'Glory' in Florida's swamplands: Movie to feature 3 Black freedmen who founded Melbourne in 1800s
Rick Neale- A $7 million movie, "Crane Creek," will depict the story of three freed slaves who founded Melbourne's predecessor community.
- Filming is set to begin in Brevard County in April 2027, with events planned to introduce the project and highlight local history.
- The story focuses on the little-known history of Peter Wright, Wright Brothers, and Balaam Allen, who settled in the area after the Civil War.
Once largely forgotten in local history, the three Black freemen credited with founding Melbourne's predecessor community shortly after the Civil War will be showcased on the silver screen in the upcoming movie "Crane Creek."
And — though few details are known about these emancipated slaves' lives — moviegoers may detect creative parallels with the 1989 Academy Award-winning Civil War drama starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, the producer said.
"This is 'Glory' in the swamplands of Florida," said Mark Spates Smith, executive producer and writer of "Crane Creek."
"Love story? Absolutely. High stakes? Absolutely. Real history? Yes, of course. The film will mark every single point in the research," Smith said.
The Melbourne Regional Chamber and Greater Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce are drawing attention to "Crane Creek," a $7 million motion picture scheduled to start filming in Brevard County in April 2027 by Los Angeles-based HGMi Studios.
Smith, an actor, director and singer, is the firm's president and chief creative officer. His television acting credits include “Chicago P.D.,” “Chicago Fire” and “The Poet.”
"Our film is based on the research of Dr. (Teri) Jones. It gives us an anchor. But the film has its own narrative arc that is going to have a large space, as far as creating that from a Hollywood perspective and a film perspective," Smith said.
To introduce the project, Smith is organizing a pair of Friday events at the Florida Institute of Technology. First, an invitation-only breakfast takes place at 8 a.m. at the recently relaunched Vertex applied innovations hub on Palm Bay Road.
Then Friday evening, a "Crane Creek" cocktail reception is scheduled at the Gleason Performing Arts Center. General admission tickets cost $65, and hours are 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
The cocktail event will feature filmed readings from the screenplay, pre-production insights and research that inspired the screenplay, a live scoring session by the film’s music supervisor, hors d'oeuvres and music.
'This was a wild place. And these men built lives here.'
Melbourne’s predecessor community, Crane Creek, was founded by three emancipated slaves: Peter Wright, Wright Brothers and Balaam Allen.
In 1860, only 246 hardy pioneers lived in the remote subtropical wilderness of Brevard County, census records show. One year after the Civil War ended, the 1866 Southern Homestead Act opened more than 46 million acres of land in Florida, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi, with early priority granted to former slaves in 80-acre parcels, said Gordon Patterson, a Florida Tech historian and professor.
First to arrive at Crane Creek was Wright in 1867 — who homesteaded 160 acres and later gained fame as Brevard's "sailing mailman" by delivering mail via boat up and down the Indian River Lagoon as far north as Titusville. All three freedmen settled near the creek in and near today's downtown Melbourne.
"This was a wild place. And these men built lives here," Patterson said.
"Men of that age in the 1860s came and built a community. And that suggests something about how people seize opportunities. And by grit and determination, make lives. And that's a noteworthy thing," he said.
"I'm an educator. And I want my 18-to-22-year-old college students to realize that others have faced formidable challenges and prevailed," he said.
Melbourne's first white settlers likely arrived about 1877, he said, and the village of Melbourne was created in 1888 via a spoken vote by 23 people.
Patterson said, "we only know the most gossamer-thin texts about these three men." Jones concurred, saying history books only devote the occasional sentence or paragraph to Wright, Brothers and Allen. She plans to write a book on the topic.
'Crane Creek' movie in pre-production phase
"Crane Creek" is in pre-production. Smith said Friday's Florida Tech events are not fundraisers. Rather, proceeds will go toward covering event costs — he said he wants to promote the movie and build groundwork to shoot film in Brevard County.
"The whole concept of bringing true cinematography to Melbourne, to Brevard County, and to do it right here on our ground, to use local actors and actresses — that's a thrilling idea. That's a thrilling concept," Jones said.
Meagan Happel, Space Coast Office of Tourism public relations manager and film commissioner, said he organization was unable to comment on projects that are not yet in production.
Brothers and and his wife, Mary Silas, are interred at Melbourne's historic Line Street Cemetery. This burial ground dates to 1901, was once overgrown with thick vegetation and hidden from public view, and was believed to be the resting place of 13 Black pioneers. But last October, ground-penetrating radar and electromagnetic profiling revealed 31 more unmarked, unidentified burial sites across a grassy area outside the cemetery fence.
Melbourne City Hall planners have applied for a state Abandoned African-American Cemeteries grant to erect a larger perimeter fence around the expanded cemetery boundary, said Cheryl Mall, city spokesperson.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale atRneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1