Pinellas County Commission Chair Dave Eggers (standing) greets David Baldwin, grandson of Dansville’s founder, Dan Henry, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a long-awaited park on March 31. All photos: Pinellas County Government.
What was once a dumping ground in a historic yet long-neglected Black neighborhood in Pinellas County is now home to a 12-acre park.
Stakeholders celebrated the much-anticipated Dansville Park opening on March 31 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The admittedly overdue public amenity in a community founded by Black pioneers is at 12701 Wilcox Rd. in the unincorporated Greater Ridgecrest area, near Largo.
Dansville Park features a pond, a multi-use paved path, a picnic shelter, benches, sidewalks, restrooms, and several acres of open green space. The county will install a playground later this year.
Dan Henry, a former sharecropper, began settling the area in the early 1920s. County Commission Chair Dave Eggers said the pioneer’s history is “not just an inspiring story, it is the very foundation on which we stand.”
“This land, once a blighted dump site, now blooms,” Eggers said. “We find ourselves in a beautiful park in a thriving neighborhood at the beating heart of Pinellas County, thanks to the efforts of so many.”
The park encompasses 12 acres.
The park, as Eggers noted, symbolizes decades of perseverance. He also credited former officials and local organizations for doggedly pursuing “redress for a history of indifference and neglect.”
Eggers said the occasion marked a “major step forward in building on the work that they began.” Wanda McCawthan, president of the Friends of Ridgecrest, said the community started petitioning the county for a park nearly 30 years ago.
“We have been waiting a long time,” said McCawthan, her voice rising. “But it’s beautiful. I love the water, I love the scenery, I love the feeling of it. County, thank you all so very much for blessing us today.”
McCawthan pledged that the community would embrace, enjoy, and maintain the park. “I guarantee you it’s going to get used,” she said.
Wanda McCawthan, president of the Friends of Ridgecrest.
Eggers called the park a “historic achievement, a testament” to Henry’s lasting impact on the area. In May 2021, the county unveiled a historic marker that highlights Dansville’s rich history.
Henry and one of his 12 brothers, Lloyd, found employment loading citrus at freight stations along the Seaboard Airline Railroad after arriving in Pinellas from Dawson, Georgia, in the early 1920s. In 1928, Lloyd became the first of the two to purchase property, a rarity for African Americans in the Jim Crow era.
By 1946, Henry had purchased two 40-acre tracts. He built a home for his family and invited other African Americans to settle on the property.
Henry began creating smaller lots for the growing, self-sufficient community. His land, subsequently known as Dansville, would eventually accommodate 80 homes, Mt. Olive Baptist Church, and a store.
A tornado swept through the area in October 1992, destroying 26 homes and damaging many others. Eggers said the county then began formalizing property lines.
The county, after years of neglect, also helped residents rebuild and documented Dansville’s history through an award-winning oral history project. Henry’s grandson, David Baldwin, helped cut the ribbon at the park’s opening ceremony.
“This is a really big deal,” Eggers told attendees. “A big deal to all of us, a bigger deal to all of you – the folks who live here and have wanted this for so long. I just wish you all the very best.”
Efforts to establish the park began in earnest nearly 30 years ago.
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More Photos
Local stakeholders cut a ceremonial ribbon.
The county will add a playground later this year.
The community can host functions and events in the park.