Tampa's historic Jackson house to receive historical marker

The 24-room rooming house on Zack Street welcomed Black travelers during Jim Crow when other places would not.

TAMPA, Fla. — The historic Jackson House will soon have a historical marker outside the home to note its significance to the Tampa community.

The 24-room rooming house on Zack Street welcomed Black travelers during Jim Crow when other places would not.

Over the years, there have been many efforts to save the home, despite its current state of disrepair.

10 Investigates got advanced wording of the marker, which reads:

"The historic Jackson Boarding House was originally constructed as a private residence by Moses and Sarah Jackson in the late 1890s. It was converted by the family for use as a boarding house, with the Jacksons living in the home as well. That conversion may have begun as early as 1910, but the house grew in importance and in physical size after the opening of Tampa Union Station, a railroad passenger and freight station.

"The proximity of the Jacksons’ boarding house to the new railroad station – less than one block to the east – provided much-needed accommodations for African American railroad workers and visitors to Tampa. During this time, and through the early 1960s, African Americans were prohibited from staying in white hotels, motels, and boarding houses. Properties like the Jackson Boarding House played a crucial role during the segregation era, and though it was not the only boarding house (or hotel) for Blacks visiting Tampa, it is the only one that remains standing.

"The Jackson Family retained the building throughout its time as a boarding house, which concluded in the 1990s, and then maintained it as a private residence until 2010.

Erected 2023."

The marker will be dedicated as part of the City of Tampa's Soul Walk.

"The Jackson House is one of the primary components, actually, of Soul Walk," Robin Nigh, manager of arts and cultural affairs for the City of Tampa said. "That helps so much with the advocacy to help save it. It is really important within the community."

The dedication will take place on Thursday at 11 a.m. at the Robert Saunders Library on Nebraska. 

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