Moseley House

Taylor Street forms Eatonville's eastern boundary and was the site of Jim and Matilda Clark Moseley's home. Matilda, known affectionately as Miss Tillie, was the niece of Eatonville founder and first mayor Joseph Clark. Early Eatonville dwellings were mainly single-family, one-story, 500-square-foot wood frame houses with no more than 2 or 3 rooms, and one such house at 11 Taylor Street, built c. 1888, became known as the Moseley House. Born and reared in Eatonville, Tillie served as a Sunday School teacher, church pianist, and community activist. She married Jim Moseley, the son of Eatonville's fourth mayor. As a member of one of Eatonville's pioneer families and through her community involvement, she was widely regarded as a walking historian. Zora Neale Hurston, Eatonville's most acclaimed citizen, author, and folklorist, was Tillie's best friend and a frequent visitor, and because much of Hurston's work is set in Eatonville, she often stayed with the Moseleys when she returned. The house holds early Eatonville memorabilia, including materials related to the Moseley family and Zora Neale Hurston, and serves to preserve African-American history and culture.

Eatonville, Florida · United States