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Rosewood

In January of 1923, the African-American community at Rosewood, Florida, was destroyed in a fiery racist attack. This guide from the State Library of Florida, while not being exhaustive, suggests resources to help learn more about this tragedy. 

Materials are generally available through interlibrary loan or from our circulating collection. 

Links within the bibliographies take you to information in our State Library catalog or to more information on external sites. 

For legislative histories, please contact the State Archives of Florida at [email protected].

For all other materials, please contact the State Library at [email protected].

• Books
• Journal articles
• Magazine articles
• Newspaper articles
• Internet sites
• Government publications
• Legislative history
• Presentations and media

Books

• D’Orso, Michael. Like Judgment Day: The Ruin and Redemption of a Town Called Rosewood. Boulevard Books, 1996. 
• González-Tennant, Edward. The Rosewood Massacre: An Archaeology and History of Intersectional Violence. University Press of Florida, 2018. 
• Jenkins, Lizzie Polly Robinson. The Real Rosewood. BookEnds Press, 2003. 
• Jones, Maxine Deloris, and Kevin McCarthy. “The Rosewood Massacre, January 1923.” African Americans in Florida, Pineapple Press, 1993, pp. 83–84. 
• McCarthy, Kevin. “Rosewood.” The Hippocrene USA Guide to Black Florida, Hippocrene Books, 1995, pp. 284–87. 
• Moore, Gary. Rosewood: The Full Story. Manatial Press, 2015.

Journal articles 

• Barlowe, Jamie. “The ‘Not-Free’ and ‘Not-Me’: Constructions of Whiteness in Rosewood and Ghosts of Mississippi.” Canadian Review of American Studies, vol. 28, no. 3, 2011, pp. 31–46. 
• Bassett, C. Jeanne. “House Bill 591: Florida Compensates Rosewood Victims and Their Families for a Seventy-One-Year-Old Injury.” Florida State University Law Review, vol. 22, no. 2, 1994, pp. 503–23. 
• Dye, R. Thomas. “Rosewood, Florida: The Destruction of an African American Community.”(PDF) Historian, vol. 58, no. 3, 1996, pp. 605–22. 
• Finan, Eileen. “Delayed Justice: The Rosewood Story.” Human Rights, vol. 22, no. 2, Spring 1995, pp. 8–30. 
• González-Tennant, Edward. “Community Centered Praxis in Conflict Archaeology: Creating an Archaeology of Redress With the 1923 Race Riot in Rosewood, Florida.” SAA Archaeological Record, vol. 10, no. 4, 2010, pp. 46–49. 
• González-Tennant, Edward. “Intersectional Violence, New Media, and the 1923 Rosewood Pogrom.” Fire!!!, vol. 1, no. 2, 2012, p. 64. 
• González-Tennant, Edward. “New Heritage and Dark Tourism: A Mixed Methods Approach to Social Justice in Rosewood, Florida.” Heritage & Society, vol. 6, no. 1, 2013, pp. 62–88. 
• Jones, Maxine D. “The Rosewood Massacre and the Women Who Survived It.” Florida Historical Quarterly, vol. 76, no. 2, 1997, pp. 193–208. 

Magazine articles 

• Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca, and Kristen Baldwin. “Rosewood.” Entertainment Weekly, no. 367/368, Feb. 1997, p. 30. 
• “Florida Legislature to Pay $2.1 Million to Victims of 1923 Racist Massacre in Rosewood.” Jet, vol. 85, no. 25, Apr. 1994, p. 12. 
• Jerome, Richard. “A Measure of Justice.” PEOPLE, vol. 43, no. 2, Jan. 1995, p. 46.
• Luckerson, Victor. “Making Amends for a Massacre: The Story of Rosewood's Path to Reparations—And What America Can Learn From It.” Time, September 10, 2020.
• Newman, Richard. “Rosewood Revisited." Transition, no. 80, 1999, pp. 32–39. 
• Riordan, Patrick. "Rosewood: FSU Historians Help to Right Old Wrongs.” Florida State Magazine, Summer/Fall 1994, pp.14-17. 
• “Rosewood Remembered.” Jet, vol. 105, no. 22, May 2004, p. 34. 
• “State of Florida to Award Each Rosewood Massacre Survivor $100,000 or More.” Jet, vol. 87, no. 10, Jan. 1995. 
• Taylor, John. “The Rosewood Massacre.” Esquire, vol. 122, no. 1, Jul. 1994, pp. 46–53. 

