Union Academy Cultural Resources Survey

CULTURAL RESOURCES SURVEY NOW AVAILABLE!

The City of Tarpon Springs has developed a Cultural Resources Survey of the Union Academy neighborhood and other related sites to:

• Recognize the significant contributions of Black Tarponites
• Develop an inclusive historic narrative
• Develop plans and programs for preservation of African American culture and heritage

Some draft findings from the report include:

• The Union Academy School Campus (400 E. Martin Luther King Avenue), Ed Dorsett Barbershop (439 Lincoln Avenue), and Mt. Moriah A.M.E. Church (12 E. Pine Street) are recommended as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places
• Ed Dorsett Park and the Ed Dorsett House are recommended as eligible for local listing.
• 58 previously recorded historic buildings, 257 newly recorded historic buildings, and 3 newly recorded resource groups were documented with Florida Master Site File forms.
• The study area is recommended eligible for a local district designation.

BACKGROUND

The City of Tarpon Springs received $50,000 from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, a program from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The Action Fund is the largest U.S. resource dedicated to the preservation of African American historic places, and the City of Tarpon Springs is one of 33 organizations to receive a total of $3 million in funding this year. To learn more about this program and this year’s grant recipients, visit savingplaces.org/actionfund