7, 2012
4. Ray Charles Memorial Statue
This statue is not far from the home site. It is located at Haffye Hays Park, on the south side of U.S. Highway 90 in downtown Greenville.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on February 8, 2012, by Kia Scott of Orlando, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,758 times since then and 232 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on February 8, 2012, by Kia Scott of Orlando, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
