Beach to be studied as national park

Virginia Key Beach Park near Miami was historically a gathering place for blacks. Now it may be included in the park system.

©Associated Press
December 18, 2002

MIAMI -- President Bush signed a bill Tuesday to determine if Virginia Key Beach Park, the only public recreation area open to blacks in Miami during segregation, qualifies to become part of the National Park System.

The bill authorizes the Interior Department to research the historical significance of the park.

Inclusion in the National Park Service would protect the site from development, a goal of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust, established three years ago by community activists. The effort also has been backed by retiring U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek, D-Miami.

Located southeast of downtown Miami, Virginia Key is a 1,000-acre barrier island with lush vegetation and few homes. Virginia Key Beach Park, the section of the island with historical significance, is a 77-acre strip of shoreline, four-tenths of a mile wide.

Virginia Key Beach was used by blacks who weren't welcomed at Dade County's public beaches and parks during segregation.

After being designated for the "exclusive use of Negroes" in 1945, the beach became a meeting place for baptisms, church picnics, weddings and other social events.

Palm trees shaded the open-air wooden dance floor, a merry-go-round entertained children, a mini-train offered tours of the tropical hammock area, and there were cabanas and cottages available to daily renters.

But the beach's popularity began to wane in the 1970s as Miami integrated. By 1982, the park was unkempt, its abandoned attractions in disrepair.

That year, the county transferred Virginia Key Beach's deed to the city of Miami, and it became, and remains, the last beachfront property in the city.

The park was closed shortly after the transfer. Nowadays, it is open only for special events and police officer training, but the trust has worked to get federal funding for restoration.

A site planning process is under way to decide where to build a proposed civil rights museum, which would be the first of its kind in Miami.

Upon completion of the study, which is not expected to begin until 2005, the Interior Department will give Congress a report on its findings, conclusions and recommendations.

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