Florida State University’s Department of Urban & Regional Planning (DURP), working with Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University’s Dr. Sandra Thompson, and with support from the Florida Department of State, developed this project in order to preserve and document  North Star Legacy Communities. The department began preliminary work on this project in 2019. The North Star Legacy Project is a community engagement and economic development undertaking involving extensive fieldwork and engagement with ethnically and economically diverse communities in Jackson County, Florida. 

The Florida State DURP Barneby Graduate Studio of Fall 2020 was the primary working team for the Jackson County Legacy Project. The team worked under the guidance of Urban and Regional Planning faculty (Dr. April Jackson and Dennis J. Smith, AICP), representatives from Florida State University’s DeVoe Moore Center (Dr. Sam Staley), and FAMU (Dr. Sandra Thompson).

The Fall 2020 team acknowledges the many Jackson County Legacy Community members, stakeholders, faculty, and staff that contributed information and guidance throughout the development of this project.