Untold stories of Black history told in Naples Depot Museum

WINK News is proud to celebrate Black History Month. On Monday, we headed south, where an old baggage car is pulling into the Naples depot.

Its contents?

Untold stories about the history of Black Americans in Collier County.

Collier County will soon have dedicated space to tell the Black History story at the Naples Depot Museum.

“It’s a 1920s pullman baggage car that currently is used for storage at the Naples depot museum, and we will be transforming it into the first permanent space to tell the Black History story of Collier County,” said Amanda Townsend, the director of Collier County Museums.

Townsend said that the museum will tell the story of how the railroads helped the African American community achieve social mobility.

She said these workers, known as pullman porters, were there to help customers riding across the country.

“A lot of people don’t understand that this area really didn’t get on their feet as far as education and desegregation until 1968,” said Harold Weeks, vice president of Friends of Collier County Museums.

The 10th Street corridor where the Naples Depot Museum is located has traditionally been an African American neighborhood.

“There was a small area that they had for a history– a so-called history — of the contribution of the Blacks to the area, but it really didn’t tell the story. This time it’s going to tell the story for all time being,” Weeks said.

They’re still educating people about the project.

“It’s like the wallpaper in your living room. It’s there, but you don’t know what’s there. Like I said, there’s history that’s been told, throughout the county, throughout the City of Naples, and a lot of people have been left out,” Weeks said.

“We’re still looking for people to do oral history with us, and then we’re also looking for items for the collection as well,” said Lisa Marciano, Naples Depot Museum manager.

Fundraising continues for the project, and the county is collecting artifacts to display in the space. If you’d like to get involved and share your story, reach out to Collier County Museums.