History of the "Freedtown" Community/Cemetery

Section 20 - Township 25 - Range 21

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Historical Marker for Freedtown dedicated on Feb. 21, 2004
The historical marker south of Dade City at the intersection of Fort King Road and Bozeman Road dedicated on Feb. 21, 2004, reads:
FREEDTOWN. About a mile west of this location is the abandoned site of the Freedtown settlement, Pasco County's pioneer black community. It was established about 1869, by newly freed slaves, to the southwest of Lake Buddy. Freedtown consisted of cabin homes, a congregation of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, and a cemetery. The small community thrived until the Great Freeze of 1894-95, which decimated the agrarian economy of not only Freedtown, but also the other nearby lake front communities of Pasadena and Earnestville. Nothing today remains of Freedtown or its cemetery. Following the freeze, most of Freedtown's population migrated north and became residents of Dade City, where many united with the Mount Zion AME Church congregation.


According to "The History of Zephyrhills" by Rosemary W. Trottman, "Before the North had made slavery its emotional issue against the South, Wright Williamson had assisted Ben Baisden to win his freedom, and the white community had assisted him in settling land on the southeast side of Lake Buddy.  One by one, a considerable colony of freedmen settled near."  

This colony settled first by Benjamin Baisden and later by others became known as "Freedtown".  When I set out to find the truth about the community and cemetery referred by many as “Freedtown” I had no idea of the extent of the history for the area of Pasco County known as Lake Pasadena or Buddy Lake.  As I began to study the census records, land records, historical information handed down by numerous locals from the time period, locals from more recent time periods and all of that combined with the great knowledge of several professors who have studied African-American culture the truth about the area referred to by some as “Freedtown” began to appear much more clearly.  Some of the information contained in this history may offend some but we must remember these are events that really did occur and the language of that time should be used to represent the true portrayal of life in Pasco County during both slavery times and reconstruction times after the abolishment of slavery.  The African-American people have been in the area of Pasco County since at least 1812 and have been documented in the state of Florida since the time of the Spanish explorers who came to this unknown adventurous land and brought slaves with them.  Before we take a step back in time to the days of Florida very few people know or realize existed, there are some historically documented issues that need to be mentioned about the census images which have been placed before us for research purposes.  Like Florida’s African-American History very few people know or realize the history of the Federal Censuses. Anyone who considers themselves to be a genealogist or a researcher of history needs to take these issues into consideration before putting any reliable weight on the census.  ALL of the following information should be considered in the support of the existence of a “Freedtown” located on present day Buddy Lake.  If one fails to consider ALL of the information involved with “Freedtown's” history  then there should be no point in reading any further for the simple reason that the whole history would not be portrayed. The intent here is to portray the "whole history" not just a portion of it.

It must be stated that it is not known if the name "Freedtown" was used during its time or if this is a name applied later by the African Americans of Dade City.  
In early years this area was known as Buddy Lake or the Prospect settlement and "Freedtown" may have been the African American section of either of these communities.

*History of the Federal Censuses and little known FACTS about the Federal Censuses*
The Untied States of America became the first country in the world to call for regularly held censuses beginning in 1790. While the U.S. Constitution declares that "All men are created equal" and the purpose of the Federal Census, when it was created, was to determine the population of the United States, neither was being realized in 1790.  Beginning with the first census and up until 1860  the Federal Census excluded certain classes of people. So called  “Free Persons," as they were referred to on the census, excluded Indians living on treaty land and slaves. Indians were exempt from paying taxes or voting, however any male Indian who had joined the white population in paying taxes would be considered a “Freed Person”.  Slaves who had been set free by their masters or who had purchased their own freedom were considered "Freed Persons of Color."  Slaves that were not so fortunate represented a large percentage of the populations in many states and later provisions made inclusion of the counts of slaves in what is known as slave schedules. Slave schedules do not list the names of the slaves but list only the number of slaves owned by each respective person (slave owner) included in the regular census schedule.  Let us not fail to mention here that, in addition to white slave owners, there were Indian slave owners and  black slave owners during these times and if they paid taxes and were considered "free"  they were included in these early census counts. The early census did not list a person's race.  This means that when viewing the census records the race of the slave owner can not be determined.  Census accuracy has always been a matter of contention over the years.  There have been several major cities who  have sued Uncle Sam because the city governments thought they were unfairly represented and deprived of numbers resulting many times in the loss of federal grants based on population.

Assistant Federal Marshals from the United States Federal Court System conducted the first nine censuses (1790-1870).  There was a U.S Marshal assigned to each federal court district, and it was his job to hire and manage "Assistant Marshals" in conducting the census in his district.  Conditions in the areas where census takers went many times were less than ideal being infested with Indians, Run Away Negro slaves that had developed and settled on their own plantations, and disease carrying mosquitoes.  These early settlers did not like the white man on their land and were sometimes hostile.  The compensation paid to these early Assistant Marshals was set by law and equaled out to be $1.00 for every 300 persons in cities and towns containing more than 5,000 people, and $1.00 for every 150 persons in rural areas.  However, the law allowed the U.S. Marshals to pay $1.00 for every 50 persons in an area determined to be sparsely populated or difficult to reach, this was subject to a ruling by the Federal Judge in his district. The wages were poor and many times the judge did not feel it necessary to pay this wage. Not only were the wages poor, each Assistant Marshal was given original sample census forms and was expected to provide his own copies and ruling for the lines.  The Marshals were required to pay for their own pens, ink, paper and all other expenses incurred in taking the census including room and board of his assistants. Often times the Assistant Marshals would try to record the populated areas first for the purpose of providing provisions for the least populated areas. There were no specific orders for collecting census data and many times the enumerator hopped from one side of the county to the other.  In later years “census counting machines” were utilized, which helped with the counting, even though these devices were inaccurate.  I feel it must be stated that the little two man company that designed and presented their counting invention to the Census Office way back in the mid 1800’s goes by a different but well known name today.  It is known as the IBM Corporation. 

