Polk County Government, FL

Polk County today celebrates Juneteenth.

Juneteenth was first recognized as a federal holiday in 2021 when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Also referred to as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of more than 250,000 enslaved Black persons in the state of Texas on this day in 1865.

In Florida, we also recognize Emancipation Day on May 20, which marks the date emancipation was proclaimed in Tallahassee in 1865, 11 days after the end of the Civil War.

To learn more about Polk County’s history, visit the History Center at 100 E. Main St. in Bartow, Florida.

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