ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla — David Manaute pointed to the damage done in 1964 to the house he and his wife now own. There are burn marks on the wooden floor and bullet holes in the door frame.
Segregationists – thinking Dr. Martin Luther King was staying at this Crescent Beach home – tried to set it on fire and riddled it with bullets.
It turned out, King was not in the house at the time. Later, his photo was taken showing him pointing to a bullet hole in one of the windows at the house.
About three years ago, Manaute and his wife, Patti Barry, bought the humble house on Atlantic View.
"Our intention when we bought it was to preserve it on site," he said.
And they also wanted to build a second and third story onto the house. However, neighbors and some county leaders shot that idea down.
Barry recalled, "I think it was someone with the county building department, said that since we were not allowed to build, they said you’re only option is to demolish it. We didn’t want to do that. But they said, 'Don’t worry. When you apply for demotion, it will trigger everyone to go, 'Wait! Wait!""
And it did.
Local history organizations – such as the 40th Accord and the Martin Luther King Celebration Committee that Thomas Jackson is with -- came forward.
They and the owners spoke to legislators, seeking financial help to relocate the house. And, they got that help. Jackson said the state legislature budgeted $430,000 toward moving and preserving the building.
It will be moved on a trailer to the nearby county’s Windswept Acres Park this spring. The house is not big, spanning only about 900 square feet. But it’s a little wider than the road.
Troy Blevins is the project manager. He said, "So we’re going to be in some of the easements. So we’ll have to take down a handful of mailboxes and have conversations with the neighbors."
Jackson said the plan is to turn the house into a mini-museum.
"Even though Dr. King did not spend a lot of time here, it has such a significance with him. The story of the house went all over the nation (in newspapers)," Jackson noted.
Mananuate said, "We’re looking forward to seeing the excitement of seeing the house moved to a permanent location. I’m very excited about that." He said it made him sad to think of it ever being demolished.
Barry added, "I’m glad they’re going to move it and keep it, especially in this area. It’s relevant here in this area."