IMPORTANT:  Any one who studies and uses census records for historical research should always record two dates when copying the information from the censuses, the census day and the enumeration date which is located in the box above the list of names. For the 1870 Federal Census the census date is the first day of June however the enumeration dates for the Pasco County area, according to census documents, are July 25 through August 22, some two to three months later. Upon close examination of the census forms one can see that above the "names" column the heading reads "The name of every person whose place of abode on the first day of June, 1870, was in this family."  No matter how many days it took for the enumerator to reach a dwelling (not necessarily a house), he was supposed to gather his information as if time had stopped on the census day (first day of June). We will NEVER know for sure if the enumerator followed his instructions.  Every person whose regular abode was in a particular household on census day, not the day of enumeration, was to be counted even if the person were away at the time of the enumeration.  Notice the word regular abode was used implying that persons living temporarily in a residence, for partial times of the year, were not counted in that dwelling, they were counted somewhere else or possibly not counted at all.

 *Census Copies*
The first Census Office began its operations in 1850, and procedures for taking the censuses were put into place.  From 1850 through 1870 door-to-door census taking was still in operation. Eventually the District Courts were taken out of the business and the secretary in each state or territory replaced the District Court.  The job of the Census Offices were to collect the census schedules and prepare the reports after the various U.S. Marshals and Secretaries of States had compiled their works.  Enabling laws for the 1850, 1860 and 1870 censuses asked for an original and two additional copies of the censuses be prepared.  Upon completion of an enumeration or census, the original censuses for an entire county were placed somewhere for public view usually at the county courthouse. 

**Copies of the censuses were made with the following procedures:

1.  A complete set of the original census documents for the respective county was displayed at the county courthouse only after the enumerations were completed.  This applied to the 1850, 1860 and 1870 census.

2.  The supervising Assistant Federal Marshal then made a hand written copy of the name lists for the county or counties under his jurisdiction.  A “clean copy” of the county wide census was to be sent to the state or territorial secretary and the original census documents were to remain in the county's courthouse for the applicable county.  This new copy was to become the “State Copy."

3.  Once the state or territory's secretary received all the copies of the county censuses for their state (state copy) another hand written copy was compiled from the state's copy and was subsequently sent up to Washington D.C.  This hand written copy of a hand written copy was the “Federal Copy”.  The “State Copy” was retained at the state level and the “Federal Copy” was sent to the Census Office in Washington D.C.

After these procedures of copying had been completed the original copy of the census made by each Assistant Marshal was supposed to remain in its respective county's courthouse.  This was all dependent on the marshals following the instructions provided to them.  It is disappointing and sad to know that very few of the original censuses for 1850-1870 have ever been found in a county courthouse.  The county level officials many times have a total disregard for the information contained in the original historical documents that they destroy.  A few years ago all of the original records from 1887 and the formation of Pasco County were tossed into a dumpster outside the county courthouse in Dade City.  Fortunately a gentleman by the name of Edward Herrmann, who worked as a meter reader and was on his rounds with the electric company, observed the disposal of these valuable historical documents taking place and retrieved them, from the dumpster,  for preservation. 

NOTE:  Anyone who considers themselves to be a historian, genealogists, or even one who studies history as a hobby should always remember the golden rule of reading census records.  CENSUS RECORDS ARE UNRELIABLE!!  When one is reading microfilmed census images for the period 1850-1870 it must be kept in mind that they are hand written copies of hand written copies of the original.  These are the very issues that are involved in our ancestor’s names being misspelled, birth dates being incorrect recorded, duplicated listings, or even some people not included in the enumeration at all. Very few examples of the original censuses can be found today but the little evidence that has been found was compared to Federal Copies of the census and reported by Harry Hollinsworth in his article “Little known facts about the U.S. Census” published in a 1977 copy of  "The American Genealogist."  Harry reported:

“ I have found many discrepancies between the Federal and State copies themselves, and vast differences between them and the originals (i.e., the county copies)!  Whole names have either been changed or omitted.  Ages have been copied wrong.  Whereas, in the originals, the surnames of each family are generally written over and over again, in the copies the word “ditto” or its abbreviation “do” appears instead.  When written over and over, a surname has much less chance of being written incorrectly!  In one Federal entry, I find Rebecca Gey but “Grey” in the original.  In another Federal entry, Amanda Vandyke appears, but she is Amanda A. “Vanslyke” in the original.  Esther Hollinsworth of the original--- the correct name--- appears as Esther Hollenback in the Federal copy!!"

Unfortunately, the federal copies of the 1850-1870 censuses are the copies containing the most errors.  These are the censuses images available to us from the National Archives and are the ones microfilmed for the public and now reside in almost every library in the nation.  Provisions were made to correct these problems in the following census years 1880-1920.  The new and improved Census Office did a marvelous job with results and the dramatic results compared with the earlier censuses were obvious.  There were five times the number of enumerations in the 1880 census as compared to the 1870 census.  For the first time detailed information was included in conducting these new and improved censuses.
Census History provided by Heritage Quest.

