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

Inscription. 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,

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the Town completed the reconstruction house in 2008.

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. It 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.

Regionally, this marker is in North Florida.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep 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 12

Photographed by Kia Scott, February 7, 2012

2. Ray Charles Childhood Home Marker

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); Monticello (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); Livingston Place (approx. 10 miles away); Site of San Pedro (approx. 11½ miles away); Concord Missionary Baptist Church (approx. 11.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Greenville.

Also see . . . Ray Charles Statue, Greenville, Florida. This site is less than 5 minutes from the Birth Home of Ray Charles. See them both on your next trip! (Submitted on February 8, 2012, by Kia Scott of Orlando, Florida.)

Photographed by Kia Scott, February 7, 2012

3. Ray Charles Childhood Home Marker

Ray Charles Memorial Statue image. Click for full size.

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 3,645 times since then and 144 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.