Mapping the Dana A. Dorsey Collection is on view February and March 2025 in the Gallery at Green Library. Documents from the Dana A. Dorsey Collection, housed in FIU Libraries’ Special Collections, will be on display alongside maps, satellite imagery, and two digital stories showcasing the project, Enhancing Access and Research Possibilities through Critical Engagement with Historical Data. This exhibition represents the culmination of two years of work led by FIU's project team, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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We invite you to view the digital stories from the exhibition. Click on an image below to start each video. |
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The goal of this work is to make it easier to access information in the papers of Dana A. Dorsey (1868–1940), who was regarded as a successful Black businessman of his time and known as the first Black millionaire in Miami. The Dana A. Dorsey Collection, donated by Professor Emeritus Marvin Dunn to FIU’s Special Collections and University Archives, includes property deeds, mortgages, legal documents, and correspondence from the early 1900s, providing insight into Miami’s real estate history and the individuals involved.
To expand access to this history, the project team created a public dataset that includes the names of property owners and businesses, legal property descriptions, a digitized and interactive 1925 map of Miami, and full-text searchable transcripts of the documents. By converting these records into digital data, scholars and the public can use modern research tools—such as mapping and network analysis—to study historical trends and relationships in new ways.
One of the most exciting aspects of this project is its ability to uncover connections through property records. By visualizing interactions in Dorsey’s documents, students and researchers can trace networks of people and businesses that shaped Miami’s early Black communities. These records reveal not just property ownership but also the relationships that helped build the city.
This project was made possible by the dedication of the project team and the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities through a 2022 grant awarded to Florida International University.
