July Aug. Online

Volume 9 Issue 5 • JULY-AUGUST, 2015 • PRICELESS

quick and easy summer meals Relive civil war at battle of gainesville meet the stars of southern gardening

McCulley Farms bringing the

past to life

Helping nature provide.

Helping nature provide.

Our backyard is your backyard.

2 | Currents | July/August, 2015

P

H n p

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386-292-7744 ShandsLakeShorePhysicians.com Currents | July/August, 2015 | 3

[c o n t e n t s]

6

06 Spend less time cooking

Try using these ready-to-eat ingredients to cut down kitchen time and increase family time.

08 Have your hand in history McCulley Farms in Jasper invites visitors to step back in time for a weekend getaway.

15 It’s all in the details

Local’s historic hobby piques interest of collectors and national museums alike.

15 34

24 Bring your garden to life Hydrangeas rule in this Southern summer heat. Here’s how to help your flowers shine.

30 Witness war re-enacted

Battle of Gainesville comes to life 151 years later, presented by Matheson History Museum.

[ [ 41 Tale of Lake City Tombs

Fact or fiction? Locals recall when petrefied human remains were found beneath Hwy 41.

PUBLISHER: Todd Wilson EDITOR: Robert Bridges SALES: Dawn Layton Jose Rodriguez PHOTOGRAPHY: Jason Matthew Walker

WRITERS: Tony Britt Emily Buchanan Laura Cardona Sarah Loftus Nick Rollison DESIGN: Emily Lawson

CURRENTS magazine is a publication of the Lake City Reporter, 180 E Duval St., Lake City, FL 32055.

To inquire about advertising, call (386) 752-1293 or e-mail Currents@lakecityreporter.com. © Copyright 2015.

24

COVER CREDITS Richard McCulley is the owner of McCulley Farms in Jasper, a haven for horse riders to venture on the 50 miles of sandy trails on the Withlacoochee Trail Ride.

Photo by JASON MATTHEW WALKER

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Currents | July/August, 2015 | 5

Quick &

Affordable s l a e m r e m sum

Many families face hectic schedules and tight budgets, especially with kids’ busy summers. A few quick meal solutions can help you spend less at the store and enjoy more time with your family this season.

Genie Norman, one of the Lake City Reporter’s Taste Buddies food columnists, said it’s important to be able to have quick healthy meals for the family in order to increase quality family time.

“Children need attention from their parents when they are home in the evenings to have quality time, to talk about their day and just time to be a family,” Norman said. “If you are spending all your time in the kitchen, that (family) time will be limited.”

Comforting and convenient, a store-bought rotisserie chicken -- with a few other additions -- can Genie Norman | TASTE BUDDIES help you create a complete meal for the family in 30 minutes or less. However, quality is important.

Norman said rotisserie chicken is a good choice for simple meals because it’s already cooked.

“Once it’s already cooked all you’ve got to do is the other part of the cooking,” she said. “If you want to make a casserole, your chicken is already prepared and you’ve already eliminated a big step. There are so many recipes now a’days where you can take that already-cooked rotisserie chicken and make tons of good dishes.”

Norman said the rotisserie chicken makes great casseroles, salads and sandwiches.

Theo Weening, global meat buyer for Whole Foods Market, believes that the best tasting meat comes from chickens raised the old fashioned way.

“Preparing great tasting meat starts long before you bring it home from the store. It starts on the farm,” Weening said. “Check the label and opt for chicken that was raised the way nature intended -- on a vegetarian diet with no added growth hormones and no antibiotics ever.”

For example, the rotisserie chickens at Whole Foods Market come from farms that have been certified to the Global Animal Partnership’s 5-Step Animal Welfare Rating System, so consumers can know exactly how the animal was raised.

While rotisserie chicken on its own is a delicious, easy go-to meal any night of the week, don’t forget to shake things up. Try these simple ideas: • Shredded in tacos or quesadillas: Quick and simple, chicken will be the star of this easily portable meal.

• Cubed in a cooked grain salad: Step up a side dish and make it an entrée.

