In 1865, Mary Reddick, along with the families of 11 other newly freed former slaves, settled about 7 miles south of Plant City. At the time, the area was known as Howell’s Creek. A year later, the families applied for property through the Southern Homestead Act of 1866. Before ownership of the land was granted, homesteaders had to clear and successfully farm the acres allotted to them. This was challenging work, considering the plot sizes ranged from between 40 to 160 acres.
Mary Reddick’s son, Alfred Beal, excelled at farming and was able to hold onto his land when others in his community faced hard times. After his neighbors were forced into foreclosure, Beal purchased their lots and later resold them – under generous terms – back to the original owners or their families.
In 1923, the residents of the community renamed the town Bealsville, in Alfred’s honor. Bealsville still has many decedents of the original 12 families that established it. It is home to the historic Glover School, which was built in 1933 and is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Marker Location
The marker is at the intersection of Nesmith Road and Joe King Road, on the right when traveling west on Nesmith Road.
It is in front of the Bealsville Recreation Center.
The Bealsville historical marker was erected in 2013 by the Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council.
Original source can be found here.
