22nd Street (The Deuces)

 
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  • 22nd Street became the lifeline and main street for African-Americans as the city continued to push them towards the city’s edge.

  • In 1904 Elder Jordan Sr. and his family moved from Columbia County and settled on the western edge of the city on a dusted road, 22nd Street. During this time, this part of Tampa Bay was considered Hillsborough County.

  • Jordan Sr. and his sons began constructing wooden houses and grouped them into enclaves, reported between 1917 and 1925, in the 22nd Street area. He had ambitions to establish an African-American Community that would thrive.

  • According to data, “The Deuces” boasted more than 100 businesses during the late 1950s and the early 1960s.