Add chicken to whole grains, like brown rice or barley, for a filling meal.

• Added to rice and steamed veggies: Turn this plain dish up a notch with protein. Pair with your favorite sauce or dressing for extra flavor.

• Added to pesto pasta: Mix whole wheat pasta with pesto, chopped tomatoes and chicken for a well-rounded dinner.

• Kabobs: Easy to assemble with fresh or pre-cooked veggies, chicken kabobs make a nice addition to your tried and true menu. >> RECIPES, 22 6 | Currents | July/August, 2015

Healthy Eating

These grilled chicken fajita kabobs have a spicy marinade to add flavor to your rotisserie chicken. The onion and red, yellow, and green bell peppers add great color and flavor to the kabobs. BELOW: Chicken is a great source of protein to a quick an deasy pasta meal. Pesto and basil will keep the flavor fresh and light for the hot days of summer.

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8 | Currents | July/August, 2015

McCulley Farms

A link to the past

By EMILY BUCHANAN ______________________ Photos by JASON MATTHEW WALKER

A hundred A hundred years ago, Richard McCulley’s granddaddy purchased a house on 40 acres of land, about 10 miles south of the Georgia border next to the Northern Withlacooche River.

Today, Richard McCulley continues to preserve that land, which was once a tobacco farm and a poultry farm, and still encompasses a log cabin and a family cemetery dating back to the mid- to late-1800s.

McCulley Farms, located in Jasper, is now home to the

LEFT: Richard McCulley, the owner of McCulley Farms, is seen in front of a herd of cattle on his farm, which has a number of horse trails and camping sites for those looking for a place to enjoy the natural outdoors.

Withlacoochee Trail Ride, a haven for horse riders to venture on more than 50 miles of sandy trails that weave through the Southern pines and down to the refreshing waters of the river.

“We’ve had folks coming here since the very first ride,” said McCulley, who described seeing the large crowd of riders when the first horse trail opened in October 1999.

McCulley Farms used to be a poultry farm and had six chicken barns, he said. The family now uses two of them as storage, one as “the barn,” where they hold weddings, receptions and dining for riders, and the other three are used as horse stalls, all together housing around 145 stalls.

The land was once home to the pioneers and Native Americans, and McCulley proudly preserves the history of the land and gladly shares it with anyone who asks.

something to share McCulley and his family have worked to preserve the history that surrounds them.

About a quarter of a mile from the main entrance, an 1870s log cabin, built by a man named Alexander G. Wells, lies in the middle of the woods. McCulley explained how Wells and his wife raised 12 children in the little house and made it

Currents | July/August, 2015 | 9

ABOVE: The farm features a fully functioning smithy complete with blacksmith tools.

BELOW: A renovated barn can be rented out for various events, including weddings.

One of the farm’s attractions is a cabin that was built in 1915. their home for nearly 50 years.

One of Alexander Wells’ sons built a house on the property, which is at the entrance of McCulley Farms. That is the house that McCulley’s grandfather bought when he first purchased the 40 acres of land and moved there

You almost feel like you have a duty to preserve this land.

– Richard McCulley with his family.

Prior to the Wells family living on the property, artifacts dating back from the days of the Native Americans have been found on the land and near the river, McCulley said.

The log cabin was built

10 | Currents | July/August, 2015

near an ancient Native American burial mound, as well as near the Wells Family cemetery.

McCulley pulled out an old mason jar filled with blackberries from the cabin’s kitchen, and said the berries had been preserved for decades. The old log cabin held old newspaper clippings, family photos and household items that would have commonly been found in the late 1800s.

On the back side of the property, an old blacksmith shop stood and held hand-crafted tools that were used from decades ago.

“You almost feel like you have a duty to preserve this land,” McCulley said. “What I love about this is, this all maybe on our property, but the history is something you share with everyone.”

McCulley’s grandfather eventually purchased the Wells cabin around the early 1930s, and it was used at storage for the tobacco barn until it was restored by Richard McCulley and his late father, T.C. “Buck” McCulley. He said they restored the cabin the same year of the first Withlacoochee

Trail Ride in 1999.

