Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee Designates Lincoln Park Main Street as the Florida Main Street Program of the Month

TALLAHASSEE –

Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee announced today that the Lincoln Park Main Street has been designated the February 2020 Florida Main Street Program of the Month. Programs are selected based on their development achievements and participation in the Florida Main Street program.

“By implementing the National Main Street Center’s Four Point Approach, Lincoln Park Main Street is working to revitalize its historic commercial properties, while also preserving the significant cultural assets that define a sense of community,” said Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee.

Lincoln Park Main Street in Fort Pierce, Fl

Photo courtesy of Lincoln Park Main Street

Lincoln Park Main Street is located in the historic Lincoln Park neighborhood of Fort Pierce and runs along Avenue D, which served as the main commercial corridor in the 1950s and 1960s. Lincoln Park is known for its association with notable African American cultural and artistic figures, such as Zora Neale Hurston and the Florida Highwaymen. 

Lincoln Park Main Street became a Florida Main Street community in 2006. Since their program began, Lincoln Park Main Street has reported more than $7.8 million dollars in public and private reinvestment, 102 new jobs, 28 new businesses, and more than 6,000 volunteer hours. Currently, the district is working towards development of the Lincoln Park Historic and Cultural District. This includes the restoration of the Lincoln Theater, which served as both a cultural and entertainment venue for the African American community until closing in 1960.

“The new decade is bringing new initiatives into the Lincoln Park Main Street District,” said Executive Director Pamela Carithers. “The creation and development of the Lincoln Park Historic and Cultural District will lead with the restoration of the Lincoln Theater. This project is the central development of the district and is imperative to the transformation. We are thrilled about the direction of the program.” 

The fifth annual Highwaymen Heritage Trail Art Show/Sale and Festival will be held February 15 at Moore’s Creek Linear Park. Hosted by the City of Fort Pierce and Lincoln Park Main Street, the event includes vendors, food stands, musical performances, and bus tours of the Highwaymen Heritage Trail. The event celebrates not only Fort Pierce’s original Florida Highwaymen, a group of 26 African American landscape artists known for selling their works alongside the road during the 1950s and 1960s, but also the Second Generation Highwaymen and the Legacy Highwaymen.

For more information about Lincoln Park Main Street, visit lincolnparkmainstreet.org or their Facebook page. For more information about the Florida Main Street program, visit floridamainstreet.com or facebook.com/FloridaMainStreet.

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About Florida Main Street                                                                                                                 Florida Main Street is a program administered by the Division of Historical Resources under the Florida Department of State, which currently oversees 46 communities throughout the state. By implementing the National Main Street Center’s Four-Point Approach©, Florida Main Street encourages economic development within the context of historic preservation through the revitalization of Florida’s downtowns – the community’s heart and soul.