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

Virginia Key Beach Park

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014

1. Virginia Key Beach Park Marker

Inscription. Virginia Key Beach Park is an environmental and historic landmark located on a barrier island. Its earliest recorded history is of an 1838 skirmish during the Second Seminole War in which three Seminoles were killed on this site. From the early 1900s onward, during the era of segregation, this location became a popular unofficial colored recreation area, popularly known as "Bears Cut." In 1945, following a bold protest led by Attorney Lawson E. Thomas and others to demand an officially designated beach, Virginia Key Beach was opened on August 1, "for exclusive use of Negroes." The new park, at first accessible only by boat, was an immediate success, attracting over 1,000 visitors on any given weekend. In addition to the baptisms and sunrise services which regularly took place, churches, organizations, and families gathered here for memorable picnics and social events. The park brought together all neighborhoods and social classes of the "Colored" community. By the early 1960s, another courageous protest brought segregation to an end. The beach park is a symbol of the efforts of Black Miamians who persevered to bring about

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change for future generations.

Erected 2006 by A Florida Heritage Site sponsored by the City of Miami Parks and Recreation Department and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-573.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Wars, US Indian. A significant historical year for this entry is 1838.

Location. 25° 44.102′ N, 80° 9.375′ W. Marker is in Miami, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. It is in Downtown Miami. It can be reached from Virginia Beach Drive 0.4 miles north of Rickenbacker Causeway (State Road 913), on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4020 Virginia Beach Drive, Key Biscayne FL 33149, 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

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

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014

2. Virginia Key Beach Park Marker

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 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Historical Marker #2 Dance Pavilion (a few steps from this marker); The Concession Stand (within shouting distance of this marker); Coast Survey Base Marker (approx. 1.2 miles away); Office of Dr. James Jackson, Miami's First Physician (approx. 2.8 miles away); Chateau Petit Douy (approx. 2.8 miles away); Professor Charles Torrey Simpson/Professor Charles Torrey Simpson Park (approx. 2.9 miles away); Congregation Beth Jacob (approx. 2.9 miles away); Mary Brickell Park (approx. 3.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Miami.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Brickell Park (was approx. 3.1 miles away but has been permanently removed).

More about this marker. The marker is located on the Atlantic Ocean beach next to the bath house and snack bar. The park is directly off Rickenbacker Causeway connecting Key Biscayne and Miami. Nearby facilities include the

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014

3. Virginia Key Beach Park Marker

Miami Seaquarium, a major tennis center, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Also see . . . The Seminole Wars. (Submitted on December 4, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida.)

Virginia Key Beach image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014

4. Virginia Key Beach

Photographed by Marsha A. Matson, December 2, 2014

5. Virginia Key Beach

Photographed by FlashbackMiami.com (Miami Herald History Series)

6. Virginia Key Beach

Colored Only Sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Virginia Key Beach Park Trust

7. Colored Only Sign

Collaborative Archive from the African Diaspora, University of Miami Libraries

Credits. This page was last revised on October 27, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 4, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,350 times since then and 108 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on December 4, 2014, by Marsha A. Matson of Palmetto Bay, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.