One of Florida's oldest African American Communities
Recognized by the Florida State Historical Marker Program
Newly established: Community Of Royal (COR, Inc.), Inc. is a not-for-profit Florida State corporation whose mission is to preserve
the Community of Royal's rich history as well as to create and continue cultural experiences that will enrich
the lives of the community's families for future generations.
Newest: Royal's Community Garden (Feeding the nation; One community at a time)- Sponsored in part by: Black Gold Compost Company, Community of Royal (COR), Inc., Home Depot, Sumter County, UF IFAS Extension, and Young Performing Artists (YPAs), Inc. Initial funding provided by: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Community Garden Grant 2012. Pictured above left; see Enrichment page for more information.
For more information regarding:1) Annual Royal Homecoming Weekend 2012 Event recap and Annual Royal Homecoming Weekend 2013 Event, click on Annual Royal Homecoming page.
2) Royal Celebrates Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2013 or
3) Royal Community Garden; click on Enrichment programs' page.
For the fifth year, RHEAP Spring Break 2013 Feeding & Activities; to register click here. Also, The Royal Historical, Enrichment & Art Program (RHEAP) provided Holiday Brak activities for children. Featuring a workshop led by professional artists from the Sumter County Arts Guild.
For more information: see Enrichment programs' page.
Mother Polly Patterson Wideman (pictured right), Royal's second oldest resident went to be with
the Lord on Sunday, March 25, 2012. Born on July 22, 1902, she was 109 years old.
For more information about our dear 'Big Mama', click here.
New found research reveals that Royal has an African Royalty heritage. Learn more at the Annual Royal Homecoming Sunday Worship Service, New Life Ministries, Inc., 9707 County Road 229, Wildwood (Royal), FL 34785, Sunday, June 16, 2013, 10am.
Founded
in 1865, the Community of Royal was originally known as Picketsville which was named
for the white picket fences that marked its 40-acre homesteads. A post
office was established on June 26, 1891, and the community was called
Royal by the late 1880's. The community's first settlers were former
slaves from the Old Green Plantation located on the Withlacoochee
River. The first settling families were the Harleys, the Andersons and
the Pickets. They built log cabins for houses and dug wells for water.
The community's first industries were farming, logging, and naval
stores. Pictured below: Mother Polly Patterson Wideman's childhood home and Memorial pictures of Rev. Mathew Beard & Mother Wideman, permanent collection at the Alonzo A. Young, Sr. Enrichment & Historical Center.
In 1874, the Reverend Alfred Brown built the community's first school, a
one-room schoolhouse. Because the school was centrally located,
children, staff and teachers were able to walk to school. Later, a
three-room school constructed of wooden planks and board windows was
built. Perman E. Williams, the school's first officially appointed
principal, served during the 1937-38 school year. Men from the
community, along with Principal Williams, served as trustees for the
school. During the 1930s, the trustees requested and received approval
from the Sumter County School Board to build a new Royal School.
The last and largest Royal School was built following an agreement that
Sumter County would furnish the materials and the Royal community would
provide the labor to construct the new school. Richard Smith donated
the land for the school and workers from the Depression-era Works
Progress Administration (WPA) joined a group of local volunteers to
build the facility. The ten-room school was constructed of wooden
planks and accommodated 108 students. In 1947, Alonzo A. Young, Sr.
began his tenure as the school's last principal. In 1954, the Supreme
Court's landmark ruling in the Brown vs. Board of Education case ended
years of organized segregation in public education. At the time there
were eight black schools in Sumter County. However, the county did not
embrace integration until mandated by law during the 1970-71 school
year. Following integration, students from the Royal School transferred
to the Wildwood Elementary, Middle and High Schools. In 1984, the
Royal School was torn down and a community Center and a fire station
were built on the site.
The school's 1945
cafeteria, a seperate building, was retained and still stands at its
original location. In 2007, the cafeteria building was donated to Young
Performing Artists (YPAs), Inc. in collaboration with the Royal Library
Association (RLA) and named a Governor's Point of Light Project. In
2009, the building was renovated via collaboration between the Sumter
Board of County Commissioners, Carlos Beruff, President of Sumter, LLC
and Terry Yoder, President of T & D Concrete.
Alonzo A. Young, Sr. Enrichment & Historical Center
9569 County Road 235
Wildwood (Royal), FL 34785
For more information: youngartists@aol.com