Not only is the log cabin historic, but he said the horse trails also tell a story from the past, as some of them have deep ridges engraved in them by old wagons that traveled on the property from centuries ago.

“People are in the books almost every weekend,” McCulley said as he described how hundreds of horse riders come from all over the country to spend the weekend swimming, kayaking or canoeing in the springs and river, camping on the grounds and riding the historic trails.

McCulley Farms owns around 400 acres of land, but shares roughly 5,000 acres of trials with stateowned properties in the area.

a team effort Although McCulley runs the day-to-day operations on the farm, he said his entire family chips in

to help make the stay more enjoyable for the trail riders.

“From serving the tea to cleaning out the stalls, everyone has a hand in this,” he said.

Even though Richard McCulley tends to the cattle on the land and grows the hay for the feed, he said he stays busy engaging with the trail riders that come almost every weekend.

“We’ve gotten to know them personally,” he said. “Some of the riders say it’s like a family reunion when they come here.”

Richard McCulley said that for 30 years, McCulley Farms use to be a poultry farm. That ended when the farm lost its business partners.

“It seems like a vanishing

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Currents | July/August, 2015 | 11

way of life,” he said. “It used to be you knew your growers.”

The family uses the barn for weddings, meetings and dinning quarters for the trail riders, is decorated from wall-to-wall with antiques from the old house and treasures they’ve

Some of the riders say it’s like a family reunion when they come here.

– Richard McCulley found on the property.

McCulley said he’s even started his own graphic design business that allows him to make a little extra income during the slow seasons.

12 | Currents | July/August, 2015

“I couldn’t have asked for better people to work with,” he said.

“And my dad thoroughly enjoyed it because he was our link to the past.

He loved talking about the old days.

He was a good part of that.”

The numerous groups of riders that visit the farm come in waves, Richard McCulley said. They range from groups of over 300 horses during the spring, to sometimes less than 50 riders during the summer.

On several occasions, he said private groups with only a few riders will come during the week to enjoy the peace and quiet of the farm.

“I hope to hand it down to my kids and grandkids one day,” he said. “That’s the goal.”

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In loving memory of T. C. “Buck” McCulley, Oct. 30, 1930 – June 26, 2014.

LEFT: The farm borders the Withlacoochee River, which is one of two Withlacoochee Rivers in Florida. While the southern river runs entirely in Florida, the northern river starts in Georgia and ends in Florida. ABOVE: Camryn Jones (from left), 9, Sophia Cork, 12, and Avery Jones, 7, ride their horses Foxy, Dede and Ella while on the main trail. The girls were a part of a camp hosted by Just Amere Farms of Valdosta.

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14 | Currents | July/August, 2015

making history

with his hands

By TONY BRITT | Photos by JASON MATTHEW WALKER

local artist creates historical figurines for museums.

José Rodriguez takes pride in making things with his hands, whether it be creating the facial features of a World War II solider or the details of a battle-damaged farmhouse in Europe.

A Lake City Reporter account executive, Rodriguez creates figurines from different historical periods. He’s been

making the figurines for about 25 years.

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”I improve every time I do one.”

“I improve every time I do one,” he said, noting the only problem he encounters is with sculpting the female shape. “It

is unique, and has to be proportioned to the front and sides, so it doesn’t look out of scale,” he said.

“That’s why I concentrate on making up torsos of females.”

Although he doesn’t have any formal artistic training, Rodriguez estimates that he has made more than 2,000 commissioned pieces. He said he

Artist José Rodriguez holds one of the many historical miniature figures he’s sculpted and hand-painted. Shown above is a U.S. Army Ranger medic in service at Normandy in 1944. At right is a bust of Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer from 1876.

Each figure, made from a two-part resin, takes about two days to construct and a couple of days to paint.

Rodriguez paints with oil or acrylic.

Currents | July/August, 2015 | 15

also has at least 300 pieces that he has done for himself.

“I’m self-taught,” he said. “It’s basically a hobby turned into a side business.”

an artistic background Rodriguez, 52, was born in Cuba and later immigrated to Spain. He and his family later moved to France before immigrating to the United States in 1974.

