Page 2 - Florida Sentinel 5-5-17

Feature
Sulphur Springs Museum: An Enduring Legacy
BY KENYA WOODARD Sentinel Feature Writer
If your neighborhood has a bad reputation, what do you do to combat it?
If you’re Joseph and Norma Robinson, you start a museum.
That’s what the pair of native New Yorkers did when they’d had enough of the negative connation associ- ated with Sulphur Springs, where they’ve lived since re- tiring and moving to Florida in 1997.
The Robinsons thought that if more Sulpher Springs residents knew about the vi- brant past of their neighbor- hood, it would instill a sense of pride and ownership in their community.
“(A museum) is a founda- tion for the community,” Joseph said. “It gives (resi- dents) something to grow on and grow with.”
So in 2006, the couple began laying down the foun- dation for the Sulphur Springs Museum and Her- itage Center.
What started as a collec- tion of artifacts, newspaper clippings, and faded photos now makes up a permanent exhibit, “Sulphur Springs: An Enduring Legacy.”
Located since 2010 in a building donated by Hills- borough County at Mann- Wagnon Park along Hillsborough River, the mu- seum is a modest setting of
light walls and a bright, airy room.
But panels on the walls – curated by University of South Florida Anthropology students – tell a rich history of what was a jewel in the Tampa Bay area.
By the time the Robin- sons' moved into the area, Sulphur Springs was known more as a poverty-stricken community, overrun by drugs and crime, than the re- sort people flocked to begin- ning in the late 1800s.
Sulphur Springs was the place to vacation long before Disney World and other large theme parks came on the scene, Norma Robin- son said.
“It was the place to come for Northerners before Tampa became as large as it was,” she said. “I say we were here before Busch Gardens.”
One of the main attrac- tions was a 45-foot slide.
Equally iconic was the water tower, which was con- structed in 1927. Made of poured concrete, it still stands and can be seen from I-275.
As was the custom in those days, Sulphur Springs was segregated. African- Americans could work in the restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions, but could not enjoy them as patrons.
Blacks also were not al- lowed to reside in Sulphur Springs, and instead were relegated to living in Spring
JOSEPH AND NORMA ROBINSON
Hill, Mrs. Robinson con- tinued.
That dark period in Sul- phur Springs’ history also has a positive of which resi- dents need to be aware, she said.
“We want them to realize that the (Black) men who worked (in Sulphur Springs), they built this community,” she said. “We have incorpo- rated that into the learning process with the young peo- ple.”
Also intertwined in the story of Sulphur Springs’ his- tory is its environmental sig- nificance, which was captured in the temporary exhibit “Water/Ways.”
Funded by a grant from the Smithsonian Institute, it
highlighted the importance of the area’s ecosystems and water sources, especially The Spring.
The Spring once was a popular area for residents to swim. Now polluted, it’s been closed to the public since 1986.
By that time, Sulphur Springs’ heyday as a tourist destination had died decades before. A flood in 1933 dev- astated the area and the neighborhood began a steady slide.
What remains is the need to educate others about this area’s history and its rela- tionship to water.
“People need to realize how important it is to protect the environment,” she said.
“We want to teach people about the aquifer because it affects us.”
Plans are underway to ex- pand the permanent exhibit and bring in other traveling exhibits.
To do that – and increase museum operations and staff – the Robinsons say they are stepping up their fundraising efforts.
Over the years, the couple has learned many valuable lessons about running a mu- seum.
“I thought once we got the building, that was it,” she said. “It’s not.”
But the Robinsons say they are confident that their vision of the museum will be realized.
PAGE 2-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, MAY 5, 2017