MediaUpdate

​​Quilts memorializing lynching victims in municipalities throughout Alachua County are now on display at the Matheson History Museum in Gainesville.

The Alachua County Community Remembrance Project (ACCRP) unveiled the quilts during a program Jan. 21 at the museum, 513 E. University Ave.

The program was presided over by Shirley Green Brown, vice-mayor of the city of Alachua.

“We are deliciously delighted you all are here,” Brown said.

Brown told the more than 100 people packed into the museum that homage must be given to the late Patrici Hilliard-Nunn, who was a historian, community activist and senior lecturer at the University of Florida.​

​Hilliard-Nunn’s most well-known research included the Newberry Six, a group of men and women lynched on Aug. 18, 1916, over a supposedly stolen hog. Lynched were James Dennis, Bert and Mary Dennis, Stella Young, the Rev. Josh Baskin and Andrew McHenry, according to the National Council of Black Studies.

​Brown also recognized Alachua County Commissioner Chuck Chestnut as she briefly talked about the history of the ACCRP.

“We could not have done this without him,” Brown said.

Brown said young people in the city of Alachua got involved with the producing of a quilt memorializing lynching victims and won a contest sponsored by the Florida League of Cities.

​Brown said she has had a love for quilts since she was a young girl when her aunts on her mother’s side of the family used to give them to her for Christmas, which she still has to this day.

Quilts memorializing lynching victims in municipalities throughout Alachua County are on display at the Matheson History Museum in Gainesville. The exhibit was unveiled Jan. 21, 2026.

The mayor of Micanopy, Jiana Williams, also spoke during the program, saying that making the quilt memorializing lynchings victims evoked several emotions, including anger, pride, love and more.

“Working on the quilt was an opportunity for us to have discussions that led to the realization that there is not much that separates people,” Williams said.

​The program included Carl Smart, Alachua County’s executive liaison for public safety and community relations, who read the names of lynching victims in Alachua County, and it ended with those in attendance visiting the room in the museum where the quilts are on display.

​The museum is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

​Alachua County Animal Services is currently without a veterinarian or a permanent director, and, on top of that, they’re looking for a new home for their shelter.

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​The Alachua County Commission will conduct its regular meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2026. The meeting is in the Jack Durrance Auditorium on the second floor of the Alachua County Administration Building (12 SE 1st St., Gainesville). The meeting begins at 11:30 a.m. There is no evening portion of the meeting.

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​County staff and community volunteers created the quilts over the course of several years. County Commissioner Charles Chestnut leads the group, called the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project, and he has worked to educate the public through remembrance programs.

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​The selected artwork will be a permanent installation that reflects and honors Alachua County Fire Rescue’s mission, which says “Public servants dedicated to enhancing and caring for the lives of those in our community through preparedness and an immediate response to any and all of life’s emergencies.” 

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​The UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County Office is pleased to announce the following Family Consumer Science Program for February 2026. This program is offered by Family & Consumer Science Agent Ebony Griffin.

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​The quilts are part of the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project, an ongoing lynching remembrance effort rooted in the county’s dedication to truth and reconciliation efforts. 

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​Alachua County is warning applicants for projects requiring a public hearing about a phishing scam in which individuals are posing as representatives of the county’s Growth Management Department.

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​Alachua County is warning applicants for projects requiring a public hearing about a phishing scam in which individuals pose as representatives of the County’s Growth Management Department.

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​Around 50 voices from across the city, county and state spoke during the three hours of public comment.

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​Prizzia said the county never directed Scott to take down mugshots, to remove them from public access, or to never use mugshots. On Jan. 6, the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) voted to send a letter to Scott concerning the increased use of mugshots on the sheriff office’s social media page, especially for persons who had not been convicted.

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