Thirteen years later, Johnson gave black families the opportunity to use the church for schooling for the children which later resulted in the Lee County Board of Public Instruction buying it for a little over $1,000.

Most whites resorted back to Florida, therefore, African Americans started building their own communities and the Sanibel Colored School.

[4] During the 2000s, there was a decline in the African American population on Sanibel and Captiva islands due to the rising cost of living.

Eugene's parents, Edmund and Elnora, were pioneers in Southwest Florida, first on Captiva, then in the 1930s, Sanibel.

Eugene's father was described as being tough on discipline but a loving man, being honored as grand marshal in the city's 10-year anniversary parade.

The family was very self-reliant and used many farming methods including raising livestock, fruits and vegetables, palms and pine to cook and to build.

[6] It featured a wood stove and oven that was used to feed the children and keep warm in the winter, and the rows of students were organized by grade level.

Whichever desk was closest to the fireplace oversaw keeping the fire lit and warm for the cold days.

Before they decided to segregate, teachers went around asking the white parents would they be ok with letting the kids ride the bus with them.

“The Sanibel School became the first in Lee County and one of the first in Florida or the South to integrate — one year ahead of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and five years before Lee County was forced to integrate all its schools by a 1969 court order”.