Portraits of Peter Wright, Wright Brothers and Balaam Allen, the freedmen who settled Crane Creek in 1867, now hang in the City Hall lobby. Free to see on weekdays.

Portraits of the three freedmen who founded Melbourne are now on permanent display at City Hall.

The Concerned Citizens Committee of South Brevard unveiled them Tuesday, Oct. 13, in a ceremony before the City Council meeting. The group donated the portraits to the city, the city’s announcement said.

Who the founders were

Peter Wright, Wright Brothers and Balaam Allen settled Crane Creek beginning in 1867, the city said. Wright Brothers was one man’s name. The settlement later became the city of Melbourne.

According to the city, the three men helped establish:

  • the community’s early homesteads
  • mail service
  • citrus farms
  • a grocery
  • Melbourne’s first church

One local history dates their arrival a little later. Weona Cleveland’s history for the Genealogical Society of South Brevard puts it at about 1870 to 1872, and names the same three men as the area’s earliest permanent settlers. The committee and the city use 1867.

The committee said it gave the portraits to raise awareness of the founders’ role in the city’s history. Its Founders Monument page calls them “three courageous freedmen” who “laid the foundation for a thriving Black community in the heart of South Brevard.”

A monument comes next

The portraits are the first public step in a larger project. The committee is leading an effort to design, fund and build a public monument to the three founders, working with the city.

The committee’s Founders Monument page says:

  • the project has been approved under a formal agreement with the city
  • the finished monument will be donated to the city
  • the site is planned to be open to the public seven days a week
  • the goal is to raise $477,000 by the end of 2028, for design, construction, upkeep and school programs

The page does not yet name a location or say how much has been raised. The committee is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so gifts are tax-deductible, it said.

What it means for you

The portraits hang on the wall near the entrance to the Council Chamber, in the lobby of Melbourne City Hall, 900 E. Strawbridge Ave. Anyone can stop by to see them during business hours, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, the city said. There is no charge.

For more on how the town grew from the Crane Creek settlement, see our Melbourne history and landmarks guide. The downtown Melbourne guide covers what is near City Hall.