On Friday, the Lincoln Neighborhood Center will be honored with a historic marker dedication ceremony.
The center was originally established in 1869 as Lincoln Academy. Gwen Lucas, the center’s supervisor, says it was one of two Florida schools that served newly freed slaves.
"From 1869 to 1969, it was one of Florida’s first freed men schools. And that says that African Americans were allowed to be educated," says Lucas.
In 1974, the City of Tallahassee repurposed the building as the Lincoln Neighborhood Center, which provides services like boxing classes, senior art programs, and after school tutoring to Frenchtown and the neighboring area. Because of changes to the front of the building, it was ineligible to be a historic site, but its long history as an institution for black education allowed it to become a historic Florida marker. The ceremony will be held on Friday at 11 a.m. at the Lincoln Center on Brevard.