Wells Fargo History Spill... We Preserve History

6/17/2019 (Permalink)

Woolworth Department Store Sit-In of 1964

Did you know that St. Augustine is rich in Black History?  From church’s to restaurant to banks, St. Augustine was a prime location for the history of the different movements that occurred within the Untied States.

Wells Fargo off Kings Street is an example of the St. Augustine history that changed many homes and lives throughout the United States.

At Wells Fargo off Kings Street, the branch continues to display their rich history to the public. It all started July 1963, where there were four College Students who choose to sit-in at, what was know as the Woolworth Department Store.

Why Woolworth? it was a popular location that African American teenagers sat-in starting from North Carolina. They would sit at the lunch counter and refuse to move.  The St. Augustine movement was led by Dr. Robert Hayling.  The teenagers would have gone free if they would have given up Dr. Haylin, the organizer of the sit-in, to the police after they were arrested. However out of hundreds of college students and youth that also participated, these four teenagers refused to write a statement turning over Dr. Haylin.  Therefore, the judge sentenced them to 1 year of retention school which was jail to help reform the students since they refused to stop protesting.

The teens were released early due to changes made by the Governor Farris Bryant.  This group of four are referred to as the “little warriors” by Dr. King, and as the “St. Augustine four” by local residence. The students were JoeAnn Anderson Ulmer, Samuel White, Audrey Nell Edwards, and Willie Carl Singleton.

At SERVPRO of Greater St. Augustine/St. Augustine Beach, we preserve history. If your company or homes gets flooded, call SERVPRO at 904-429-4457, and we will help save your history.