Manhattan Beach, a resort for African-Americans, once flourished in Hanna Park dunes
For several decades, starting about 1901, Manhattan Beach was a refuge for black beach-goers in segregated
By the mid-1930s it was mostly gone.
"It's in danger of being lost to time," said
She is now operations manager of the
The resort began life around 1900, as railroad magnate and developer
Many who helped build it and staff it were black, but they could not use the resort for recreation.
It was along an extension of Flagler's
Cohill isn't sure how the rather grandly named stretch of dunes got its name, though she notes that Flagler had lived in
It soon became an attraction for blacks who lived at the beach and to the residents of
"It was a popular destination for church congregations. They would have children's days. Black labor unions would come out to the beach. People would come from all over the Southeast. There was no other beach for them to go to," she said.
Racial segregation was very much a reality in those days; indeed in 1924,
Cohill believes Manhattan Beach may predate any other black beach resort in the state. "I call it
No confirmed physical evidence of Manhattan Beach has been found: Storms scoured the beach and dunes where it once stood and developers later demolished the remaining buildings. But Cohill believes, based on old maps and photographs, that it was near the high dunes at parking lot 8, toward the south end of what's now
Black entrepreneurs such as
Wilson's place had a cafe and a bathhouse, and offered "bath suits, dancing, and rooms." Cohill read in the museum's archives that Wilson had 1,000 bathing suits for rent, possibly an exaggeration. "He did rent bathing suits. I don't know if he had 1,000 bathing suits."
A photo of Middleton's resort showed a pavilion built high over eroded dunes, just to the east of a couple of substantial buildings where women in white dresses and men in hats, vests and dark pants take in the sea air.
Philanthropist
In the early years, blacks were able to buy property in Manhattan Beach, which Flagler owned. His
Around 1915, though, white investors began buying land throughout the area, planning a resort that would stretch to the St. Johns river jetties. They refused to sell to blacks, Cohill said, and set up restrictive rental policies.
"They were scheming from the very beginning to try to remove African-Americans from the land, once
Manhattan Beach hung on though, and by 1931 a group called the
Still, the beach faced several challenges to its survival.
Erosion was an ever-present threat to the area's pavilions, which photos show extended onto the sand. When the property was gone, it was gone -- there was no recourse. No beach renourishment or big seawalls were there to offer even temporary protection.
Train trips to Manhattan Beach ended in 1932, making it difficult for many to get there.
Soon black residents of
Cohill said a letter in the museum's archives shows developers bought
In 1942, the
"After World War II, there wasn't any of the lively boardwalk-style community there," Cohill said. "That was all gone. But people still talked about Manhattan Beach, the name remained."
"As Manhattan Beach was lost, American Beach was developed," Phelts said. "But Manhattan Beach was the thing. It was the
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