How does this relate to the history of “Freedtown”?
The history of the “Freedtown” community and church is not recorded like most history in Pasco County.  One thing that must be kept in mind is that “Freedtown's” history is African-American history, and genealogy, which seems to have been treated unethically in the past.  In “Freedtown's” case there is enough physical documentation combined with oral history to support its existence along with the existence of other African-American communities through out present day Pasco and Hernando Counties.  Some of these black communities pre-date the Civil War and Reconstruction. It is generally believed that, at least, the antecedences for "Freedtown" were in place by 1869. This writer has not been able to establish the date of “Freedtown's” beginning prior to ca. 1869 however its creation and formation can be credited to one not so well-known early pioneer of Pasco County, Benjamin Baisden.  The first place one might look for clues of this would be the census records. The first census in which Benjamin Baisden appears in Pasco County  is the 1870 U.S. Federal Census.  Upon examination of the census images for Hernando/Pasco County one can see an immediate problem surrounding Ben Baisden's listing in that he is listed TWICE. The 1870 census, for Pasco County, contains duplicate enumerations, missing enumerations, incorrect races, incorrect name spellings and all the other errors that have been found in the 1870 census.  There are those among us who, while researching,  will attempt to retrace the steps of the census takers, including myself, but given the history of the censuses- this can not, and I repeat- can not, be a reliable way to determine where someone lived.  The census can be a great source of information as long as it is only used as a point of departure, a general area in which the person or persons were recorded.  There is a myriad of explanations for why Benjamin Baisden and his family are listed twice in 1870 census and are too numerous to list here. However one very plausible and credible explanation is that a transcription error occurred during the duplication or copy process. Remember census records were copied twice by hand with the last copy being sent up to Washington D.C. If it were possible to look at the original 1870 Federal census for Hernando County, we may find that Benjamin and his family were only recorded once. We might not ever find the census' truth and this is why we must never rely on census records "completely."  Other documents should be taken into consideration along with the census records.  In the case of "Freedtown" I have searched tax records, land records, newspapers, voter registration and numerous other sources to find the exact location of Benjamin Baisden, the man who is credited as being the first African American to settle in "Freedtown".  In over fifty plus years there is a sufficient amount of documentation to support the existence of the "Freedtown" farming community, which covered  3-4 square miles in the Buddy Lake and Prospect Community area, with a population of at least 15 to 20 African- Americans at its peak in the late 1880s, and for which some researchers refuse to accept and still insist that the community never existed.  And while there are some who claim that  four or five families in a 3-4 square mile area, in the early 1870s, does not constitute a "community," it must be clarified that the concept of a "community" is a relative term and has not changed much from 1870 to present day.  Even in today's terms a "community" could be considered anything from two or three families over a 3-4 square mile area to thousands of families over the same 3-4 square mile area. In 1870, when Pasco County was sparsely populated, what do you think would have been considered a "community?"

Voter Registration
Following the abolishment of slavery, on March 4, 1865, the United States Congress, under the direction of the Freedmen's Inquiry Commission, elected to establish the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands commonly known as the Freedmen Bureau. (click here for some history on The Freedmen's Bureau). With slavery now abolished The Freedmen's Bureau was responsible for four million newly freed slaves. The main purpose of " The Freedmen's Bureau" was to help former slaves acquire some of the things that they had been previously denied such as land, education, the opportunity to learn the same trades as the whites, equality and the right to vote. By 1867-68 African-American's were allowed to take part in elections and for the first time they were allowed to pick their own delegates. This however was not done without resistance from those who did not want slavery abolished like the Confederate Loyalist.  In Hernando County these Loyalist spread rumors that the African-American's had been lied to by the Unionists and would not be allowed to take part in an upcoming Republican Party meeting, in Brooksville, where their delegates would be picked. According to the July 31st 1867 Freedmen's Bureau Report, during the Republican Party meeting in Brooksville, 300 armed Freedmen marched upon Brooksville under the American Flag.  The Freedmen had been prompted to march by the venomous lies that had been spread throughout the region.  The Freedmen's Bureau agent, that was present at the time, stated in his report that he had to explain to the Freedmen that it was against the law to carry arms and assured them they would indeed partake in the voting and the picking of delegates.

According to the Florida Voter Registration for the 1867-68 election, Benjamin Baisden is listed as being registered on August 24th 1867 for Precinct 4. Baisden is also listed as being a resident of Hernando County, Florida for the required minimum of 12 months.  This is the earliest documentation on Benjamin Baisden, that I have been able to locate, and it tells us that Ben Baisden had been in the area since at least 1866 and possibly prior since 12 months seems to be listed for most registered voters that had already been in the area for many years prior.  It is not known exactly where the boundaries for Precinct 4 were located however when land documents, from the time period, are considered, researched, and plied against the other names listed in this precinct, such as Lewis Gaskin, Lyborn Kersey, William Wright Williamson and David Osborn,  it had to include the Dade City and "Freedtown" areas. This can also be confirmed by comparing the list for Precinct 4 to the 1885 Gazetteer (see link below).

Tax Records
Tax records are another excellent source for information such as location of land, ownership of homes, livestock, and carriages along with other very interesting information.  In addition to their new freedom African-Americans were required to pay taxes. Many of the former slaves did not own property or possessions to be taxed on and in such cases the only taxes paid would have been the state and county taxes.  We find in the 1869 Hernando County tax records that Ben Bason (sic) was indeed paying taxes in Hernando County and,  like most African-Americans of that time period, it is apparent that Benjamin did not own anything since he was not paying taxes on a home, improvements to property or any possessions.  It was likely that in 1869 Ben Baisden was living with another family or living in a home which was owned by someone else, this would explain the reason for only paying state and county taxes with a combined total of $1.48 to be paid.

There are no surviving copies of the 1870-1871 tax records for Hernando County.

The next available tax information is from 1872.  According to the 1872 tax records Benjamin Baisden has acquired many personal possessions as compared to the previous 1869 tax records.  Ben Baisden is listed as paying taxes on 15 acres, which was improved and cultivated,  2 cattle, 6 pigs and household/ kitchen furniture. Given the description of the listed items it appears Baisden has a home and a small farm which is in cultivation. The fact that under the heading of "Land Description," in the tax records, it is "blank"  indicates that Baisden was living on and paying taxes on property owned by someone else. This would be typical of some one that is either "sharecropping" or "homesteading" the land under the "Homestead Act of 1862."  It is quite possible that Ben was sharecropping, a "standard and customary practice" during that time period, and may have been required to pay taxes as a contingency of any sharecropping agreement that he may have had..

Any persons applying for land under the "Homestead Act of 1862" were required to"build a home and make good use of the land," after which they could file their homestead applications. They then had to live in the home, defend it, and continue to make good use of the land for a minimum of five years in-order to obtain a deed to the land. During this time of waiting the homesteaders would have been required to pay taxes on the land and any improvements.  In most cases it took more than five years for the homesteaders to receive the deeds to their land. As a side note for those "avid historians" out there, the dates on those original deeds are the dates in which the deeds were filed and signed by the homesteaders.  The dates on the deeds are NOT the dates for when the homesteaders first settled on the land. Simply subtracting five years from the date will NOT yield an accurate estimate of the date of settlement either.  In most cases it took between seven and ten years for the homesteader to receive the actual deed and claim to his property. The only way to get an actual date of settlement would be to look at the original homestead applications which I have not been able to obtain yet.

