The Lawrence Brown House, better known as the L.B. Brown House, is the home built by
Lawrence Bernard Brown a self-made businessman, community leader, and master carpenter. It may be the only home built by a former enslaved person left in Florida.
The house "stands as a living testimony to one person's triumph over adversity."
Until 1989, was known as the "Thomas House."
It wasn't until the death of the former resident, Lavina Thomas, that the original builder was discovered.
The house is located at 470 L.B. Brown Avenue,
Bartow, Florida
Bartow ( ) is the county seat of Polk County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1851 as Fort Blount, the city was renamed in honor of Francis S. Bartow, the first brigade commander of the Confederate Army to die in combat during the American C ...
33830 (formerly 2nd Ave). Clifton Lewis, president o
Corporation Of Neighborhood Improvement and other Bartow residents set about restoring old homes in the early 1990s. When Robert Brown, son of L.B., came to look at his childhood home, he casually mentioned to Lewis, his father had built the house.
From that point on, it was known as the L.B. Brown Home and the street name was officially changed from 2nd Ave., to L.B. Brown Avenue.
The L.B. Brown House was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
, a division of the
National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
, on January 4, 2001. The house was completed in 1892.
Every year the town of Bartow recognizes L.B. Brown's "life and achievements" at the annua
L.B. Brown Festival usually held mid-February.
L.B. Brown Festival
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The L.B. Brown house will be represented at the ne
National Museum of African American History and Culture
See also
*Horace King (architect)
Horace King (sometimes Horace Godwin) (September 8, 1807 – May 28, 1885) was an African-American architect, engineer, and bridge builder. King is considered the most respected bridge builder of the 19th century Deep South, constructing dozens ...
*Lincolnville Historic District
Lincolnville Historic District (formerly known as Little Africa) is a neighborhood in St. Augustine, Florida established by freedmen following the American Civil War and located on the southwest peninsula of the "nation's oldest city." It was de ...
References
External links
*
Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida
National Register of Historic Places in Polk County, Florida
Buildings and structures in Bartow, Florida
Houses in Polk County, Florida
Slavery in the United States
1892 establishments in Florida
Houses completed in 1892
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