Newspaper articles 

• "Armed Posse Hunts Negro." St. Petersburg Times, January 6, 1923. 
• Basse, Craig. “Rosewood Massacre Survivor Arnett Goins Dies.” St. Petersburg Times, Mar. 26, 2002, p. 3B. 
• "Bill Would Compensate Massacre's Children.” Tallahassee Democrat, Dec. 31, 1993. 
• "Black History." Miami Herald, Tropic insert, Mar. 7, 1993 p.4. 
• "Blacks Kill Two Whites in Race Riot." St. Petersburg Times, January 5, 1923. 
• Booth, William. “70 Years Ago, a Town Disappeared in a Blaze Fueled by Racial Hatred. Not Everyone Has Forgotten.” Washington Post, May 30, 1993, p. F1. 
• "Checks Ready for Rosewood Survivors." Gainesville Sun, Jan. 6, 1995. 
• "'Civil Liberties' Query Hardee as to Florida Deaths.” Tampa Morning Tribune, Jan. 28, 1923.
• Colburn, David. "Rosewood." Gainesville Sun, Jan. 14, 1994. 
• "A Deal That Nearly Wasn't." Tallahassee Democrat, Feb. 11, 1996. 
• "Descendants Meet to Celebrate Victory." Tallahassee Democrat, Jul. 22, 1995. 
• Dewitt, Dan. “A Mission to Right History: He Led Efforts to Win Reparations for the 1923 Rosewood Massacre.” Tampa Bay Times, Mar. 27, 2015, p. 1B. 
• Eddy, Kristin. "New Light on Old Horror.” Atlanta Constitution, Jan. 2, 1997, p. A4. 
• Eddy, Kristin. "Rosewood Massacre Revisited.” Atlanta Constitution, Jan. 2, 1997, p. A4. 
• "Families Bare Secrets at Rosewood Hearing.” Seminole Tribune, Sept. 27, 1996, p.1. 
• "Father, Son Say Massacre Was Sparked by Blacks.” Tallahassee Democrat, Mar. 11, 1994. 
• “Florida Panel Backs Compensation in Riots.” New York Times, Mar. 24, 1994, p. A17. 
• “Florida Urged to Compensate Victims of Racial Attack in ’23.” New York Times, Mar. 22, 1994, p. A17. 
• Flowers, Charles. "Rosewood: 'Ashes 'N the Hood.” Seminole Tribune, Sept. 27, 1996, p. 3. 
• Gallagher, Peter B. "Lost in Truth and Time.” Seminole Tribune, Sept. 27, 1996, p. 3. 
• Gallagher, Peter B. "The Rosewood Massacre of 1923.” Seminole Tribune, Jan.15, 1993, p. 1. 
• Harrison, Eric. "A Massacre, the Movies and the Obligations of Memory.” Los Angeles Times, Oct. 16, 1994. 
• "Hearing Brings Graphic Memories of Rosewood to Light." Tallahassee Democrat, Feb. 24, 1994. 
• "In 1923, a White Mob Attacked a Black Town and Wiped It Off the Florida Map.” Tallahassee Democrat, Mar. 21, 1993. 
• "It's Official: Rosewood Families Get Compensation.” Orlando Sentinel, May 5, 1994. 
• “Klan Doubts Rosewood Race Massacre Ever Happened.” UPI Archive: Domestic News, Mar. 6, 1993. 
• "Klan Trying to Prove Massacre at Rosewood Never Happened." Miami Herald, Mar. 6, 1993. 
• "Last Negro Homes Razed in Rosewood.” New York Times, Jan. 8, 1923. 
• "A Living Witness to a Bloody Past." Tallahassee Democrat, Mar. 21, 1993. 
• “Massacre Memory Still Haunts After Nearly 85 Years.” Palm Beach Post, Dec. 27, 2007, p. 1A. 
• "Massacre at Rosewood: A Survivor Speaks." Seminole Tribune, Feb. 26, 1993, p. 1. 
• Moore, Gary. "Nothing Left but to Fight to Be Heard.” Florida Times-Union, Jan. 3, 1993. 
