Greenville, Florida – Home of Ray Charles

Things to Know:

• No admission fee.
• Interesting historical landmarks and Ray Charles tribute statue located inside small, scenic local park.
• Childhood home of Ray Charles a short distance from the park.
• Somewhat challenging to find for those not familiar with the area.
• Dog friendly.

Tammy’s friend and coworker, Ramona Powell Poole, suggested we visit Greenville, Florida, childhood home of Ray Charles.  It turns out that the performer so famously known for singing about “Georgia” actually grew up in Florida.

Greenville is a small town in North Florida just off Interstate 10. Not knowing exactly where we were going or what we were looking for, we followed the posted directions to Greenville. The town is situated roughly at the intersection of U.S. 90 and U.S. 221.

After entering the town, we noticed a brown road sign that said “Ray Charles Memorial”.  It pointed us down a side road, which we followed.

This route took us past what appeared to have once been the “downtown” area of Greenville. Most of the buildings were vacant and closed.  Historical markers led us to Haffye Hays Park, founded in 1980.

The park features a memorial dedicated to Ray Charles, which includes a plaque and life-sized bronze statue.

The inscription on the plaque reads:

Ray Charles “R.C.” Robinson
(September 30, 1930 – June 10, 2004)

“The musical genius known to the world as Ray Charles was a native son of Greenville and known to his childhood playmates simply as “RC”.

Shortly before his birth, Ray’s mother, ‘Reitha Robinson went to Albany, Georgia to stay with relatives. About one month later, ‘Reitha brought her son, Ray, back home to Greenville.

Ray grew up poor, and learned to play the piano from the owner of the Red Wing Cafe.

At age 7, Ray’s sight failed and he was sent to The School for Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, where he continued his education and learned Braille. During holidays and summers, Ray returned to Greenville to visit his family and friends.

Ray was 15 when his mother died and he was on his own. He began to travel and exhibit his musical talents. The rest, as they say, is history. Over the years, Ray returned to his hometown from time to time, referring to it affectionately as “Greensville.”

The roots of Ray Charles’ musical genius started in Greenville, developing into a talent embraced by the world. He pioneered soul music and is considered one of the most outstanding musical talents of the century. His influence is felt in gospel, rhythm and blues, jazz, rock and roll and country music. The singer, pianist and bandleader was 74 when he died on June 10, 2004.

The life-size bronze likeness of Ray Charles at the keyboard was created by Bronze by Cooley and stands as a permanent memorial to the legendary musician from Greenville.”

The bronze statue is quite an impressive likeness.  The locals have come to refer to it as “Happy Ray Charles in Bronze.”

According to RoadsideAmerica.com, “When Ray died in 2004, Mayor Elista Pritchett knew she had to do something to make people aware of his childhood in Greenville. As a small town with limited resources, Greenville’s prospects were grim. But Elesta was persistent, and Florida rallied to the cause. The state provided some money, and the sculpting team of Bradley Cooley and Brad Cooley Jr. in nearby Lamont offered to create a Ray Charles statue for free. It was unveiled in Greenville’s park on February 18, 2006.”

We strolled around the park’s pond, which appeared to be quite the popular gathering spot.  Everyone we met was very friendly, and quite a few children played and rode their bikes on the park’s pathway.

We discovered that the park is named for Miss Haffye Hays. Her father, Elijah (E J) Hays, established the town as Greenville. Miss Hays died on October 14, 1962, unmarried at the age of 91. She is buried in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Madison County.

The Greenville water tower overlooks the park.

Also in the park is a sign highlighting important events in the town’s history. The town was originally called Sandy Ford, but changed its name to honor Greenville, SC, the city from which many of the prominent early settlers came.

The sign reads:

Town of Greenville
(Frontier Sandy Ford)

“Begun as Sandy Ford, 1850, Samuel Williams was the first postmaster in 1854.  Called Station 5 on the Pensacola-Georgia R.R., the name Greenville, for Greenville, S.C., came in the 1860’s. Elijah Hays helped its expansion after 1876. Incorporated in 1907, W.D. Griffin was the first mayor. An orange producing center prior to 1895, its chief supports now are timber, cattle, and flue-cured tobacco.”

After exploring the park area, we searched online for other local areas of interest. We’ll share what we found and where we went  in future North Florida posts.

Recommendation: This makes for an interesting afternoon or morning excursion if you’re looking for things to do near Greenville, Florida.  You will enjoy this if you have an interest in local area history and enjoy learning about prominent musical performers.  A park visit only requires half an hour.  Ray Charles’ childhood home is a few blocks from the park.  Though not open for public viewing, it has been preserved as an historical structure and it’s possible to park and snap a few pictures.