Whether they were predominantly black or white, there are many long-forgotten settlements, pre- and post-statehood. Relegated in our present day to a zip code, or perhaps the name of a neighborhood, community, or road, these areas yet have a rich and vibrant history worth exploring. Such is the story of Gordon Chapel.
United States history has always intrigued me. Florida’s history has always intrigued me more. Where it lays, much of it surrounded by water on all sides, easy access by ship from various lands, in close proximity to Mexico and the Caribbean, the Native American groups who called it home before us all, the cycle of possession from one country’s crown to the next, and above it lies a massive landscape where hundreds of thousands of enslaved Africans were trapped– and sought freedom to the north and west…but, what about further south?
That is the purpose of this research. In light of the theme for Emory University’s symposium “In the Wake of Slavery and Dispossession: Emory, Racism, and the Journey Towards Restorative Justice,” I want to present a story of freedom, land ownership, and coalescence not often heard of in the south after African American slavery. Florida’s history provides an interesting backdrop with its ‘multi-national history of colonial experiences’ and ‘presents a unique comparative study of slavery and race relations.’ It is also a real, tangible connection of the past to the present, as the creator of this presentation is a direct descendant (great-great-granddaughter) of the central figures Andrew Tillman Gordon, II & Elizabeth McClennan Gordon.
The research presented here is not meant to be exhaustive, and is ongoing. A lifetime work. Please feel free to revisit the site as new information is revealed.