Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Taylor Street is the eastern boundary of Eatonville and is the site of Jim and Matilda Clark Moseley’s home. Matilda, or “Miss Tillie,” as she was affectionately called, was the niece of Joseph Clark, Eatonville’s founder and first mayor. Early dwellings in Eatonville were mainly single-family, one-story, 500-square-foot wood frame houses with no more than 2 or 3 rooms. One such house was located at 11 Taylor Street, built c. 1888 and is known as the Moseley House. Tillie was born and reared in Eatonville, where she served as a Sunday school teacher, church pianist and community activist. She married Jim Moseley, son of the fourth mayor of Eatonville. As a member of Eatonville’s pioneer family and due to her community involvement, many considered her a walking historian. Eatonville’s most acclaimed citizen - Zora Neale Hurston - author and folklorist - was Tillie’s best friend and a frequent visitor. Much of Hurston’s work is set in Eatonville and she would often stay with the Moseleys when she returned. The house is a repository for early Eatonville memorabilia, including the Moseley family and Zora Neale Hurston, and is a place to preserve African-American history and culture.