They settled in Bronx, New York, and as an adult he later moved to Florida.

“My family’s background is very artistic,” Rodriguez said. “Some of my cousins used to draw, my grandfather used to build his own guitars out of wood and sell them and he was also self-taught. My mom was a very good singer, my great grandfather used to do a lot of sketching and my father was a professional shortstop for the Cuban Rodriguez’s creation of a U.S. Marine at the Battle of Tripoli in 1804 is shown below.

Rodriguez has sold some of his miniature figurines to the Smithsonian and the Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum in New York.

16 | Currents | July/August, 2015

Rodriguez said the amount of time he spends on a piece is determined by the complexity of the request. The smaller figurines and props take about two days for completion while a diorama can take up to three months.

National Baseball Team.”

Some of his clients include collectors and military miniature modelers, while others are higher-profile.

Rodriguez said he’s created a piece for the Smithsonian, a Japanese destroyer depicting the Battle of Coral Sea. He has also done a piece for the Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum in New York depicting the Battle of Midway.

“I do a lot of commissioned work for private individuals and also museums,” he said.

From creating pieces that capture the intricacies of a historic figure’s face and uniform to sculpting pieces that depict everyday people performing activities of their daily routine, Rodriguez’s talent shows a sharpened focus on detail.

He said the amount of time he spends on each piece is normally determined by the complexity of the piece.

Rodriguez usually requests at least three months to create and complete a

Currents | July/August, 2015 | 17

A Mi’kmaq warrior is seen in front of a home. Rodriguez has created pieces from Native American, Asian and European history but he said he likes pieces from the American Revolutionary War or World War II best. diorama, because normally he has other projects that he needs to complete.

“If I don’t have anything on the table or schedule, I can usually do one in less than a month,” he said. “It depends on the com-

18 | Currents | July/August, 2015

plexity of the piece or how many vehicles or figures they want in the diorama.”

The smaller figurines and props can take up to two days for completion. Rodriguez said he likes to create dioramas and vignettes.

“The dioramas usually tell a tale or a story and a vignette

is a miniature version of a diorama that has a small vehicle or some figures by themselves,” he said.

finding inspiration Rodriguez generally uses a photograph or story from history as a starting point for his

Rodriguez, 52, was born in Cuba and later immigrated to Spain. He and his family later moved to France before immigrating to the United States in 1974.

A bust of an Inuit woman and her child are displayed at left.

This and many other pieces are for sale on R o d r i g u e z ’s website: www. tigerdio. com.

Tiger Productions D i o r a m a Products was started in 1999 to fill a gap in the diorama products market.

His mission was to provide “quality products that were fairly priced and welcomed by the modeling public.”

THE REAL MAGAZINE OF LIFE IN LAKE CITY

pieces. He uses the pictures to create the scene he wants to depict.

The largest pieces Rodriguez creates are 1/9 scale renderings.

His website, Tigerdio. com, has the product lines he creates including: G.I. figures, HQ72 resin products, Minuteman models, Tiger productions and Tiger Werke.

The final product is made from resin. Rodriguez creates the figurines with two-piece putty, called sculpty (self hardening clay) and epoxy sculpt.

“I mold it and shape it into different shapes and inscribe the details into them with sculpting tools,” he Currents | July/August, 2015 | 19

Local Artist

“Making figurines allows me to be creative. … To me the greatest compliment I can be paid is have me making something out of nothing and someone give me hard-earned money for a creation that I made. It will be a legacy — one day when I’m dead, buried and in dust, one of my pieces will be somewhere.”

– José Rodriguez

20 | Currents | July/August, 2015

said.

Rodriguez has created pieces such as miniature European shrines, buildings, bridges and other structures.

However, he likes making American history pieces best.

“My favorite and biggest concentration of pieces is either American Revolutionary War or World War II pieces,” he said. “I’m interested in early American history with all the battles of George Washington and the founding fathers and how we gained our liberation from the British. World War II was the biggest war in history and it was the early rise of aircraft, tanks and other weapons — plus the uniforms ABOVE: Rodriquez holds an African American soldier. BELOW: A bust of a Japanese American medical officer is seen with a dog. Many Nisei linguists were in service during World War II. were cool.”

