Bing Rooming House kept African American influence alive in Plant City
PLANT CITY, Fla. - In the days of segregation, African Americans were not allowed to stay downtown, so they took rooms at a boarding house in Plant City.
The Bing Rooming House is now an important part of the history of Plant City and its museum reminds locals and visitors of the role it played in the community.
Janie L. Bing, a black businesswoman, started the hotel in 1928.
"We had Negro League baseball Players stayed here," said William Thomas, Jr., who runs the Plant City Museum. "Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, of course, the Chitlin’ District with the entertainers, such as Muddy Waters, James Brown and others who would travel along the I-4 corridor."
The hotel operated from 1928 through 1975, with the addition of the Seminole Restaurant in 1931.
The Bing House is now a National Historic Site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The facility, which is located at 205 South Allen Street, in Plant City, now operates as a museum to emphasize the Plant City community’s triumph over segregation. For more information, visit www.plantcitybinghouse.com.
