From Slavery to Community Builder

What was different about Lawrence Brown, a highly successful business pioneer who lived with his wife and children in a small town in Central Florida? If you met him, your answer might be "Nothing"-until you discovered that Lawrence Brown was a former slave. At a time when Black men were discriminated against, held back, and regarded with fear and suspicion, Brown became a community leader whose legacy is still remembered today.

We are fortunate to learn about him through his own words. Brown comes alive through his journals, which detail his everyday business experiences and his personal life. From haircuts to finances to personal values, we learn about the man himself. Entries in the family Bible reveal further details of his life-as do his notes in the book The Golden Way to the Highest Attainment.

Brown lived in a time when it was dangerous to be a successful Black person. And yet he excelled. He built a beautiful home where he and his wife raised their family. Over time, his home stood on the precipice of demolition, its history lost. Learn how the relationship between his son and a local historian miraculously saved the Lawrence Brown house and preserved his legacy. 

Brown's story is on permanent display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. The house he built is on the National Register of Historic Places. Lawrence Brown was proclaimed a Great Floridian 2000.