The Life and Times of Joseph E. Clark: From Slavery to Town Father (Eatonville, Florida)

By Olga Fenton Mitchell, Gloria Fenton Magbie )(Authored by), Marion Civette Elden (Authored with) EATONVILLE FLORIDA - On August 15, 1887, 22 years out of slavery a group of 27 black men, including Joseph E. Clark, met in the Oddfellows Hall, a building donated to the new community by Lewis Lawrence, and voted on the question of incorporating the Town of Eatonville in Orange County, Florida in response to a legal notice advertised in the "Maitland Courier." These men, all residing within the boundaries of the proposed town, voted unanimously to incorporate the minicipality, Eatonville, named for Capt. Josiah Eaton of Maitland, is recognized today as the oldest incorporated all-black town in the United States.