'Florida Town Vies with North Carolina Town over "Oldest Incorporated African-American Municipality"

Nicole Creston — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 13:00:58 +0000

Residents in the town of Eatonville are celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. It was incorporated in 1887, making it one of the oldest historically black municipalities in the US. In fact, they say it is the oldest.

But there’s another American town that makes the same claim – Princeville, North Carolina, incorporated 1885.

Both towns want the prestige and the potential tourism revenue that comes with the title of “the country’s oldest incorporated African-American town.”

So, which is the oldest? Nicole Creston reports the answer is not so simple.