More on Hannibal Square

So this week for my blog I thought I'd follow up with some more information to go with the Hannibal Square story of Winter Park. After the De-annexation of Hannibal Square from the Winter Park limits in 1893, the residents were responsible schooling the children and relied on community leaders to be mentors to them. One such leader was S.A. Williams, who served as the "principal" of the Hannibal Square school. Williams was also the founder of the "Advocate" which was the first and last all-black newspaper in Winter Park. As he was a well educated man as well as a journalist, Williams was able to give the children elementary level education in subjects such as reading and writing. Along with help from the local mentors, Hannibal Square also received some help from Rollins College. Rollins, specifically one of its professors, helped fund a library in Hannibal Square, which would not have been able to be built without the help of Rollins. It was difficult for children to receive an education beyond the elementary level because there was not a local school, however some students were able to carpool to a highschool in a near town everyday. Needless to say, the de-annexation of Hannibal Square effected more than just changes in town limits.