Land Records
According to land records on file with Pasco County and original homestead deeds on file with the Bureau of Land Management, Benjamin Baisden acquired several large pieces of property from both the United States and from the State of Florida.  These records show that Benjamin Baisden owned a total of 200 acres located in Sections 17 and 20 of Township 25, Range 21.  This 200 acres of property was located on the south side of Buddy Lake or Lake Pasadena near Dade City.

 Baisden received the deed to his first 40 acres from the State of Florida through the Internal Improvement Fund.  This 40 acres was deeded to Ben Baisden and his wife Jane on August 25th 1882 and was located in the southeast corner of Section 17, Township 25, Range 21; in 1887 Benjamin and his wife conveyed a portion of this property to their son Samuel Baisden.  

The following year, on June 20th 1883, Benjamin E. Baisden had met the requirements of the Homestead Act of 1862 and received a deed for 80 acres from the United States. This 80 acres adjoined the 40 acres previously acquired by Benjamin Baisden and was the North 1/2 of the Northeast 1/4 of Section 20, Township 25, Range 21.  In 1888 Baisden sold 5 acres of this property to Mary Brandon, wife of Alex Brandon (more information on this prominent African-American family below).  Another portion of this 80 acres was later conveyed to Isaac Kirkland, husband of Angeline Baisden, Benjamin's daughter.

On May 9th 1885 Ben Baisden received a deed, from the United Stated, for an additional 80 acres which adjoined the previous 80 acres. This 80 acres was the South 1/2 of the Northeast 1/4 of Section 20, Township 25, Range 21 and combined with the other parcels totaled 200 acres.

Benjamin also bought a parcel of property from A.H. Ryland and his wife but I have not yet acquired the deed to this property and its size is unknown at this time.

As far as I or anyone else can determine these parcels are the only properties Benjamin Baisden and his wife, Virginia Jane, ever owned.  Immediately adjoining Benjamin's property to the South was 80 acres owned by Moses Baisden, believed to be Benjamin's brother.  As described in the caption and historical marker, at the top of the page, these properties were located off of Bozemen Road about one mile west of Fort King Road.  According to Pasco County land records most of Benjamin Baisden's property eventually became that of Charles Himmelwright who planted orange groves and made his home there.

Other property owners in the area included Lewis Gaskin, James Gaskin, David Osborn, Wright W. Williamson, and Lyborn Kersey; names that appear with Baisden's in the 1867-68 Precinct 4 Voter Registration. There was also Alex Brandon, Henry Whitfeild, Isaac Kirkland, Thomas Roach, and John W. Randle to name a few.

On September 16th 1941 Laura Spencer Porter gave a sworn affidavit to Pasco County attesting to the above information and testified she knew Benjamin Baisden during his lifetime and that Benjamin Baisden "owned and resided" on the above described properties for many years.

1886 Stum Map showing location of EarnestvilleStaple Industries
On February 17, 1885 Elijah E. Earnest established a post office near "Freedtown".  During this time period the area to the south of Buddy Lake became known as Earnestville.  This small farming community received its name from the post office and the man who established it. Back then it was not uncommon for a town to be named after its post office.  Previously this area, south of Buddy Lake, was considered to be apart of the Prospect Community (click here for a History of Prospect Community). All of these communities were essentially a part of the Fort Dade or Dade City area.  According to the 1885 Florida Gazetteer Earnestville, with a population 72, is listed with oranges and beef cattle as principle shipments or as staple industries.  Also listed is a general store owned by Elijah E. Earnest and a wagon shop owned by W.W. Williamson.  There are also several farmers and growers listed as being  in this community, among the crops were coconut, grains, oranges, and vegetables.  Listed among the orange growers is Benjamin Baisden (click here to see the list of farmers and grower).  

Benjamin Baisden also had a registered cattle brand and ear crop mark on file with the Pasco County clerk of the courts (click here to see Baisden's brands). These marks were recorded with the clerk on June 2nd 1888 and shows that it is likely that Benjamin Baisden was also participating in the beef cattle industry.  Proof of this participation is evident through the 1885 state census, which show Baisden had 160 acres of wooded land, 40 acres of pasture/ farm land and $500 worth of livestock.  Baisden's farm likely had several building since the 1885 state census show the buildings on his property valued at $1000.  According to the 1890 Pasco County tax records, Baisden was the owner of 20 stock and meat cattle.

On September 16th 1899 the Earnestville Post Office was discontinued and its services continued from the Dade City Post Office.  This community was no longer called Earnestville.

 Formation of the Buddy Lake "Colored" School
As other African-Americans moved to the area south of Buddy Lake the need for both a school and a church came about. Among the African-American families to live at "Freedtown" was that of Alex and Mary Brandon. The Brandons settled on 80 acres just to the south of Benjamin and Moses Baisden and became very active in the formation of this small community.  One interesting note worth a mention is that Alex and Mary Brandon do NOT appear in any census records for Hernando or Pasco yet they are mentioned in the land records and school board records giving proof to the history of the census and shows us that census records are inaccurate and unreliable.  Someone not showing up in the census does not necessarily mean they were some where else. It just means that the were not listed in the census. Other sources of information should be consulted.

According to the October 1st 1888 Pasco County School Board minutes, A.B. Brandon (colored) presented a petition asking for "a colored school for the children of his community."  By motion the rules were waved and the matter referred to the superintendent with instructions to "grant the school if the exigencies demand it."  It is believed by some researchers that this request may have been made to establish the Dade City Colored School since the following year, in the August 8th 1889 School Board minutes, Alex is listed as the Supervisor of the Dade City Colored School.

However, on September 1st 1890 Alex Brandon appeared before the Pasco County School Board again.  School board minutes show that Alex Brandon
came before the Board asking that "a school for colored children be established on the South side of Lake Buddie."  By motion a special school was granted and the sum of $20 per school month granted as salary for the teacher.  Alex Brandon, who was supervisor of the Dade City Colored School, resigned his position and was "appointed supervisor of the former school."  Typically after a school was granted or approved by the school board it would be followed by the deeding of property for which the school was to be built on.  In this case the school board granted a "special school" and since there was no property deeded for the building of the school classes were likely held in either a church or one of the community's homes.

