In 1882, Florida had no educational provisions for students who were deaf/hard of hearing or visually impaired. Then along came Thomas Hines Coleman, a Deaf man who had recently graduated from Gallaudet University, his aim was simple to assure that all children got an education. He successfully wrote back and forth to Governor W.D. Bloxham who offered $20,000 to start the school. In 1883, the institution for the deaf and blind was established for two years by the Florida legislature but the school still had no real location.

​

The state opened the school up for bids which St Augustine won with an offer of $1,000 and five acres of land to build the school. The first three buildings- all wooden- were constructed by William A. Mac Duff in December 1884 and by 1892 the school boasted 62 students. The first graduation occurred in May of 1898 with two deaf graduates- Artemas W. Pope and Cora Carlton who would later marry- though it was not until 1908 that the first blind student, DeWitt Lightsey, would graduate.



Text by Kayleigh Gades

FSBD Official Website​​