Located in what is now an exclusive and expensive part of beachside New Smyrna Beach is the small Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park. Here you will find a Florida Historic Marker in recognition of Bethune Beach. This area was once reserved for African American beachgoers in the days of segregation.
Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park hosts two markers detailing the importance of this area to African Americans in the days of Jim Crow segregation. Today, the area is littered with homes valued in the seven figures, offering incredible beach views that at one time were reserved for black visitors. Fortunately, those days are past and visitors, no matter their race, can enjoy the beaches throughout the area, without intimidation.
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The first marker we’ll discuss is from the Florida Department of State
Bethune-Volusia Beach side one
When Daytona Beach was first founded in 1876 two of its founders, John Tolliver and Thaddeus S. Gooden, were African American. Over the years, Jim Crow laws changed the state drastically, and by the 1920s African Americans were banned from most of Florida’s public beaches. In response, beaches opened that catered specifically to African Americans like Butler Beach in St. Augustine, American Beach on Amelia Island, and Paradise Park at Silver Springs in Ocala. In 1935, only two places in Volusia County allowed African Americans beach access, and only during the summer and on specific holidays. Bethune Cookman College co-founder and president, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune wanted to create a beach in Volusia County for African Americans to enjoy without restriction or fear of harassment. Born in Mayesville, South Carolina to formerly enslaved parents, Bethune moved to Daytona Beach in 1904. She opened the Daytona Literary and Industrial School for the Training of Negro Girls, which later merged with Cookman Institute in Jacksonville to become Bethune-Cookman College. Bethune was an active crusader for educational advancement and Civil Rights for African Americans in Florida and throughout the nation.
Bethune-Volusia Beach side two
Bethune approached architect and developer Mr. Dana F. Fuquay about purchasing a two-and-a-half mile strip of land south of New Smyrna Beach. Fuquay owned most of the land along the Intracoastal Waterway in Volusia and Flagler counties. In need of investors, Bethune used her influence to arrange a meeting at the Rogers Hotel in Tampa with some of the wealthiest African Americans in Florida, and on December 9, 1945 the Bethune-Volusia Beach Corporation was formed. The charter members included president, Mr. G.D. Rogers; executive vice president Mr. George W. Powell; vice president, Dr. W.H. Gray; secretary, Mr. James A. Colston; and treasurer, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. The new beach quickly became a popular vacation destination for African Americans from all over the country. During the July 4th celebration in 1950, over 5,000 people came out to enjoy the festivities. Bethune-Volusia Beach was open to all races though ownership of land and businesses was retained soley (sic) by African Americans. Following the passage of the Civil Rights Act on 1964, the beach lost popularity, and many visitors, particularly those from out of state stopped coming as other options became more available.
A Florida Historic Site sponsored by Volusia County Coastal Division, Bethune Beach Property Owners Association, Bethune Foundation, and the Florida Department of State
F-940
2017
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The second marker we’ll discuss was placed by the County of Volusia
This panel features some nice imagery provided by Bethune Cookman University Archives.
Welcome to Volusia County’s Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park–once part of a nationally known African American resort. Named for a noted educator and presidential advisor, this spot gave black people a place of their own when most Florida beaches were closed to them by segregation. Bethune had seen her own students turned away from local beaches, and in the 1940s she and other investors bought 2.5 miles of oceanfront plus lands along the Indian River. After all, she reportedly said, this was “God’s water” for everyone to enjoy.
People did enjoy themselves here. By the 1950s Bethune-Volusia Beach, its corporate name, was a popular destination for swimming, fishing, picnicking and car racing. Crowds also came for live music, dancing, and–as more than one informant recalled–dressing to be seen. Central Floridians made up most of the day users, but others journeyed great distances to stay in a motel and private houses. From New Smyrna to Atlanta and Pittsburgh, black Americans knew about Bethune Beach.
Bethune herself envisioned a big, year round resort, controlled by African Americans but open to “all people.” Yet the larger development never really took off, and by the 1970s the dream had faded. Most black landowners–by choice or economic necessity–gave up their property over time, and the coming of integration meant that beachgoers had other places to go. Even so, during its heyday Bethune Beach became a beloved site for people of color. It was that rare place on Florida’s Atlantic coast where they could gather, relax, and swim freely.



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