On June 6th 1892 Brandon appeared before the school board again making the same request for his community.  School Board minutes read "Alex Brandon (col) came before the School Board asking that a special school for the colored children of his community be established near Lake Buddie."  The Board granted the school and provided a teacher at $20 per month on condition that the attendance be kept up.

According to the October 9th 1893 school board minutes "On motion, Ben Baisden was appointed Supervisor of col. School no. 12- vice Alex Brandon deceased.  On motion, Mrs. E.V. Powell was appointed teacher of said school."  That same year on August 7th Benjamin Baisden's son, Samuel,  was appointed the teacher of the Dade City Colored School under the supervision of  Dan A. Hattfield who would also later serve as a trustee of the Mount Zion AME Church.

Formation of the Buddy Lake/ Freedtown African Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery
Prior to the abolishment of slavery the African-Americans had no churches they could call their own, instead they would attend the white churches where they were made to sit on the back seats.  Not long after the Civil War and following the abolishment of slavery the African-Americans began departing from the majority of the white churches and began forming their own churches.  According to African-Americans on the Tampa Bay Frontier, by Dr. Cantor Brown, "the A.M.E. Church's 'Tampa Bay Mission' sent ministers throughout the region for the purpose of setting up congregations.  By 1884 there had been a preaching circuit established for Hernando County, which included present day Pasco County.  This provided itinerant ministers for Hernando County on a regular basis.  By 1892 the A.M.E. Church's growth necessitated the organization of the A.M.E South Florida Conference."

The formation of the A.M.E. Church at "Freedtown" occurred the same way.  Prior to the A.M.E. circuit being formed in Hernando County, the only Methodist Episcopal Church near Buddy Lake and "Freedtown" was the Prospect M.E. Church, which was a white church.  In a 1963 Dade City Banner article written by Lottie Guy Cripe, she looks back at the history of the Buddy Lake area ca. 1872 and gives some interesting details about the Prospect M.E. Church; the Guy family settled near Buddy Lake in the late 1870's and were members of the Prospect M.E. Church.  She writes:

"Two colored people: known to the younger generation as Uncle Ben and Aunt Jane,
lived in a clean little simple home on the south shores of this great old lake.  They had been slaves in
their earlier days but after being made free became honorable citizens and held the respect of all the
white people who knew them.  They were members and attended the Prospect church.  This little Methodist
church filled the religious needs of the community for many years and Uncle Ben and Aunt Jane sat
on the back seat of the church during services.  The community boys were much delighted when
Aunt Jane would bring out some of her wonderful home made cookies and treat them when they
happened her way.  Very likely they happened her way quite often.  It is said that these two old
colored people kept a spotless white bed for white travelers who passed through this part of the
country and needed some place to stay at night

This old home, of these two good colored people in later years became the beautiful grove and
home of the late Charles Himmelwright and his lovely wife."

There is no doubt that this article is speaking of Benjamin Baisden and his wife Virginia Jane and it shows that this pioneer African American family received their early spiritual needs from the Prospect M.E. Church.  It is likely that as the Hernando County A.M.E preaching circuit was formed in 1884, that "Freedtown" became one of the regular stops on this circuit since by 1892 there was an A.M.E. Church established on the South side of Buddy Lake.  The whole purpose of the A.M.E. preaching circuit, in Hernando County, was to form and organize churches in the places the itinerant ministers had been preaching.

As other African American families began to settle near Buddy Lake there was a need for their own church just as there had been for a school.  After Ben and Virginia Jane departed from the Prospect M.E. Church they helped establish an African M.E. Church for their community.  According to  a deed obtained from Pasco County land records, on July 18th 1892 Benjamin and Virginia, his wife, deeded one acre of their property for the purpose of an A.M.E. Church.  This property was deeded to the trustees of the A.M.E. Church who were Benjamin Baisden, Henry Whitfeild and Alex Brandon; Alex was also the supervisor of the Buddy Lake Colored School.  The property being deeded to the trustees of the A.M.E. Church indicates that this church was organized before the property was deeded and again perhaps this is because "Freedtown" was a regular stop on the Hernando A.M.E. preaching circuit and the church was formed prior to the 1892 deed.

Along with the formation of the A.M.E. Church was the formation of an African American Cemetery, which was located next to the church.  It is possible, like most cemeteries, that this cemetery started as a Baisden Family Cemetery.  Once the A.M.E. Church was formed the cemetery then became a burial place for the African Americans of the "Freedtown" community and church.  

In July of 2005 I had the pleasure of speaking to a woman named June who grew up on the very property were the “Freedtown” community once stood.  June lived less then a ½ mile from Benjamin Baisden’s property and the "Freedtown" African M.E. Church and cemetery.  June grew up in the late 40’s on property that is now Evan’s Citrus Grove at the end of Bozeman Road and the fond memories of her childhood gave proof to the existence of the A.M.E Church and cemetery, which has since be destroyed.  During a brief phone interview with June she described her memories of the area we know as “Freedtown”.  Never seeing any of the documentation I have included, see described the area that is identified through land deeds, maps and historical documentation as being the area referred to as “Freedtown”.  The following excerpt was taken from my phone conversation with June:

 Jeff:  “I would like to clear up some of the inconsistencies with the location and history of the community called “Freedtown”, it seems there are people who don’t believe or don’t know the history about this community and many think the community was located near Ehren in Land O’ Lakes.”

June:  “Okay, Lets see I used to be the secretary of the St. Mary’s church, which was located near Lake Pasadena/ Buddy Lake and later moved to Dade City, years ago while we were doing research for the history of St. Mary’s we ran across documents somewhere that said that area was a colored settlement.”

Jeff: “Now are you talking about Ehren or “Freedtown”?

June: “No No I’m talking about “Freedtown” out there at Lake Pasadena/ Buddy Lake”

Jeff: “So you did find records that say there was a black community located there”?

June: “Yes I did and because I grew up there when I was a kid, all of that coincided with things I remember from when I was a kid, you know this happened and that happened and it all coincided with what I remember.”

Jeff: “Well there was a cemetery and church located in this community and there are some who claim this was a Baisden Family Cemetery, which was one of the families who lived there, do you remem......”

