Eatonville Truth & Impact Study
Before another acre changes hands, let's find out how much Eatonville has paid.
An independent, community-led study of the land, money, education, health, and economic decisions that shaped America's first incorporated Black town — and what they cost.
Fund the research
Where we stand
$0
raised of $250,000 goal
0% funded
Donations are processed by Zeffy, which passes 100% of your gift to the work. Contributions support research, records requests, data analysis, and publication.
Why now
Memory is not evidence.
For more than a century, decisions about Eatonville have been made in rooms where Eatonville was discussed but rarely counted. Land moved. Budgets moved. Institutions moved. The record of what that cost has never been assembled in one place.
The Truth & Impact Study assembles it. Not as a grievance, but as a ledger — sourced, documented, and public, so the next negotiation starts from facts instead of feeling.
What the study measures
Trace the land
Document every acre of Eatonville land lost, transferred, or taken since 1887, and who holds it today.
Follow the money
Compare public dollars invested in Eatonville with dollars invested in neighboring municipalities over the same period.
Measure the education
Examine the Hungerford legacy, school outcomes, and the long-term cost of institutional decisions made for Eatonville children.
Investigate health and environment
Study environmental burdens, health outcomes, and infrastructure conditions in and around the town.
Count the economy
Quantify local business activity, employment, and the measurable impact of community-run programs like the 1887 Night Market.
Publish the record
Release findings publicly — plain language, open data, and a plan residents can hold institutions to.
How it gets done
Three phases.
01
Phase 1 — Archive and records
Deeds, minutes, budgets, school board records, and oral histories gathered and digitized.
02
Phase 2 — Analysis
Independent researchers quantify land, funding, education, and health gaps.
03
Phase 3 — Public report
Findings published with data, sources, and recommendations for the Town, County, and State.
Read the op-ed
Eatonville Has Paid a Price
The case for the study, in our founder's words: study the past, trace the land, follow the money, and move forward — not as somebody's charity case, as Eatonville.
Read the column