The Zora Neale Hurston Florida Education Foundation will establish a visitor and education center on the property.
FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA – More than 60 years after acclaimed author Zora Neale Hurston resided in a modest home on a quiet street in Fort Pierce, Florida, that property has been protected. But more help is needed to ensure it permanently honors Hurston’s legacy. The Conservation Fund (TCF) purchased the home when it was about to be placed on the open market, putting it at risk of demolition or development. TCF will transfer the property to the Zora Neale Hurston Florida Education Foundation (ZNHFEF), which will turn it into a visitor and education center. The home is in the Historic Lincoln Park community, a formerly segregated African American section of town. Hurston is the only person to ever live in the building, and her grave site is a few blocks away. “It’s an honor to be a part of protecting the final place where Zora Neale Hurston resided,” said Lauren Day, Florida Director for The Conservation Fund. “Despite its designation as a National Historic Landmark in 1991, this home was at risk of being forgotten, developed, or falling further into disrepair – something that threatens hundreds of African American sites around the country. We are thrilled to help ensure Zora’s important legacy alongside our partners.”
Zora Neale Hurston is one of the most acclaimed authors of the 20th century. She is closely associated with the Harlem Renaissance, a period of creativity and rebirth for African American authors, artists, and musicians. Her most famous work, Their Eyes Were Watching God, is taught in high schools and colleges across the country. During the time she lived in the Fort Pierce house, Hurston wrote for the Fort Pierce Chronicle, a newspaper written by and for Black people. “Zora Neale Hurston’s final home deserves to be part of her enduring legacy,” said Marvin Hobson, president of the Zora Neale Hurston Florida Education Foundation. “A home is a place of safety and refuge. As a writer in a male-dominated industry who worked during Jim Crow America, it’s easy to imagine the peace and comfort that Zora would have sought at her Fort Pierce home. We’re honored to partner with The Conservation Fund to ensure this property honors one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century.” The property is part of the Dust Tracks Heritage Trail honoring Hurston’s life and contributions to American history and literature. Locations across Fort Pierce include Hurston’s gravesite, the Chronicle newspaper where she worked, the former St. Lucie Welfare Home where she convalesced, and Lincoln Park Academy, the formerly segregated school where Hurston taught English.
The Conservation Fund and ZNHFEF are actively fundraising to replenish the funds used to purchase the property and make critical improvements to the home. ZNHFEF plans to open the visitor and education center to the public shortly. The Zora Neale Hurston home is the latest African American heritage site protected by The Conservation Fund and partners. Other projects include the Chattahoochee Brick Company Memorial Park in Georgia, the Harriett Tubman Underground Railroad National Monument and formerly segregated beaches in Maryland, and the Freedom Riders National Monument in Alabama. “These locations represent a small fraction of African American sites around the country that must be protected and honored,” said Tony Richardson, director of The Conservation Fund’s Legacy Places Initiative. “We’re working with partners to safeguard these important cultural sites before they are lost, ensuring these vital places and stories live on for all Americans, for generations to come.”
The Conservation Fund protects the land that sustains us all. We are in the business of conservation, creating innovative solutions that drive nature-based action in all 50 states for climate protection, vibrant communities, and sustainable economies. We apply effective strategies, efficient financing approaches, and enduring government, community, and private partnerships to protect millions of acres of America’s natural land, cultural sites, recreation areas, and working forests and farms. To learn more, visit http://www.conservationfund.org.
The Zora Neale Hurston Florida Education Foundation, also known as the Zora Neale Hurston Dust Track Museum and Humanities Center, is committed to promoting and preserving the local legacy of the world-renowned author and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston. http://www.zorafoundationmuseum.com