June: “NO- NO- NO-, it was a rather large cemetery.”

Jeff: “Oh, so it was a large cemetery then?”

June: “Well I don’t know what you mean by large......  I would say that there were at least 20 graves or more there in the cemetery.”

Jeff: “Ok and they were not all Baisden’s Family??”

June: “NO.... NO.....NO....... I don’t know who they all were.....

Jeff: “Do you recall any Baisden names on the headstones?”

June: “NO?- there were no real markers, I don’t know where they got the idea there were tombstones and everything as you would think of tombstones in a cemetery today.  There were markers but they were not made of granite or marble like we think of today....

Jeff: “Were they wood or other type stone?”

June: “They were wood and like I have said they ahh all the graves were covered with colored glass and ahhh some of it was white glass.... white glass, amber glass, green glass, and things like that.... all kinds of little knickknacs....”

Jeff: “You remember it pretty well?”

June: “I remember it so vividly because I got in trouble one day for picking up a hand full of the beautifully colored glass that caught my eye, I told my mom I got it from the cemetery in the woods, we were living where the Evans Citrus Company has their vehicle compound now and there was a crippled girl named Emily who lived on what’s now Bozeman Road, there was this old cemetery between our houses and I used to walk through the woods to her house to play with her while her mom hung laundry on the line.”

Jeff: “So you walked through the cemetery?”

June: “Not just once- hundreds of times, almost everyday to get to Emily’s house.....”

Jeff: “Were there any other families living down in there?”

June: “Well see we’ve, my family, we had a colored quarters about ¼ of a mile from the house in the 1930’s on up through ahhh the 1980’s and ahhhh some of the blacks there knew about “Freedtown” and a lot of these families worked for my dad so all us kids used to play together.  They even had a school down there.... the first year I went to school I was supposed to go to school there but it was the first time the bus came to our neighborhood.  We had to walk up and over Le Heup Hill because the it was to steep for the bus to climb.”

Jeff: “Was the church still in use when you lived there?”

June: “No No, the church was long gone... I know where it was because you could see where the foundations for the church was but ahh once I found the cemetery I started to look around the woods more and you could see where the church sat!  I used to walk through there everyday to go to that little girl’s house..... there used to be a couple of little springs or swimming holes there in the woods too, all us kids used to go swimming there.”

Jeff: “Ok well I don’t want to keep you any longer, I know you are going out to dinner so I will give you a call again later.....”

June:  “Yeah I have to go I’m late now, I’ll give you a call later so we can talk some more.”

Jeff: “Well I appreciate your time and great memories, I’ll talk to you later.....

Current picture showing the location of the Freedtown Cemetery- pic taken Sept 2005
This picture was taken in September of 2005 and shows the location of the "Freedtown" Cemetery.  The cemetery now lies under this orange grove and was the same location as the "Freedtown" A.M.E. Church; nothing remains today.

In 1941 there was an affidavit filed with Pasco County for which the location of the A.M.E. Church and cemetery were given.  According to this affidavit "B.V. Lyons who has lived and resided in Pasco County for more that fifty (50) years said he is and has been familiar with the occupancy of Section 20, Township 25S, Rand 21E and also knows the location of the African M.E. Church that was formerly located in said section and that the site of said African M.E. Church is still easily discernible and ascertainable by reason of a cemetery which was located in the church yard of said church." (click here for full affidavit)  The 1892 A.M.E. Church deed compared to the legal description of the 1941 affidavit are the same location, which is the A.M.E. Church and cemetery located on Benjamin Baisden property.  The Lyon's Family name appears in the list of growers and farmers for Earnestville.

1975 Rockford Map Co. map showing the location of the Freedtown CemeteryBesides the fond memories of June and the 1941 affidavit given by B.V. Lyons, I recently discovered the map, pictured right, on which the "Freedtown" Cemetery is marked just to the right of the #20, marked with a cross inside a square.  The map was published in 1975 by the Rockford Map Company and shows the cemetery marked in Section 20 of Township 25S, Range 21E.  The 1892 "Freedtown" church deed compared to the 1975 Rockford map, the cemetery mark is the same location as the legal description on the deed.  Historically speaking map companies, such as Rockford, would have typically consulted maps and information from the property appraiser's, tax collector's offices, and through their own surveys done for the purpose of designing the maps.  The information contained in any map is considered to be the illustrators interpretation of the area(s) contained in the map.  Nothing remains of the "Freedtown" Cemetery today, as the wooden crosses that marked the graves slowly rotted away the cemetery became unmarked.  Sometime after the 1941 affidavit the property was cleared and eventually became part of the orange groves that cover the property.  It is not known exactly who lies at rest in the now unmarked "Freedtown" Cemetery.  The "Freedtown" Cemetery is not the only African American Cemetery in Pasco County to lie in this state of disgrace.  As time passes more and more of Pasco's African American Cemeteries are being destroyed and this will continue until there is some sort of response from county officials to put an end to the desecration of our cemeteries.  

Great Freezes of 1894-95 (Formation of Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church in Dade City)
The winter of 1894-95 was not only one of most damaging winters every recorded in Florida's history but also proved to be one of the biggest hardships for many families across the state.  In December of 1894 and then again in February of 1895 temperatures in Pasco County dipped down into the teens.  Entire agrarian communities were decimated in one night leaving nothing but despair.  Col. J.A. Hendley wrote in "The History of Pasco County":

" I have seen Florida prosper and I have seen it in adversity.  Darkened like a funeral pall which swept over it when every fruit tree in Florida was killed.  I stood upon the bank of the lake and watched the wagon filled with sorrowfully-looking men and women on their way back north.  They had built their houses and made their groves and then saw them swept away in one night by the cold winds of the northwest.  They had risked all and lost and now they were abandoning what was left of their once beautiful homes.  But some of us lingered behind."