• Moore, Gary. “Rosewood.” St. Petersburg Times, Floridian insert, Jul. 25, 1982, pp. 6–19. 
• Moore, Gary. "Survivor Recalls Terror of Day Rosewood Died.” Florida Times-Union, Jan. 3, 1993. 
• Moore, Gary. "Wiped Off the Map.” Miami Herald, Tropic insert, Mar. 7, 1993, pp.14-18, 22-25. 
• "A New Year - And Memories.” Washington Post, Jan. 1, 1993, p. A18. 
• Nickens, Tim. “Hearing Officer Finds Florida Should Pay 1923 Massacre Survivors.” Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service, Mar. 21, 1994. 
• "Payments Close a Rosewood Chapter.” Tallahassee Democrat, May 28, 1995. 
• Payne, Kate. "Decades After a White Mob Destroyed Rosewood, the Town Is Rebuilt Online." WFSU News, Dec. 6, 2016. 
• "Race Riot in Levy County Results in Several Deaths.” Tallahassee Democrat, Jan. 5, 1923. 
• "Recompense Being Sought for Massacre.” New York Times, Jan. 2, 1994. 
• "Report Relives Tale of Horror.” Tallahassee Democrat, Dec. 23, 1993. 
• Rohter, Larry. “Paying for Racial Attack Divides Florida Leaders.” New York Times, Mar. 14, 1994, p. A12. 
• "The Rosewood Bill.” Seminole Tribune, Feb. 26, 1993, p. 1. 
• “Rosewood Families Gather, 1923 Massacre Remembered.” Florida Times-Union, Jul. 24, 1999, p. B3.
• “Rosewood Riot Probe Under Way in Florida.” Miami Daily Metropolis, Feb. 12, 1923. 
• “Rosewood is Quiet But Hunt Still On.” Miami Daily Metropolis, Jan. 8, 1923.
• “Rosewood Survivor Preached Tolerance.” Tampa Tribune, Apr. 8, 2005, p. 8. 
• "Rosewood Survivors Live to See 'Justice.’” Tallahassee Democrat, Apr. 9, 1994. 
• "Rosewood Witness: Deputy Knew of Riot, But Didn't Act.” Tallahassee Democrat, Mar. 12, 1994. 
• Sharp, Deborah. "In Fla., a 71-Year Racial Debt.” USA Today, Mar. 31, 1994, p. A3. 
• "A Skeleton in Florida's Closet.” Tallahassee Democrat, Aug. 15, 1982. 
• Skerritt, Andrew. “Remembering Rosewood.” St. Petersburg Times, Jul. 29, 2007, p. 11. 
• "Son of Rosewood Speaks Out: Q & A With Arnett Doctor.” Seminole Tribune, Apr. 23, 1993, p. 1. 
• "State Lifts Rosewood 'Shade of Shame.'" Tallahassee Democrat, May 5, 1994. 
• "Survivors of Town Razed in Rampage Seek Redemption." Tallahassee Democrat, Dec. 29, 1992. 
• Tibbets, John C. “A Rosewood Descendant’s Perspective.” Christian Science Monitor, Feb. 25, 1997, p. 14. 
• "Unprecedented Verification Process Begins.” Tallahassee Democrat, May 9, 1994. 
• Voyles, Karen. "Survivors Dredge Up Painful Memories.” Gainesville Sun, Feb. 24, 1994.  
• “What About Rosewood?” Tampa Sunday Tribune, Jan. 21, 1923.
• Whigham, Julius. “Robie Mortin, 94, Rosewood Massacre Survivor: She Helped Fight for Sugarhill Cemetery’s Preservation.” Palm Beach Post, Jun. 19, 2010, p. 2B. 
• Williams, Mike. "Florida Moves to Right an Old Wrong.” Atlanta Constitution, Jan. 14, 1994, p. A3. 
• Wilson, Jon. “Rosewood Reincarnated.” St. Petersburg Times, Feb. 13, 2011, p. 1P. 
• "Witness Tells Lynching Story." Orlando Sentinel, Mar. 27, 1994. 

