ST LUKE MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH

A group of young Black families migrated to Narcoossee from North Carolina in 1886. Jones, Fryar, Wiggins, and Whitted roads and Little Lane are named after some of these original settlers. They came to harvest citrus and sugarcane on land owned by English investor, Arthur Fell. The settlers built the St. Luke Baptist Church on land donated by Fell. It has hosted religious services, weddings, funerals, and political meetings for over 135 years and has been the center of the Historic Whitted Community since its beginning. In 1895 and 1896, terrible frosts destroyed the Florida citrus crops. Local workers quickly shifted to making turpentine. As the turpentine industry boomed, more families settled here. The family names of the Whitted Community are well known throughout Osceola County. The Jones, Whitted, Paul, Eady, Butler, Fryar, Little, Wiggins and Sippio families include many well-respected community members, professional athletes, attorneys, military veterans, and educators. The Black settlers of Narcoossee and the Historic Whitted Community have made significant contributions to their community and the entire county.