DiscoverWimauma

DiscoverWimauma Wimauma was platted in 1902. Discover Wimauma of the past. Wimauma now and Wimauma of the future.

Mt.Moriah MB Church, Wimauma 1966
04/28/2026

Mt.Moriah MB Church, Wimauma 1966

Linda Gano
04/28/2026

Linda Gano

04/28/2026

In our endeavor to chronicle the history of Wimauma and South Hillsborough County, with a particular focus on preserving the often-overlooked Black history, we kindly request that you share any photographs and documents in your possession. These items will be scanned for preservation purposes and promptly returned to you. The University of South Florida will subsequently digitize the images, which will be utilized to narrate the previously undocumented story of Wimauma. We welcome any and all photographic materials that you may have.

We extend our gratitude to USF. This exemplifies effective collaboration. Through our joint efforts, we have identified ...
04/28/2026

We extend our gratitude to USF. This exemplifies effective collaboration. Through our joint efforts, we have identified several more previously undocumented Black schools in unincorporated South and East Hillsborough County, and we have also obtained the names and addresses of teachers. This achievement is outstanding. With this information, we can proceed with documenting these institutions that were previously excluded from official records. Many more remain unlisted, with the current count approaching forty. This highlights the significance of our research, as only three Black schools have been formally documented. DiscoverWimauma is dedicated to ensuring these schools and educators are recognized in official records.
Attached documents are from 1937.
DiscoverWimauma
Black Tampa Historians
Wimauma Cemetery Project
Wimauma CDC
Heart & History: Wimauma's Faith, Family, Farming & Friends
Jackie Brown
Wimauma Railroad & History Museum
The BEAT of Tampa Bay
WFLA News Channel 8
Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library

DiscoverWimauma is pleased to announce a collaborative effort with the University of South Florida, centered on honoring...
04/24/2026

DiscoverWimauma is pleased to announce a collaborative effort with the University of South Florida, centered on honoring students who attended the undocumented Sun City Negro Strawberry School in Ruskin, Florida, from 1948 to 1961 through an oral history project. DiscoverWimauma

We appreciate The Beat of Tampa Bay and Black Tampa Historians' invitation to introduce DiscoverWimauma to Tampa's commu...
04/23/2026

We appreciate The Beat of Tampa Bay and Black Tampa Historians' invitation to introduce DiscoverWimauma to Tampa's community. 'The Dirt told another story, Discovering Wimauma's Black History' was presented with great privilege. Normally, the story is told in a three-part lecture series. Thanks to everyone who supported us, particularly Wimauma. Black Tampa Historians DiscoverWimauma

We are seeking African American students who attended Sun City Negro Strawberry High School (a segregated school) in Rus...
04/03/2026

We are seeking African American students who attended Sun City Negro Strawberry High School (a segregated school) in Ruskin, Florida, for an important oral history project.

This school does not appear in official Hillsborough County School District records, which only document two Negro high schools—both located in Tampa(Middleton and Blake). Because of this, the stories of the students, teachers, and families connected to this school remain largely untold.

If you attended this school, or if you have family members or relatives who did, we would greatly appreciate the opportunity to connect with you and help preserve this important history.

Please contact Jackie Brown at (813) 541-1202 or email: [email protected].

We understand that the historical name of the school may be offensive; however, it reflects the reality of the time. It is important that we acknowledge and preserve these truths so that the experiences of those who lived them can be honored and remembered.

Your story matters. Help us ensure it is never forgotten.

Heart & History: Wimauma's Faith, Family, Farming & FriendsWimauma CDC Florida Sentinel BulletinRuskinBlack Tampa Historians Jackie Brown WIMAUMA WORLDWimauma Railroad & History MuseumWFLA News Channel 8Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library

Thonotassasa Negro School. I found this on another historic preservation page.
03/01/2026

Thonotassasa Negro School. I found this on another historic preservation page.

02/15/2026

Meet Albert Martin. He was a neighbor of Pleasant Stananland (First known white settler in this area, before there was a Wimauma.
What's unique is there are several black families on this 1880 census record. Subsequent census records reveal this family relocated to the Alafia (Riverview) area.

Name Albert Martin
Age 28
Birth Date Abt 1852
Birthplace Georgia
Home in 1880 Precinct 6, Hillsborough, Florida, USA
Dwelling Number 56
Race Black
Gender Male
Marital Status Married
Father's Birthplace Virginia
Mother's Birthplace Virginia
Occupation Works on Hired Farm
Cannot Read Y
Cannot Write Y
Neighbors View others on page

02/13/2026

Discover Wimauma credits the following information to Ayres and Community Planning Collaborative, consultants hired to work on our request for landmark designation of the Historic Wimauma Memorial Cemetery:

In 1915, the Wimauma Fruit & Vegetable Company transferred property rights to the trustees of
the Prospect Baptist Church, marking one of the earliest documented legal recognitions of the
congregation. In 1918, the Wimauma Fruit & Vegetable Company transferred lot 4, block 6,
located in the NE 1-4 of section 10, Wimauma to the trustees of the Prospect Baptist Church.
The original trustees were Ben J. Smith, Edward D. Hugee, Willie M. Teart, David Johnson and Alex Gay.
These men represent some of Wimauma’s earliest and most influential Black community leaders, many of whom were linked to the turpentine and agricultural economies.

Reverend David J. Johnson, born in South Carolina in 1876, worked in the naval stores industry
in Jacksonville before migrating to Wimauma after 1910. Reverend Ben J. Smith, a North Carolina native and truck farm laborer, would go on to organize the Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Wimauma in 1921. Both Smith and Johnson are recorded in the 1920 U.S.Census as the two Black Baptist ministers residing in Wimauma, providing pastoral leadership to the growing community.

Other trustees were also prominent early residents. Willie Teart, born in Georgia in 1886, operated one of Wimauma’s few African American–owned truck farms by 1920 after earlier
employment by D. M. Dowdell, son-in-law of town founder Captain C. H. Davis.
Edward Hugee, another South Carolina migrant, farmed successfully for decades.
Alex Gay, born in Georgia in 1880, and his wife Ella, originally from Jefferson County, Florida, also migrated to Wimauma in
the early 1910s and contributed to the agricultural economy.

Address

Wimauma, FL
33598

Opening Hours

Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(813)5411202

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