During the final four months of 1993 a group of dedicated historians were charged by the State of Florida with the considerable task of constructing an accurate history of the 1923 Rosewood race riot. These researchers collected fourteen oral histories as part their research. These oral histories were published in a separate volume from the researcher’s findings. Volume One of the 1993 report by Maxine Jones, Larry Rivers, David Colburn, R. Tom Dye, and William Rogers has been available online for years.

These oral histories remain a vital source of information about Rosewood. However, few have had access to them because the transcriptions were only published in a limited number of volumes. Hopefully, providing this information will allow more people to explore the history of Rosewood through the voices of those who experienced it.

You can download fully searchable PDF versions of these fourteen oral histories using the links below. I do not claim any form of ownership and provide them here free of charge.

• Annette Shakir – a direct descendant of Rosewood families.
• Arnett Doctor – a direct descendant of Rosewood families.
• Arnett T. Goins – a survivor born in Rosewood in 1915.
• Earnest Parham – a white Sumner resident who witnessed the violence.
• Elmer Johnson – white Sumner resident.
• Eva Jenkins – a survivor born in Rosewood in 1910.
• Gretchen Douglas – a direct descendant of Rosewood families.
• Lillie Washington – a survivor born in Rosewood.
• Mae McDonald – a direct descendant of Rosewood families.
• Margie Hall Johnson – a survivor born in Rosewood in 1908.
• Mary Hall – a survivor born in Rosewood in 1920.
• Minnie Lee Langley – a survivor born in Rosewood in 1913.
• Rosetta Bradley Jackson – a direct descendant of Rosewood families.
• Wilson Hall – a survivor born in Rosewood in 1915.