Clifton Lewis (2023) • Cultural

Clifton Lewis, who moved to Bartow in 1989, was instrumental in saving the historic L.B. Brown House in Bartow from demolition. He formed the Neighborhood Improvement Corporation to develop Bartow neighborhoods, and to champion the preservation of the historic home. The L.B. Brown House was designed and constructed in 1892 by Lawrence Bernard Brown who was born into slavery in 1856 and had limited formal education. He overcame those limitations and became one of Polk County’s most successful businessmen and community leaders. Lewis and his team recognized the significance of saving the structure and even worked to get it exhibited in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.