Historical Black Community In Largo Receives Historical Marker

LARGO, FL — The grandson of one of the founders of the Black community of Dansville was on hand May 22 when Pinellas County dedicated a Florida historical marker in remembrance of the community's roots.

Among those who spoke at the dedication ceremony were county commission chairman Dave Eggers, vice chairman of the commission and chairman of the Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board Charlie Justice, Wanda McCawthan. president of Friends of Ridgecrest, and David Baldwin, the grandson of one of the community's founders, Dan Henry, for whom the community was named.

Dansville was founded in the 1940s to provide housing for citrus workers who picked, processed and packed oranges from the acres of citrus groves, which once surrounded Largo. The community encompassed 68 acres north of where Ulmerton Road curves into Walsingham Road in what's known today as the Greater Ridgecrest Area.

The Dansville Neighborhood Development Corp. has partnered with the Pinellas County Historic Preservation Board to install the Florida historical marker as one of the projects planned to help maintain Dansville's neighborhood identity and celebrate its history.

In 1994, the county adopted the Dansville Redevelopment Area plan, which includes projects aimed at preserving and revitalizing Dansville.

The predominantly Black community was largelyy overlooked until Oct. 3, 1992, when a tornado touched down in Dansville, killing four people and destroying 26 homes.

The Ridge Center, a neighborhood youth and family resource center at 12601 130th Ave. N., was converted from a bar after the 1992 tornado.

With the help of a federal Community Development Block Grant, Pinellas County helped clean up the community, demolishing 25 ramshackle buildings, removing 15,143 car and truck tires, and hauling away 12,050 cubic yards of junk and 7,850 cubic yards of trees and shrubs.

That proved to be the first step in the revitalization of the neighborhood.

During a 1994 neighborhood survey, Pinellas County counted 73 homes in Dansville, 52 of which are occupied by their homeowners and are, for the most part, well-maintained. However, nearly all of the 21 rental properties in the neighborhood were in poor condition, and most of the streets were remained dirt roads.

The only public right of way in the neighborhood was Helm Street and three portions of Wilcox Road. Both the water and sewer lines dated back to the 1960s, and residents complained about the poor quality of the drinking water and a sewer gas odor emanating from a lift station near Wilcox Road.

As a result, the replacement of water and sewer lines, upgraded fire protection and road improvements became a priority of the revitalization plan.