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==History== The settlement of Gifford was organized in the mid-1880s, according to the Indian River County Historical Society. The area was named as the Woodley precinct in the 1900 census, and as a settlement village for black families, the community grew. By 1893, the early settlers of Gifford had been joined by black laborers who had come to work on [[Henry Flagler]]'s new railroad project, the [[Florida East Coast Railway]]. The residents named the small agricultural community Brownsville after farmer William Brown who settled there in 1880s, but another town in North Florida carried the same name. Instead, the community was named after Charlie Gifford, the railroad's stationmaster and Henry T. Gifford's son.<ref name="history 2018">{{cite web |last1=Begley |first1=Janet |title=Centennial: Gifford community started as settlement in the mid-1880s |url=https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/verobeachcentennial/2019/08/08/gifford-community-rich-pioneer-history/1922704001/ |website=TCPalm |date=August 8, 2019 |access-date=September 18, 2021}}</ref> The town's first school was built in 1898, but only served white children. In 1901 William Edward Geoffrey, a black man from [[Darlington, South Carolina]] who had come to work on the railroad, set up school for black children.<ref name="history 2018"/><ref name="juneteenth"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Gifford High School through the years |url=https://www.tcpalm.com/picture-gallery/news/local/indian-river-county/2022/02/21/gifford-high-school-through-years/6829916001/ |access-date=2 April 2022 |work=[[TC Palm]] |date=February 21, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> The school served as the heart of the community and remained Gifford High School until integration, and the last graduating class was in 1969, before transitioning into the middle school.<ref name="juneteenth">{{cite news |last1=Wegman |first1=Catie |title='The nucleus of our community': Old Gifford School, Hosie Shumann Park earn state historic marker |url=https://www.tcpalm.com/story/news/local/indian-river-county/2021/06/14/hosie-shumann-park-old-gifford-school-dubbed-historic-florida-site-indian-river-county-juneteenth/5290070001/ |access-date=2 April 2022 |work=[[TC Palm]] |date=June 12, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dove |first1=Patrick |title=Gifford High School, the heartbeat of a community |url=https://www.tcpalm.com/videos/news/2022/02/21/gifford-high-school-heartbeat-community/6769123001/ |work=[[TC Palm]] |date=February 21, 2022 |access-date=2 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Reisman |first1=Laurence |title=More than 50 years later, residents remember closing of Gifford High, its impact {{!}} Opinion |url=https://www.tcpalm.com/story/opinion/columnists/laurence-reisman/2022/02/21/50-years-later-we-see-pros-cons-closing-gifford-high-opinion/6735707001/ |access-date=2 April 2022 |work=[[TC Palm]] |date=February 21, 2022}}</ref> In 2018, the Historic Macedonia Church was converted into the Gifford Historical Museum by the Gifford Community Cultural & Resource Center (GCCRC).<ref name="history 2018"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ww38.giffordhistoricalmuseum.org/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927003455/http://ww38.giffordhistoricalmuseum.org/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=September 27, 2022|title=giffordhistoricalmuseum.org|website=ww38.giffordhistoricalmuseum.org}}</ref> One of the highlights of Gifford is the Victor Hart Sr. Community Enhancement Complex located at the northern end of 43rd Avenue. The complex was renamed in 2017 to honor Mr. Hart for his work and outreach in the community.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://giffordflorida.com/ |title=Giffordflorida.com |access-date=2020-08-10 |archive-date=2011-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110128191412/http://giffordflorida.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://veronews.com/2017/10/21/gifford-park-renamed-honor-victor-hart-sr/|title = Gifford Park renamed to honor Victor Hart Sr. - All News, Featured News Secondary, News - gifford park, Indian River County, park dedication, victor hart|date = 21 October 2017}}</ref>
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