​Dozens of Limestone Creek residents joined with elected officials, county representatives, and volunteers to unveil the L.M. Davis Elementary School Florida State Historic Marker on Saturday, April 30 in Palm Beach County's Limestone Creek Park, located at 18301 Limestone Creek Road west of Jupiter.

Speaking to the group were U.S. Congressman Patrick Murphy, Palm Beach County Vice-Mayor Hal Valeche, Former L.M. Davis Elementary Teacher Mrs. Dorothy Bendross Walker, Edna W. Runner Tutorial Center Executive Director Edna Runner, Limestone Creek Community Advocates President Darlene Hatcher, community representative Stephen Hunter, Loxahatchee River Historical Society President & CEO Jamie Stuve, and Palm Beach County Parks & Recreation Director Eric Call.

"The marker is a part of an ongoing initiative to recognize the untold stories and significant contributions made by the Limestone Creek community to the history of Jupiter and northern Palm Beach County," said Stuve.

Education was a high priority for the African-American community in Limestone Creek. Denied access to Jupiter's public schools by the laws of segregation, they opened a school of their own. The first "Jupiter Colored School" was located in the local African Methodist Episcopal Church.

When the 1928 hurricane destroyed the church, community member L.M. Davis donated an acre of his homestead for the construction of a new school. The community pooled their limited resources and even built a school bus for their children. Matching funds from the Rosenwald Fund, created by Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears, Roebuck and Co, enabled the community to construct a two-room school with a kitchen, and to hire two teachers for grades 1 through 8.

The graduating class of 1941 raised funds to construct a sidewalk over the drainage ditch at the entrance to the school and, along with their principal, autographed the remaining concrete. In 1956, the school was renamed the L.M. Davis Elementary School in honor of the man who donated the land and drove the school bus. High school students were transported 20 miles south to attend Industrial High in Riviera Beach until Jupiter public schools began to be desegregated in 1967.

"It is our responsibility to be good stewards of the historical property we manage," said Call. "Preserving our county's unique history for this and future generations is essential."

The Loxahatchee River Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed in 1972 by local pioneer families, including John and Bessie DuBois, to preserve the "History Shaped by Nature" of the Loxahatchee River region.

Governed by a Board of Directors and administered by the President & CEO and staff, the Society operates the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum.

Limestone Creek Park is operated by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department. The department operates more than 80 regional, district, community, beach, and neighborhood parks, spanning several thousand acres. Visit www.pbcparks.com to learn about opportunities for healthy, happy living.