Crooms Collection

Item set

Title

Crooms Collection

Description

The Joseph Nathaniel Crooms Papers consist of documents related to Crooms Academy named for J.N. Crooms, whose parents were slaves on a Tallahassee area plantation, and who, along with his wife, Wealthy Mabel Crooms, started the school Crooms Academy and were its first principal and assistant principal respectively. The Crooms Academy began operation in 1920 and until 1970, the Crooms Academy during the same time Bethune Academy was established. Mr. Crooms worked with Mary McLeod Bethune as members of the Welricha Corp., which owned a beach front motel and restaurant on Bethune-Volusia Beach, as well as the Florida Negro Teachers Association. By the advent of his death, Mr. Crooms was considered a pioneer for black education in the state of Florida.

Physical Location

Crooms Collection, John G. Riley House Archives, Tallahassee Community College Library, Tallahassee, Florida.

Items

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Woman in a Dress

A photo of an African American woman wearing a dress and standing in a garden.
Horse and Plow in Front of a Building

Two figures standing behind a horse and its plow in a field, in front of an unknown building.
Welricha Group Photo

A group photo of young African American women holding a sign that reads "Welricha" outside an unidentified building, likely the Welricha Motel.
Crooms With Student

A photo of J. N. Crooms at a desk meeting with a student
Class Photo (Hopper Academy), 9th grade, 1922

As per the caption, this is a photo of the 9th grade class at Hopper Academy, taken in 1922.
Man in Suit

A studio portrait of an unidentified man in a suit and glasses. The photo is mounted on brown cardboard labeled "Pundy," with the company's address.
Construction Site

A photo of several people at an unidentified construction site, possibly Welricha Motel. In the photo to the right are J. N. Crooms and Mary McLeod-Bethune.
Bethune-Volusia Beach: Year Round Resort on the Atlantic Coast

A pamphlet for prospective homeowners in the new developments on Bethune-Volusia Beach resort, containing information about the development and listing those families who have already or are about to move to the resort. J. N. Crooms is listed on the Board of Directors.
Welricha Motel Postcard

A blank postcard of the Welricha Motel entrance
Three Men in Suits

A photograph, taken in a garden, of three African American men in fine suits, two standing, one seated. The one seated is possibly J. N. Crooms. The photo is mounted on black cardboard.