Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| South of Wabasso Tuesday. Photo by DJ. |
Thanks for the photo DJ.
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During segregation, Lincoln Beach was the one place on Lake Pontchartrain In New Orleans where Black people were allowed to swim. Live acts like Fats Domino and Nat King Cole drew crowds to a recreation area that included a roller coaster and swimming pools. But with passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, Black New Orleanians were finally allowed to swim at nearby Pontchartrain Beach. Lincoln Beach closed not long after.
The area fell into disrepair over the next 60 years. The three tunnels that once led locals under the railroad tracks to Lincoln Beach’s shoreline are fenced off and filled with storm water. Visiting the beach has long been prohibited, at least officially, although until recently the rules were rarely enforced.
When he saw Mr. Pellet on the local news in 2020 for his effort to restore Lincoln Beach, it only took a few days before Mr. Ford began cleaning the beach too. Eventually, he, Mr. Pellet and other volunteers installed lighted pathways and trash bins. They filled thousands of bags of trash with debris scattered by Hurricanes Zeta and Ida. They built permanent fire pits and a drainage system using PVC pipe that helps keep the area manageable after flooding. They also removed brush, fallen limbs and trees, as well as steel and concrete remnants of the beach’s former infrastructure, like the dilapidated pool and stage...
In New Orleans, a ‘Black Beach’ Is Being Rescued From the Ruins (msn.com)
I've metal detected a number of "colored beaches." That is what they were called. Those of you are fairly new to the area might not know that Douglass Beach was once one of those beaches where blacks could go to the beach during the era of segregation.
I've detected several others. After segregation ended, like Lincoln Beach, many were pretty much abandoned and became overgrown.; That is the kind of place that drew me and the kind of place that was not detected a lot by others.
One of those was on Virginia Key, which has since been renovated. Before the renovations, some of the old buildings and features were still standing, but in disrepair.
I found many silver dimes and quarters there as the small dunes in front of what appeared to once be a concession stand eroded back. There was another spot up around the bend where some people still went, but evidently not detectorists, as suggested by the number of rings found.
Those beaches weren't my highest priority beaches. They didn't generally produce the best jewelry, but they were good to hunt when the conditions were right.
It is always good to look around. You never know what you might discover at a remote or overgrown area. Keep your eyes open for signs of past activity. Maybe an old fence post hidden in the brush or piece of half buried concrete slab.
And there was John Lloyd beach. When I detected there, like the other colored beaches a few decades ago, there were few visitors. That is one thing I liked about those beaches. They didn't attract a lot of people and they weren't generally heavily detected.
On May 14, 1946, a delegation from the Negro Professional and Business Men’s League Inc. petitioned the Board of County Commissioners “seeking a public bathing beach for colored people in Broward County." In 1954, the county finally acquired a barrier island site, designated it for segregation, and promised to make the beach accessible, but a road was never built. In response, Eula Johnson, Dr. Von D Mizell and many others led a series of protest wade-ins on all white public beaches...In the 2015-2016 Florida legislative session, Senator Christopher L. Smith led efforts to rename John U. Lloyd Beach State Park to Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park... (Source: History | Florida State Parks)
A July 25, 1952 Miami News article reads, "Negro Beach Planned Near Fort Pierce." Continuing, "Establishment of a Negro bathing area on South Beach is proposed by the County Commission. The board has leased for a four-year period 600 feet of beachfront a short distance south of the city line, which it proposed to clear off and grade for parking, erect a picnic facilities and toilets and provide a well." So it wasn't all that long ago.
That is a nice story of Lincoln Beach near New Orleans is being cleaned up and brought back to life.
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| Source: nhc.noaa.gov. |
Above is the cone for Helene. Looks like it could be another big hit on the big bend area.
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- Dozens of counties announced school closures, including Hillsborough and Pinellas.
- Evacuations are being ordered in several counties, including Sarasota and Charlotte.
- Residents in the storm's potential path are being told to prepare for up to a week without electricity.
- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for nearly the entire state.
While the storm is expected to make landfall somewhere in the Florida Panhandle or along the northern Gulf Coast, impacts could stretch much farther. Residents in the potential path are being told to prepare to be without power for up to a week.
Here is the link for more about that.
Florida Declares State Of Emergency Over Potential Hurricane Helene (spiritdaily.org)
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| Source: SurfGuru.com. |
We have some higher surf today and tomorrow before it steadily increases for a few days.
The tides remain high, but not at their peaks.
Good hunting,
Treasureguide@comcast.net