Coconut Grove in Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Charles Avenue

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014

1. Charles Avenue Marker

Inscription. The first black community on the South Florida mainland began here in the late 1880s when Blacks primarily from the Bahamas came via Key West to work at the Peacock Inn. Their first hand experience with tropical plants and building materials proved invaluable to the development of Coconut Grove. Besides private homes, the early buildings included the Odd Fellows Hall, which served as a community center and library, Macedonia Baptist Church, home of the oldest black congregation in the area, and the A.M.E. Methodist Church, which housed the community's first school. At the western end of Charles Avenue is one of the area's oldest cemeteries.

Erected by Sponsored by Eastern Airlines in cooperation with the Historical Association of Southern Florida.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church series list.

Location. 25° 43.544′ N, 80° 14.717′ W. Marker is in Miami, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. It is in Coconut Grove. It is at the intersection of Charles Avenue and

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Main Highway, on the right when traveling west on Charles Avenue. The marker is located next to the Coconut Grove Theater parking lot fence. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Miami FL 33133, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in South Florida

and on the Gold 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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: E.W.F. Stirrup House (a few steps from this marker); Tea Chest / Ralph Munroe (within shouting distance of this marker); Coconut Grove Playhouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Mariah Brown House (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ransom School (about 500 feet away); Coconut Grove (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Barnacle (approx. 0.2 miles away); Cocoanut Grove Public Utilities Company (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Miami.

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014

2. Charles Avenue Marker

View of Charles Avenue looking west image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014

3. View of Charles Avenue looking west

Coconut Grove Cemetery on Charles Avenue image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014

4. Coconut Grove Cemetery on Charles Avenue

The cemetery scenes in Michael Jackson's Thriller video were shot here.

One-story "shotgun" house on Charles Avenue image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014

5. One-story "shotgun" house on Charles Avenue

The name “shotgun” was given because of the typical alignment of the house’s doors; supposedly, a bullet fired at the front door would pass straight through the house and out the back door. The rooms are lined up, one behind another, usually the living room, then one or two bedrooms, and the kitchen at the back. The shotgun houses are usually tiny (12 ft wide) constructed on piers with no setback from the street, a front porch, wood frame, wood siding and, sometimes, chimneys made of stone.

Two-story "shotgun" house on Charles Avenue image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, July 5, 2014

6. Two-story "shotgun" house on Charles Avenue

Some variations to the "shotgun" style can be found on Charles Avenue, such as wider houses with one and a half or two stories in height.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 22, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,283 times since then and 68 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 22, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. 4, 5, 6. submitted on July 23, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.