Rodriguez said he used to create lots of aircraft, tanks and other vehicles, but now he mostly concentrates on figurines, tanks and dioramas, because of limited work and storage space.

“Making figurines allows me to be creative,” he said. “I love creating things, whether it’s playing around with a graphics program or just making something up. To me the greatest compliment I can be paid is have me making something out of nothing and someone give me hardearned money for a creation that I made. It will be a legacy — one day when I’m dead, buried and in dust, one of my pieces will be somewhere.”

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Gainesville | Ocala | Lake City | Alachua Currents | July/August, 2015 | 21

RECIPES Continued From 6

Want some inspiration?

Try this recipe for Easy Chicken Burritos.

ingredients • 2 tsp. canola oil • 1 small onion, diced • 1 cup frozen corn kernels • 2 cups shredded (about 7 ounces) roasted or rotisserie chicken meat • 1 ½ cup cooked brown rice • 1 cup salsa • 6 Tbsp. sour cream • 6 large whole wheat tortillas, heated • 3 cups spinach leaves

directions Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and corn (no need to thaw it), and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn begins to brown, about eight minutes. Add chicken and rice, and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in salsa and sour cream.

Line tortillas with spinach leaves and spoon about ²∕³ cup chicken mixture down the middle of each. Fold in top and bottom and roll up.

More time saving tips and recipes can be found at WholeFoodsMarket. com/recipes.

In addition to rotisserie chicken, Norman also suggested using store prepared barbecue pork and

22 | Currents | July/August, 2015

A store-bought rotisserie chicken can help you whip up chicken burritos in a fraction of the time if you had to cook your own fresh chicken. With just a few other fresh ingredients, you’ve got a delicious dinner on the table, more money in your wallet, and more time with your family. chicken strips in recipes to save cooking time and increase quality family time.

Norman said easy, quick dinners that are nutritious and good also brings everybody to the table to have conversations.

As you finish out summer and head into the school year, have plenty of dinner tricks up your sleeve to make weeknights simple.

“Over a good meal, the family doesn’t hurry,” she said. “They sit, talk and enjoy which is lacking so often in our families.”

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StatePoint Media contributed to this report.

15 WAYS

to eat chicken this summer

COURTESY THE KITCHN 1. BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad 2. Pesto Chicken Tart 3. Barbecue Shredded Chicken 4. Pan-Fried Chicken Breasts with Corn & Tomato Summer Salad 5. Chipotle Chicken Fajitas with Black Bean Spread 6. Grilled Chicken Thighs with Aprico Glaze 7. Roast Chicken with Masala Bread Salad 8. Grilled Chicken Legs with Dijon & White Wine Glaze 9. Chicken and Potato Soup 10. Blackened Beer-Brined Chicken Breasts 11. Creamy Chicken Salad with Parsley Walnut Pesto & Sun-Dried Tomatoes 12. Spicy Korean Grilled Chicken 13. Yogurt-Marinated Chicken & Greek Sauce 14. Honey & Chili Chicken Thighs with Creamy Cilantro Sauce 15. Barbecue Chicken and Macaroni Salad

Currents | July/August, 2015 | 23

HYD

Stars o

24 | Currents | July/August, 2015

what happened to our cool spring?

Seems to me right after winter, we had a few beautiful cool days and then it turned into summer — hot and steamy. But as a saving grace, with the heat came many a colorful bloom. Especially showy hydrangeas, they are gorgeous in June, with their intricate, pastel mopheads gracing our southern landscapes. They do so well in our climate and give so much, for so little effort on our part. A little pruning after they bloom just to shape the shrubs, or not. We really don’t need to do

anything but remove the dead wood. They are even somewhat drought tolerant after they are established.

Plus there are so many hydrangeas to choose from; over 600 cultivars and more being introduced every year.

why won’t they bloom?

