Impactful Eatonville

Eatonville, the Small Impactful Town

By Eryn Reddell Wingert

Eatonville, Florida is positioned six miles northeast of Orlando. It’s a small town with significant historical and cultural impact. A visit to Eatonville begins at the Zora Neale Hurston Museum of Fine Art, also known as The Hurston. Like the town, The Hurston is a small operation with big purpose: enlightening visitors to African American artists and creators, while preserving the connection its namesake has to Eatonville. At the age of three, Zora Neale Hurston moved with her family from Alabama to Eatonville in the late 1800’s. Later, she studied and conducted research at Barnard College and Columbia University, becoming an author, anthropologist and filmmaker. Hurston’s influence is vast as is the progressive history of Eatonville. Her most known work is the novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, published in 1937. Nearly seventy years later the book was made into a feature film starring Halle Berry. Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones were two of the movie’s producers. The Hurston is located on the first floor of a nondescript beige building on Kennedy Boulevard just down the block from a small post office. Hurston garners a plaque with her image near the entrance and a few corner shelves with her books. The rest of the one-room museum focuses its exhibits towards showcasing African American artists, influencers and history makers. The whole town of Eatonville showcases its history, which dates back to the late 1800’s as the nation’s first incorporated black municipality. From the museum; to the historic marker arch welcoming visitors; the small post office with a wall dedicated to Black history; to RISE: The Mural Project, a colorful and inspirational mural installation positioned right in the middle of a neighborhood - Eatonville continues to contribute to the culture and history of Central Florida and beyond. The Hurston Museum is located at 344 E. Kennedy Blvd, visit hurstonmuseum.org for hours of operation. (Eryn Reddell Wingert)

RISE: The Mural Project is located in Elizabeth Park in Eatonville. (Eryn Reddell Wingert)