Did you know that Fort Pierce is one of the eight stops on the Florida’s Black Heritage Trail? Other than our beautiful beaches, enchanting fishing history & charming downtown, Fort Pierce is the home of one of the great literary writers of the past, Zora Neale Hurston. Throughout her lifetime, Zora wrote many renowned works such as, Their Eyes Were Watching God and Mules and Men. She was known for her spot-on accounts on what it was like to be an African-American in the 1920s and was a fixture in New York City’s Harlem neighborhoods thriving art scene.
Zora lived in Fort Pierce towards the end of her career, where she wrote a column for the Fort Pierce Chronicle & taught English at Lincoln Park Academy. Today, history enthusiasts and curious Zora fans can visit her home (designated a National Historic Landmark) on Avenue L in Fort Pierce. Read about the other stops on the trail in the article by TCPalm here.
Want to learn more about Zora? Take the self-guided Zora Neale Hurston Dust Tracks Trail through Fort Pierce where you can visit several stops including the library that carries her name (and a collection of writings and photos) and her grave site which was unmarked until 1973, when Alice Walker, author of The Color Purple donated a gravestone describing Zora as ‘A genius of the south.’
Discover more of the rich African American history in Fort Pierce through the eyes of beautiful Florida landscapes painted by the Florida Highwaymen. Visit the Florida Highwaymen exhibit at A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery.
The annual Florida Highwaymen Festival will feature many of the “Original” and “2nd Generation” Highwaymen artists, FREE guided Highwaymen Heritage Trail tours, live jazz music, local cuisine, and a Kid’s Zone.
With so much African American heritage and history to discover, you will want to book an overnight stay. See a list of our accommodations here.
