Friends of Marion County Black History Museum, Inc.

06/03/2026

🗓️ Save The Date - America 250: Black Edition! July 9, 2026 at Howard Academy Community Center!

Join us as we hear from our guest speaker, Bruce Seaman, regarding The Marshall Plantation Raid which occurred in Marion County, Fl and his research regarding this miraculous event! At a time when African Americans weren’t allowed to lead in the military, this troop accompanied by their African American commander changed the narrative and in effect, changed history!

We will also have representatives available from the following organizations:

Brandy-Owens Post 7193
Thomas-McKay Post 210
American Legion
Veterans Services
Marion County Public Library
And More….

Do you know someone who served? Send in a photo for our “Honor Wall” via email: [email protected]

Please LIKE, SHARE and POST!

❤️🖤💛💚

06/03/2026

06/02/2026

🗓️ Save The Date - America 250: Black Edition! July 9, 2026 at Howard Academy Community Center!

Join us as we hear from our guest speaker, Bruce Seaman, regarding The Marshall Plantation Raid which occurred in Marion County, Fl and his research regarding this miraculous event! At a time when African Americans weren’t allowed to lead in the military, this troop accompanied by their African American commander changed the narrative and in effect, changed history!

We will also have representatives available from the following organizations:

Brandy-Owens Post 7193
Thomas-McKay Post 210
American Legion
Veterans Services
Marion County Public Library
And More….

Do you know someone who served? Send in a photo for our “Honor Wall” via email: [email protected]

Please LIKE, SHARE and POST!

❤️🖤💛💚

06/02/2026

❤️💛🖤💚 Come visit this community legacy! A legacy built on faith, hope and love! Marion County Black History, our foundation, our community, our history!

05/27/2026

Come check us out! History lives here!!!
❤️🖤💛💚

05/26/2026

❤️🖤💛💚 Did You Know? John Wesley Bostick was the first African American Mayor of Dunnellon. He was also the first black City Councilmember as well as the first black police officer of Dunnellon.

Fun Fact: Elected Office- Bostick served an unprecedented 18 consecutive years as a City Council member, holding the record as the town's longest-serving elected official.

Fun Fact: Law Enforcement - Prior to his political career, he was a lifelong resident who worked as an officer for the Dunnellon Police Department and the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Fun Fact: “John Bostick Day" - On May 1, 1994, Dunnellon Mayor Larry Winkler declared a surprise "John Bostick Day" at the Dunnellon American Legion Post, where over 200 residents and officials honored him for his deep-rooted community impact.

❤️🖤💚💛 Visit the Marion County Black History Museum to learn about other impactful men and women in or from Marion County!

05/20/2026

Florida Emancipation Day is reserved annually on May 20 to commemorate the end of slavery. It marks the exact date in 1865 when Union General Edward M. McCook read the Emancipation Proclamation from the steps of the Knott House in Tallahassee, officially declaring enslaved people in Florida to be free.

❤️💚🖤💛photos below found on Instagram. Photos taken by Roswell Allen Studios, Ocala Florida 1928-1932. Likely an Emancipation Day Celebration. *Color added to photos

❤️💚🖤💛Please Watch, Before Juneteenth Florida’s Emancipation By Emancipation Florida: https://youtu.be/XDK8mtm9V4o?si=8xPoGdg9EPXSvZKJ

❤️💚🖤💛News Articles: The Ocala Evening Star, December 31, 1900 & The Ocala Evening Star, December 02,1919