ROSEWOOD PARK LAUNCH – Miami Center For Racial Justice

The Rosewood Story

In early January 1923, at an extremely cold time, Rosewood was attacked by a mob consisting of hundreds of White people from North Florida and Georgia because of a false allegation by a White woman in Sumner that she was assaulted by a Black man. Over several days, every home and structure in Rosewood was burned to the ground except for the Wright house, which was owned by John and Mary Wright, a white couple who owned the general store in Rosewood. The couple fed and protected Black women and children victims of the attack in the upstairs bedrooms of their home constructed in 1903 and in the well on their property until a Seaboard Airline Railroad train, that operated between Gainesville and Cedar Key, could be brought in secretly to the train depot a short walking distance behind the JW Wright house to take the victims to safety in Gainesville, roughly 40 miles away.

Our Historic Preservation Projects in Rosewood

Saving the JW Wright house

The Miami Center for Racial Justice is working to preserve historical sites for future generations to visit and learn about the true history of the events that occurred there. We are working to preserve the JW Wright House that sits on a 35-acre property in Rosewood, FL. The 100+ year old house is the only remaining structure from the original Black town of Rosewood that was attacked and burned to the ground by an angry White mob in 1923. John Wright and his wife Mary sheltered Black women and children in their home and helped them secretly escape by train.

MCRJ negotiated the purchase of the sale of the property from the current private owner and raised federal funds for the acquisition by a public entity who will own the property and install MCRJ as operator. The vision for the JW Wright house includes a full historic restoration and transformation into a museum dedicated to Rosewood history that would be open to the public and serve as a cultural heritage tourism destination for visitors throughout Florida and beyond.

Past Teach the Truth tour participants often call Rosewood the most powerful stop on the tour. MCRJ created the Rosewood Student Travel Fund to bring high school students on an all-expense paid trip to Rosewood to transform students’ learning of history into a catalyst for racial justice and social change. By sponsoring a student on a Teach the Truth tour experience, you help keep true Black history alive and accessible for the next generation at this critical moment when racial education is being systematically restricted and erased.

The Dunn Property and Rosewood House of Peace

The Miami Center for Racial Justice plans to turn 5 acres of land owned by the MCRJ Executive Director and Founder Dr. Marvin Dunn into a commemorative park honoring the Rosewood legacy and history that would be open to the public. The park would feature walking tours of the historic Seaboard Airline Railroad bed that carried some of the 1923 massacre victims to safety, views of the Rosewood Cemetery, and the site of the civil-war era Ford hotel. The initiative involved building the Rosewood House of Peace on the property, a convening center that would host retreats, lectures, and other justice-centered education. The facility will include full-service meeting & conference services and on-site lodging available by reservation.

A picture of Peace House

At the Miami Center for Racial Justice, we believe in transforming history’s darkest chapters into spaces of profound healing. The vision for the Rosewood Historic Park and House of Peace will be to reclaim five acres of tragic history as a permanent site for reflection and restorative justice.

Rosewood Artifacts

In line with our mission to save stories and historical sites, the Miami Center for Racial Justice also strives to preserve the physical artifacts that connect past truths to future generations. At the Rosewood site, in particular, many artifacts have been found. Our aim includes partnering with university architectural students to research, uncover, and protect the artifacts that may remain—ensuring this crucial history is never lost.