Zora Neale Hurston in Fernandina Beach, Florida
One of my favorite discoveries I made while researching The Hidden History of Amelia Island involved the American author, Zora Neale Hurston. Her story is a relatively minor bit in the grand scheme of things but, man, I just love Zora.
Despite being written as much as 100-years ago, Zora’s prose still leaps off the page with a vitality and freshness that few can compete with. On top of that, she was simply a fascinating and impressive person who contributed significantly to American literature, anthropology, and history.
Brazen, tough, and individualistic to the core, she embodied the traits that I admire most in people. When the oft-asked question arises of “what historical person would you like to talk to if you could talk to anyone,” Hurston would be on my list.
So, when I read that Hurston frequented American Beach, I had to find out more.
American Beach itself is a remarkable story, and a fair bit of The Hidden History of Amelia Island is dedicated to telling it. The beach, located on Amelia Island, was one of the first black beach resorts in America. It was started by an entrepreneur named Abraham Lincoln Lewis at a time when black Americans were still barred from going to white beaches. Langston Hughes also frequented American Beach.
