06/03/2026
If you’ve gone to Cedar Key, you’ve driven by Rosewood
In January 1923, a white mob burned the entire Black community of Rosewood, Florida to the ground. 🔥
It started with a false accusation. Within days, at least six Black residents were confirmed dead, though survivors put the number far higher. Every home, every church, every business in Rosewood was destroyed. The survivors fled into the swamps and never came back.
For decades, the state of Florida said nothing. No investigation. No charges. No acknowledgment. The land was quietly absorbed. Rosewood disappeared from maps, from textbooks, and from the official record.
It wasn't until 1994, more than 70 years later, that Florida became the first state in the nation to compensate survivors of a racial massacre, awarding $2.1 million to nine survivors and their descendants. The legislation passed only after survivors testified before the Florida Legislature in person.
The town is gone. The site is a clearing in the woods off State Road 24 in Levy County. Most people drive past it without knowing what happened there.
This is Florida's history. Follow Florida Unfiltered for more stories they don't want you to know.
