St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Zora Neale Hurston
Photographed By James R. Murray, September 17, 2014
1. Zora Neale Hurston Marker
Noted author Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) rented a room in this house in 1942. One of the few surviving buildings closely linked with Hurston’s life, it is an example of frame Vernacular construction, with cool, north-facing porches on both floors. The owners frequently rented to female students at nearby Florida Normal and Industrial Institute (now Florida Memorial College in Miami). While living here Hurston taught part time at the Institute and completed her autobiography, Dust Tracks on a Road. Also, she met novelist Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, a St. Augustine resident and author of The Yearling. Earlier in 1927 Hurston married Herbert Sheen, a Chicago medical student, at the St. Johns County Courthouse. Hurston was one of the first to appreciate the significance of Fort Mose north of St. Augustine, the first town settled by free black people in the United States. Her article on Fort Mose appeared in the October, 1927 issue of the Journal of Negro History. During her lifetime Hurston traveled the back roads of Florida collecting folk stories and songs that she used to write musical plays, short stories, and novels.
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Erected 2003 by St. Johns County and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-478.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Women. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1927.
Location. 29° 53.379′ N, 81° 20.435′ W. Marker is in St. Augustine, Florida, in St. Johns County. Marker is on West King Street near North McLaughlin Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 791 West King Street, Saint Augustine FL 32084, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. New Augustine Colored Elementary School #36 (approx. ¼ mile away); Pinehurst Cemetery (approx. ¼ mile away); San Sebastian Cemetery (approx. 0.3 miles away); Randolph Caldecott (approx. 0.4 miles away); 570 Christopher Street (approx. 0.4 miles away); S.D.W. Smith, Ancient City, Mt. Horeb #20 (approx. 0.4 miles away); 650 Julia Street (approx. 0.4 miles away); Evergreen Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Augustine.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Photographed By James R. Murray, September 18, 2014
2. Zora Neale Hurston Marker Location
Photographed By James R. Murray, September 17, 2014
3. Zora Neale Hurston House
It is said that Ms Hurston rented a room upstairs in the house in 1942.
Photographed By Wikipedia, circa 1943
4. Zora Neale Hurston
Library of Congress (LC-USZ62-62394)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 18, 2014, by James R. Murray of Elkton, Florida. This page has been viewed 868 times since then and 148 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 18, 2014, by James R. Murray of Elkton, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