Internet sites 

• González-Tennant, Edward. Rosewood Heritage & VR Project. 
• Rosewood Heritage Foundation. Remembering Rosewood. 

Government publications 

• Florida Board of Regents. A Documented History of the Incident Which Occurred at Rosewood, Florida, in January 1923: Submitted to the Florida Board of Regents 22 December 1993 (PDF). Tallahassee, FL: 1993. 
• Florida House of Representatives. Compensation for Victims of Rosewood Massacre (PDF). Chapter 94-359, Laws of Florida, 1994. 
• Florida House Select Committee on Claims. Special Master’s Final Report [HB 591 - Rosewood]. Tallahassee, FL: 1994. 

Legislative history 

• Florida House of Representatives. Compensation for Victims of Rosewood Massacre. House Resolution 591, 1994. Series 19, State Archives of Florida. 
• Florida House of Representatives. Compensation for Victims of Rosewood Massacre. House Resolution 813, 1993. Series 19, State Archives of Florida. 
• Florida House of Representatives. Funding a Grant to Investigate Destruction of Rosewood. House Resolution 27-B, 1993. Series 19, State Archives of Florida. 
• Florida House of Representatives. Funding a Grant to Investigate Destruction of Rosewood.
• House Resolution 2425, 1993. Series 19, State Archives of Florida. 
• Florida House of Representatives. Resolution Commending Minnie Lee Langley for Her Courage in Escaping From the Rosewood Massacre. House Resolution 1923, 1993. Series 19, State Archives of Florida. 
• Florida House of Representatives. Rosewood Compensation Fund and Appropriation for Erection of a Monument. House Resolution 1359, 1994. Series 19, State Archives of Florida. 
• Florida House of Representatives. Rosewood Family Scholarship Fund. House Resolution 5-D, 1994. Series 19, State Archives of Florida. 
• Florida Senate. Compensation for the Victims of Rosewood Massacre. Senate Bill 1452, 1993. Series 18, State Archives of Florida. 
• Florida Senate. Compensation for the Victims of Rosewood Massacre. Senate Bill 1774, 1994. Series 18, State Archives of Florida. 
• Florida Senate. Funding a Grant to Investigate Destruction of Rosewood. Senate Bill 2024, 1993. Series 18, State Archives of Florida. 
• Florida Senate. Rosewood Compensation Fund and Appropriation for Erection of a Monument. Senate Bill 1752, 1994. Series 18, State Archives of Florida. 
• Florida Senate. Rosewood Family Scholarship Fund. Senate Bill 712, 1995. Series 18, State Archives of Florida. 

Presentations and media 

• “Questions Remain in 1923 Massacre of Blacks in Florida.” All Things Considered. NPR, Oct. 16, 1993. 
• “The Rosewood Massacre.”60 Minutes. CBS, December 13, 1983. 
• “Survivors of Rosewood, Florida Massacre Compensated.” ABC World News Tonight. ABC, Apr. 8, 1994. 
• Tereshchuk, David. The Rosewood Massacre: Reconstructing a Cold Case File.