EATONVILLE, Fla. – Carol Moseley, a descendant of Hungerford Prep’s original landowners, is sharing her family’s history and raising questions about the future of the land once donated for Hungerford Preparatory School.
Moseley spoke outside the Moseley House Museum, her grandmother Matilda’s former home. She said she spent much of her childhood there and remembers her grandmother as a caring woman who helped raise legendary Black author Zora Neale Hurston.
Hurston grew up in Eatonville and later featured the historically Black town in several of her books.
Moseley’s family also has ties to Hungerford Prep, one of the first schools for Black children in Florida. According to a 1904 deed provided by Preserving the History of Maitland and Eatonville Inc., her relatives Samuel and Mattie Moseley donated 80 acres of land for one dollar.
Moseley said the agreement included a provision that the land would return to the Moseley family and four other families if the school was torn down or removed.
Records show the school board fought to remove restrictions from a 1951 deed and won the case in court in 2022.
Dr. Phillips Charities has assumed responsibility for the land while working to close on the property. The organization’s plans include a health facility, affordable housing, a festival space and a cultural museum.
A separate space is also planned for a town hall that could also function as a museum. Moseley said she believes one museum would be enough and wants her uncle, Joseph Clark, one of the founders of Eatonville, to be honored in the site’s name.
On Tuesday, Dr. Phillips Charities provided an update during the Town Council meeting, saying it is working to keep community members better- informed about its plans. The organization said residents should receive an update at their doors within the next two weeks.
Another dinner and conversation meeting hosted by Dr. Phillips Charities is scheduled for Oct. 7 at Macedonia Church.
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