Many of the farms throughout Pasco County suffered greatly from the Freezes of 1894-95 including the farms of "Freedtown" and the surrounding areas of Ernestville and Prospect.  Just as Col. Hendley wrote many of these farms were abandoned.  According to the History of the Mount Zion A.M.E. Church, after the Freezes of 1894-95 many of "Freedtown's" residents moved north into Dade City.  As these residents slowly migrated north to Dade City the small farming community of "Freedtown" became abandoned, however Benjamin Baisden and his family stayed and rebuilt their farm and continued to live at "Freedtown" until the early 1900's.

According to "Historic Places of Pasco County" p. 117, "Members of the 'Freedtown' African Methodist Episcopal Church then founded the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church in Dade City shortly after."  It is believed that by the early 1900's the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church was meeting from house to house.  According to Pasco County land records on December 28, 1901 the trustees of the A.M.E. Church in Dade City, Dan A. Hartfield, J.M. Perry, R. Johnson and S. Wade, sold 1/4 acre to the City of Dade City for ten dollars; this property became part of the Dade City Cemetery.  In 1901 when this property was deeded, to Dade City, the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church had not yet constructed a building, yet they had trustees supporting the idea the congregation was meeting from house to house; these are the first known trustees of the newly formed Mt. Zion A.M.E.Church

In was in 1903 that A.M.E. minister Rev. Amos Thompson led the acting trustees to purchase a parcel of land for the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church.  According to Pasco County land records on December 16th 1903, Pasco County Clerk H.H. Hinley and his wife sold a parcel of land to R. Johnson, George Young, and B.T Green of Dade City, as trustees of A.M.E. Church; this property was purchased for $75.00.  With 29 members the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church used this parcel of land to construct their first church; the building they constructed was a bungalow style wood frame building and was typical of the construction from that time period.  In 1910 the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church purchased an adjacent piece of property.  According to Pasco County land records on March 5th 1910 A.A. and Lucy Lock sold a parcel of land to G.B. Burroughs, A. Bailey, and J.R. Eagler, for the use of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; this property was also purchased for $75.00.

Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church trustee G.B. Burroughs          GB Burroughs headstone located at the Indian Lake/ Pond Cem.
Granderson B. Burroughs served as trustee of the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church, assisted in purchasing church property in 1910 and aided in building the church; both of which are still used today.  Granderson's daughter, Arretha, is still a member of the church at the age of 96 years old.  Granderson Burroughs was laid to rest at the Indian Pond/ Lake Cemetery, date unknown.

By 1918 church growth made it necessary to build a bigger church, the church membership had almost doubled since 1903.  Construction on the new Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church building started under the direction of A.M.E. Pastor J.W. Dukes and was completed under his successor, Rev. W.A. Pickett and acting trustees G.B Burroughs, A. Johnson, W. Harris, C.L. Royal, J.M. Gregg, R. Johnson, George Young, and W. Grave.  This new church building was being constructed on the property the church had purchased in 1910 from the Lock's. During the new buildings construction the congregation continued to hold services in the old wood frame meeting house that was located on the adjacent piece of property.  Spanning a period of almost three years, construction of their new church proved to be a hard process as it was constructed of masonry block.  The masonry blocks used to construct the church were made and cast by hand.  With locally made molds the church members made each block by hand and were only able to make about fifty blocks at a time.  The construction of this new church structure was completed in 1920 and is the structure that the current congregation of Mt. Zion continues to worship in today.  The cornerstone of the church was engraved with the names of the acting Reverend and Trustees when the church building was completed in 1920.  According to a Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church History composed by members of fifty years or more and written in the 1970's, " The Fathers and Mothers who built the church need to be congratulated for a job well done.  Some of the laymen of the church were: Rufus Johnson (first superintendent of Sunday School), George Young, G.B. Burroughs, A. Bailey, J.R. Eagler, Ben Baisden (land owner and foreman of Lake Buddy), Andy Johnson, Ossie Howard, B.T. Green, James Gregg, Will Harris Sr., Henry Hester, Lillie Nance (Angeline Baisden Kirkland's daughter), Sis. Jones, Nancy King, Mary McBride and Hattie Tate."    The beautiful stained glass windows of the church bear plaques with the names of those who helped financially with the purchase and addition of the windows, these windows were added to the church sometime after the 1960's.  Among those names are Lillie Nance, granddaughter of Benjamin Baisden.  After construction of the new masonry church building the original wood frame meeting house was then modified by the congregation to be used as a parsonage and currently resides next to the masonry building constructed in 1920.  In November of 2005 the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church congregation celebrated a 113 years of service to the community beginning with the "Freedtown" A.M.E. Church at Buddy Lake.

Built in 1903 served as the original meeting place for the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church
Built in 1903 this building served as the first known meeting place of the newly formed Mt. Zion A.M.E. congregation.  After construction of the masonry building in 1920 this structure was modified and became the parsonage for the church.  This building will be relocated to the Florida Pioneer Museum sometime in 2006 and will house local African American History.
People of "Freedtown" and their descendants
I want to take this opportunity to give recognition to the founding African American families of the "Freedtown" community.  First and foremost lets start with the first African American resident of "Freedtown" Benjamin Baisden.  Benjamin Baisden was born sometime ca. 1835 in South Carolina, in ca. 1865 Benjamin Baisden married Virginia Jane, unknown maiden name, born ca. 1838.  According to the 1900 census Ben and Virginia Jane had four children but only two of those children were living, there names were Angeline and Samuel.  The death dates and locations of both Ben and Virginia Jane are unknown.

Angeline Baisden born ca. 1861 died April 11th 1902, married Isaac Kirkland on July 24th 1887 in Pasco County; Isaac was born ca. 1853 and died in 1914 while living in Pasco County.  Benjamin Baisden conveyed a portion of his property to Angeline and Isaac, here they settled and had children.  According to the 1900 census Angeline and Isaac are reported as having ten children but only three of those children were living, their names were Lillie C. born ca. 1890, Benjamin born ca. 1891, and Maggie born ca. 1893 all in Pasco County; it is not known who Benjamin and Maggie Kirkland married to.  Lillie C. Kirkland married Joe Nance, date unknown.  According to the 1920 census Joe and Lillie Nance had two children, Arrewintha and Stanley Nance, there is also a brother in law listed by the name of William Kirkland.  Lillie Kirkland Nance was a life long member of the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church congregation along with her daughter Arrewintha Nance Campbell.
Lillie Nance daughter of Angeline Baisden Kirkland   Maggie Kirkland daughter of Angeline Baisden Kirkland Issac Kirkland ca.1890
(left) Lillie Kirkland Nance ca. 1910. (center) Maggie Kirkland and her husband, unknown.  Both Maggie and Lille are granddaughters of Benjamin Baisden and were born at "Freedtown". (right) Photo of Issac Kirkland ca. 1890, photo taken from African Americans on the Tampa Bay Frontier.
Arrewintha Nance Campbell daughter of Lillie Kirkland Nance
Arrewintha Nance Campbell ca. 1925 just before she went to college.  Both Arrewintha and her mother, Lillie (above) were lifetime members of the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church.  Arrewintha was interviewed by Rosemary Trottman author of "History of Zephyrhills" cited in the opening sentence.