The proper name for this popular shrub is Hydrangea macrophylla and includes the mopheads and the lacecaps. Both have large, 4” heart-shaped leaves close to the stems. Lacecaps are identical to mopheads except their blooms are

flattened and have fer tile centers that look like tiny buds surrounded by showier blooms which are sterile as are the individual flowers of the mopheads. Common names include French hydrangea, hor tensias and bigleaf Martha Ann Ronsonet | GARDENING hydrangea.

4 hours is ideal with protecHydrangeas are decid- tion from the hot afternoon uous, so not an ideal sun. That is my problem, shrub to plant near trees have grown so large your front door. near some of the hydranOne question often geas, which used to bloom asked is “Why don’t my profusely, now only have a hydrangeas bloom?” few blooms. So I’ll either The main two possibili- trim some limbs or relocate ties: improper pruning the hydrangeas. and too much shade.

Mopheads and oakleaf Morning sun. About hydrangeas flower on last

DRANGEAS:

of the Southern garden A flowering lacecap blue-white sterile hydrangea is seen.

Lacecaps are flattened and have fertile centers that look like tiny buds surrounded by showier blooms. While the flat lacecap centers are fertile, the blooms and individual mopheads are sterile.

year’s growth, so if you prune in fall, winter or spring you are removing the flower buds for next year. A late spring freeze that damages the new growth could also cause damage to the flower buds: however our climate is warm enough that we don’t usually have to worry about freeze damage. We’re more likely to have deer damage — they may eat the flower buds.

There is a new type available called remontant or reblooming hydrangeas that have the wonderful ability to bloom on old as well as new wood, or wood it produces that season. I have a few rebloomers and it’s been my experience they will have a few sporadic late summer Currents | July/August, 2015 | 25

blooms, but not like the heavy first bloom.

Hydrangeas are unique because the blooms change colors in response to the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. The pH level determines the amount of aluminum available to the plant. The larger sterile flowers of white mopheads and lacecaps will not change much but the small fertile flowers in the center of the lacecap blooms will be affected. I have many hydrangeas and they’re all different colors, a pink one may grow right next to a blue one. Some plants even have different colors of blooms on the

26 | Currents | July/August, 2015

Blue hydrangeas grow best in acid soil. To brighten your buds, apply 3 oz. of aluminum sulfate in one gallon of water and apply two times this summer and one time next spring. For pink blooms, use ¼ cup hydrated lime around the plant’s root zone next spring and again three months later.

same shrub.

For blue flowers, you need acid soil. Apply 3 oz. of aluminum sulfate in 1 gallon of water and apply 2 times this summer and 1 time next spring. For pink blooms, use ¼ cup hydrated lime around the plant’s root zone next spring and again 3 months later. These changes may be temporar y, especially the pink blooms, as the lime leaches out of the soil so fast. The deeper colors are less likely to change. During the transition period the blooms may become a lovely lavender purple. This color change may take a couple of years.

Don’t over do the recommended amounts because too much change of the soil, will result in the vital nutrients being unavailable to your plants.

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Hydrangeas prefer rich, moist, welldrained soil and two -three inches of mulch several inches away from the trunk. A little composted manure in early summer will be enough fertilizer for the year. If hydrangeas become too dry to the point of wilting, they will lose their lower leaves as well as plant vigor.

28 | Currents | July/August, 2015

July

1

2 3 4

is the best time to take cuttings.

To propagate a new plant, use these few simple steps.

Cut a 6 inch stem tip from a branch that didn’t flower this year. Remove the lower leaves of the bottom 2 leaf nodes and cut the largest leaves down to about half their size.

Dip the stem base in rooting hormone (optional). Don’t dip the stem in the jar of rooting hormone, just take a little out and use it, this will keep the hormone clean for future use.

Insert the stem base in a clean pot of damp vermiculite, coarse sand or other sterile medium. (Make a hole in the medium with a pencil or chopstick, so rooting hormone will stay on the cutting, before inserting the stem.)

