The way in which girls develop into women in a rural black community in north central Florida, Edge Crossing, is described. This community is analyzed in terms of how different spaces are used, the rhythm of social activities as ordered by time and space, the separation of sex roles, the rites of intensification (such as ball games and religious services), and encounters with economic and educational systems external to the core of community meaning and resource allocation. Kinship and family organizations over time are also discussed. The flexibility of the social system in this community, the sharing of maternal roles and child care among related women, and interpersonal relationships of children with one another and with adults is described. A detailed analysis of female adolescent maturation is provided focusing upon rites of passage, courtship, and childbirth. Adolescence in Edge Crossing is viewed as a rite of passage in which girls are separated from childhood attachments. Motherhood ties girls back into the social structure giving them an elevated status. (Author/AM)