West Palm Beach in Palm Beach County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Flamingo Park
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, August 3, 2016
1. Flamingo Park Marker
Inscription.
Flamingo Park. . This site was originally the southeast corner of an eighty-acre parcel purchased by George L. Marsteller of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1884 for $100. Two blocks to the north, between South Dixie Highway and South Olive Avenue, the Lakeside Cemetery Association had platted the Lakeside Cemetery in 1893. It operated as a racially integrated facility, unusual for the time. In 1902, the Association purchased these two acres from West Palm Beach to serve as a separate cemetery for African Americans. The Association platted 190 lots and interred approximately 100 people by 1913. The cemetery never had an official name: maps of the era simply called it “Colored Cemetery.” The City’s efforts to repossess and resell the cemetery in 1916 were blocked by the Florida Supreme Court. By 1921, unable to maintain the cemetery, the Association donated it to the City without restrictions. No further burials took place. The City converted the cemetery to a public park known as Dixie Playground and later renamed Flamingo Park. Citizens’ protests in 1966 and in 1991 thwarted subsequent attempts to sell the park for commercial development.
This site was originally the southeast corner of an eighty-acre parcel purchased by George L. Marsteller of Charleston, South Carolina, in 1884 for $100. Two blocks to the north, between South Dixie Highway and South Olive Avenue, the Lakeside Cemetery Association had platted the Lakeside Cemetery in 1893. It operated as a racially integrated facility, unusual for the time. In 1902, the Association purchased these two acres from West Palm Beach to serve as a separate cemetery for African Americans. The Association platted 190 lots and interred approximately 100 people by 1913. The cemetery never had an official name: maps of the era simply called it “Colored Cemetery.” The City’s efforts to repossess and resell the cemetery in 1916 were blocked by the Florida Supreme Court. By 1921, unable to maintain the cemetery, the Association donated it to the City without restrictions. No further burials took place. The City converted the cemetery to a public park known as Dixie Playground and later renamed Flamingo Park. Citizens’ protests in 1966 and in 1991 thwarted subsequent attempts to sell the park for commercial development.
Erected 1999 by The City of West Palm Beach and the Florida Department of State,. (Marker Number F-424.)
Location. 26° 41.884′ N, 80° 3.251′ W. Marker is in West Palm Beach, Florida, in Palm Beach County. Marker is at the intersection of South Dixie Highway (U.S. 1) and Park Place, on the right when traveling south on South Dixie Highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: West Palm Beach FL 33401, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2016. It was originally submitted on August 10, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 543 times since then and 70 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on August 10, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
