Posted by Becky King I have a picture of the mural downtown that I would like to send you, but for some reason, it keeps bouncing when I send it to your posted email address.
on 2/20/2005, 12:27 pm
12.218.107.37
Dear Kip -
I grew up in Fort Pierce, and my ninth grade school is located directly across the street from the house where Ms. Hurston lived (I believe it has since been moved). When I was in school there (1972-73), I don't remember hearing very much at all about her - perhaps in passing, but I really don't recall even that. Our school librarian (LeMoyne Sargent) was actually a pall bearer at her funeral. I was attending Lincoln Park during the time that Miss Walker was searching for her grave, and yet I heard nothing. I discovered Ms. Hurston on my own many years later ,actually, after I moved to Joplin, MO in 1991 and starting learning about Langston Hughes who was born in Joplin, and her name kept popping up as part of the Harlem Renaissance. I was shocked to find that she had actually died in Fort Pierce.
The point of this is that the last time I was in Fort Pierce (last summer) I was delighted to find that the city has finally embraced her work and she is prominintly featured on a mural in the renovated downtown area, and there are several markers all about town which reference her, called appropriately, Dust Tracks. There is even a branch library named in her honor. You have to understand that until quite recently, Fort Pierce had a fairly low opinion of itself - Ft. Pierce was a good place to be from, if you know what I mean - the goal was to get out. I believe that the general feeling was that nothing of value had ever occurred in Fort Pierce, and if it originated or was related to Fort Pierce it could not be of value. That, finally, has changed.
Message Thread:
« Back to thread