Historical Lessons from Rosewood, a Century Later
As Floridians begin the new year, another significant event in Florida's history crosses the century mark. During much of the 20th century, the wor...
As Floridians begin the new year, another significant event in Florida's history crosses the century mark. During much of the 20th century, the word 'Rosewood' held little meaning to most people in our state. An elderly few remembered, but most never knew, and those who did tried to forget. By the 1990s, 'Rosewood' took on an entirely different significance in the lexicon of Florida and much of the world. This happened not because of the aromatic scent of certain trees that provided the word's origin, but because of the pungent scent of hatred that occurred during a scorched-earth, racist fit of rage in Levy County in the first week of January 1923.