Jacksonville’s Gullah Geechee Heritage
A Community Story. A Cultural Record. A Call to Remember.
Available April 28, 2026
Jacksonville’s Gullah Geechee history lives in the land, the water, the neighborhoods, and the memories passed down through generations. Jacksonville’s Gullah Geechee Heritage brings those stories forward—rooted in place, shaped by community, and preserved for the future.
This Book Is About Us
Jacksonville’s Gullah Geechee Heritage is a community-centered exploration of the people, places, and traditions that have shaped Jacksonville’s Black coastal communities. Through historical research, oral histories, and cultural landscape storytelling, this book documents a legacy that has too often been overlooked, minimized, or left out of the record.
This is a book about survival, connection, and belonging. It honors elders and ancestors, uplifts living traditions, and connects past to present—showing why Gullah Geechee heritage in Jacksonville still matters today.
Whether you were raised here, have family roots in the region, or are learning this history for the first time, this book invites you to witness, remember, and carry these stories forward.
Why This Book Matters Now
Jacksonville is rarely named in national conversations about Gullah Geechee history, yet its communities have long been part of the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.
Without documentation, stories risk being erased.
This book helps ensure Jacksonville’s Gullah Geechee history is not forgotten—by grounding it in place, centering community voices, and making it accessible to future generations.
Buying this book is not just a purchase. It is an act of preservation.
What You’ll Find Inside
The roots of Gullah Geechee culture in Northeast Florida
Stories of neighborhoods, waterways, churches, and family land
The impact of migration, development, and displacement
Cultural traditions tied to land, labor, and community life
Why preservation, planning, and storytelling matter for cultural survival
Who This Book Is For
Gullah Geechee descendants and community members
Jacksonville residents seeking a fuller understanding of local history
Educators, students, historians, and preservationists
Planners and cultural practitioners
Anyone who believes community history deserves care, accuracy, and respect
These stories matter. Your support helps keep them alive.
Purchase Jacksonville’s Gullah Geechee Heritage and be part of preserving Jacksonville’s cultural legacy. Help support the preservation of Jacksonville’s Gullah Geechee history.
Meet the Authors
Adrienne Burke, AICP, Esq.
Principal (she/her)
Adrienne is a planner and attorney whose love of history began as a child in Montgomery, Alabama and was solidified as a teenager in Virginia. Ultimately, this led her to pursue degrees in history and law, with an emphasis on African American history, land use, and historic preservation. Adrienne is passionate about the intersection of history, social justice and community healing, and the opportunity to work with communities to realize their planning goals through heritage and cultural storytelling and preservation.
Adrienne received her B.A. in history from the University of Virginia, and a Master’s Degree in Architectural Studies: Historic Preservation and a Juris Doctor, both from the University of Florida. She is Co-Chair of the Advocacy Committee for the National Council of Public History, on the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, and a CAMP Trainer with the National Alliance of Preservation Commissions.
She has over 15 years experience in local government land use planning and nonprofit management. In addition, Adrienne is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) and has training as an end-of-life doula.
Some of Adrienne’s influences: Julian Bond, Pauli Murray, Rage Against the Machine, Stevie Nicks, house music, yoga, nature, travel, and dogs.
Ennis Davis, AICP
Principal (he/him)
Ennis is a planner with a passion for cultural heritage preservation and urban planning that dates to a childhood of listening to his ancestors pass down family history and stories of African American life in the racially segregated south. A sixth generation Floridian from Winter Haven, his desire for equitable community development and opportunity led him to pursue a Bachelor of Architecture degree at Florida A&M University.
A Gullah Geechee descendant with 23 years experience in the fields of planning, architecture and real estate development, Ennis is a public historian dedicated to inclusively uplifting people, communities and protecting their culture, heritage and sense of place. In addition, he is the Vice President of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation Trustee, Vice President of Membership and Outreach for the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA), Groundwork Jacksonville Board member, author of the award-winning books Reclaiming Jacksonville, Cohen Brothers: The Big Store and Images of Modern America: Jacksonville, and co-founder of online media publications TheJaxsonmag.com and Moderncities.com.
Some of Ennis’ influences: His Davis and Vereen ancestors, Polk County, all Miami sports teams, travel, and anyone with the temperament, will and dedication to uplift their community.