Samuel M. Baisden born ca. 1862 became the teacher of the Dade City Colored School in 1893.  In 1887 Benjamin Baisden had conveyed a portion of his property to his son Samuel, this is where Samuel lived and resided.  In 1886 Samuel purchased 10 acres of property from J.D. Gaskins.  In 1909 Samuel Baisden married Elmyra Culver while living in Tampa, FL.  According to the 1910 census for Hillsborough County Samuel and Elmyra Baisden are reported as having one daughter named Ulysses born ca. 1910.  According to the 1910 Tampa City Guide, Samuel and Bertha had a farm located in West Tampa at Roosevelt and the north west corner of Laurel Streets.  By 1920 Samuel and Elmyra had three more children, Virginia born c.a 1911, Bennie born c.a 1913 and Mollie born ca. 1914.  Samuel and Elmyra Baisden's four children are listed with their grandparents, Lincoln and Mollie Culver, in the 1920 census. There are still descendants of Samuel Baisden living in Tampa, FL today.
Samuel Baisden son of Benjamin Baisden
This picture taken ca. 1920 is believed to be that of Samuel and Elmyra Baisden with their four children
.
Another of "Freedtown's" residing families was that of Moses B. Baisden, it is believed that Moses was the brother of Benjamin Baisden.  Moses Baisden born ca. 1855 settled and homesteaded 80 acres of property, near Benjamin's, in the late 1870's early 1880's.  On May 12th 1883 Moses Baisden married to Eliza Williams while living in "Freedtown".  Moses and Eliza Baisden had one child named William Baisden born ca. 1875, however according to the 1885 state census this marriage ended in divorce.  It is not known what happened to William Baisden.  Moses Baisden later married Virginia, Benjamin's wife.  According to Pasco County land records from 1925 Moses was joined by his wife, Virginia, in a conveyance of land to H.B. Spencer; this marriage likely occurred after the death of Benjamin Baisden as many times it was common for the brother and wife of the deceased to marry.  The death date and location of Moses Baisden is unknown.

According to the 1870 census Caesar Cook born ca. 1838 was the listing in the household before Benjamin Baisden.  He is listed as being married to Georgia A. born c.a 1850 and having one child by the name of Zelda born ca. 1868.  This is the only information that has been located on this family.

In ca. 1885 the Brandon Family settled in "Freedtown", to the south of Buddy Lake and the Baisden's.  Alex Brandon homesteaded 80 acres of property near Moses Baisden.  Alex and Mary Brandon, his wife, settled and lived on this 80 acres and aided in the building of the community.  It is not known if Alex and Mary every had any children or exactly how old they were since they are not listed in any census records.  In 1888 Benjamin Baisden sold 5 acres of property to Mary Brandon.  In 1890 Alex Brandon requested and served as supervisor for a colored school on the south side of Buddy Lake, this school served the children of "Freedtown".  In 1892 Alex served as a trustee of the "Freedtown" A.M.E. Church.  Sometime in 1893 Alex Brandon passed away and was likely laid to rest in the cemetery located next to the A.M.E. Church but unfortunately due to the destruction of this cemetery we may never know.  

Another resident who does not appear in census records and there is very little known about was Henry Whitfeild.  In 1892 Benjamin Baisden sold 5 acres of his property to Henry.  Henry also served as a trustee of the "Freedtown" A.M.E. Church.  In 1894 there was another 5 acres of Baisden's property sold to a Deliah Whitfeild who is possibly the wife of Henry, it is unknown if this family had children.

The Richardson Family lived for a short time at "Freedtown".  According to the 1870 census Andy Richardson was living next to Benjamin Baisden.  Andy Richardson born ca. 1835 was married to Nancy Richardson born ca. 1845 and in 1870 they had three children;  Joe born ca. 1866, Cecilia born ca. 1868 and Ella born ca. 1899.  By 1899 Andy Richardson relocated a few miles away and homesteaded 160 acres of property located near Richland.  According to the 1900 census Andy and Nancy are reported with two more children, Adam born ca. 1873 and Horace born ca. 1878; also listed is a grandchild named Elizabeth Edwards born ca. 1893.  According to a 1925 Dade City Banner article Nancy Richardson passed away at the age of 90 years old, Andy Richardson was still living at the time and was 110 years old.  Like most of "Freedtown's" residents the Richardson's had spent most of their early lives working on the old plantations of Georgia and Florida.

Conclusion
Today there is no physical evidence this small community ever existed and like most of the early communities of Pasco County the only evidence that remains are the years of documentation, which prove their existence. With all the documentation some researchers still refuse to accept the fact that the community of "Freedtown" existed.  Many of the early communities in Hernando/ Pasco County started with populations the same size as "Freedtown, for example the 1885 Gazetteer listing for Hudson gives a population of only 16.  Like most African- American Cemeteries in Pasco County the "Freedtown Cemetery has been destroyed.  The graves still remain but have been developed over and orange groves planted.  Developers have been trying to get approval from the county to build homes on this site with no success.  Hopefully awareness can be brought to these sites so that more of them can be saved instead of destroyed with the ever growing population of Pasco County.

I would like to thank Sis. Carter, Brother Walton and the Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church for all of their assistance with the "Freedtown" and church history.  Information and contents of this page may not be reproduced without written consent from the author.

This page was last revised on February 02, 2006
© 2006