Place pot in the shade and cover the cutting with a “plastic tent,” or inverted 2 liter drink bottle that has had the top part removed. Don’t water until the top of the soil feels slightly dry. Overwatering will cause cuttings to rot. Roots will form in a few weeks, continue to water rooted cutting until it begins to put on new growth. Plant in the garden next year. Water regularly until it is established.

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Martha Ann is an avid gardener who lives in Lake City. She is also the author of “Gardening in the Deep South and Other Hot Pursuits.”

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Currents | July/August, 2015 | 29

C

ivil War’s

Battle of

Gainesvill 151later years

comes to life

Artist’s rendition of a scene near the Beville House during the Battle of Gainesville. | COURTESY FLORIDAMEMORY.COM

O

By NICK ROLLISON ______________________

ne of the most important things to remember about the Civil War, and something that should come to no surprise for those living in Lake City, is that the battles were often fought very close to people’s homes. The fighting took place in town streets and in the backyards of average families, who only had to glance from their windows in order to watch the war unfold. Our own battle of Olustee took place just a short drive away, and now, if you’re willing to drive a little farther, you can witness another part of history unfold before your very eyes.

More than 75 Civil War re-enactors will attempt 30 | Currents | July/August, 2015

to recreate that atmosphere when they take part in the Battle of Gainesville at 10 a.m. on Saturday, August 15 at Sweetwater Park near the south side of the Matheson History Museum in Gainesville. The historic battle took place on August 17, 1864, and most of the fighting happened right in downtown Gainesville. The re-enactors will be fighting in the same location of the battle that took place some 151 years earlier.

The battle was fought when Union troops from a Jacksonville garrison attempted a raid on the Confederates stationed in Gainesville.

The re-enactment is presented by the Matheson History Museum and the man who started it all,

professional civil war re-enactor John McLean Matheson.

History Museum Executive Director Peggy Macdonald calls it the museum’s biggest event of the year, and a wonderful way to show living history.

“History comes to life,” Macdonald said, speaking of the event August 15.

McLean, who WHAT: Battle of Gainesville Re-enactment has kept the battle going since he started it 12 years WHEN: Saturday, Aug. 15 at 10 a.m. ago, has been a professional reWHERE: Matheson History Museum, enactor for more 513 E. University Ave., Gainesville than 30 years, after a friend introADMISSION: Free to public duced him to it.

“All my clothes are authentic,” said McLean, referencing the bone buttons on his coat. “I try to look like I stepped out of a picture.”

Additionally, the museum will be hosting its annual symposium to go along with battle from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, August 13 at the Matheson Museum. This year’s theme will be exploring Alachua County’s connection to South Carolina, which was the first state to secede from the Union at the start of the

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Civil War. According to Macdonald, many early Alachua County settlers were from South Carolina and were instrumental in making Florida the third state to secede.

“It provides an edu-

cational component,” she said. Macdonald stated that several Gainesville scholars will be on hand, discussing topics such as how South Carolina architecture af fected early Gainesville residences.

Event-goers should

also take a stop by the historic Matheson House, once owned

by J.D Matheson, a Lieutenant in Company H, 7th South Carolina Cavalr y, Confederate Army, and a man who witnessed Confederate

Commander Robert E. Lee’s surrender at the Appomattox Courthouse in 1865.

|

The symposium is $5 per person and the battle is free and open to the public.

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Currents | July/August, 2015 | 33

The Spring House at the White Sulfur Springs in White Springs, Florida, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

All clear rains push fresh water into once dry spring.

WHITE SPRINGS — Since late

The spring, which grew famous

June, clear water has been flowing

in the early 20th century for its

out of White Sulphur Springs, the

supposedly

iconic landmark that gave this town

once drew countless tourists, U.S.

its name. It’s the first time that’s

Presidents included, to this small

happened in more than 20 years,

town.

officials say.

34 | Currents | July/August, 2015

restorative

powers,

However, the spring stopped

By LAURA CARDONA ______________________ Photos by JASON MATTHEW WALKER flowing in the late 1970s due to a declining aquifer.

Occasionally, during floods, the Suwannee River would rise and send its dark waters through its portals.

And at least once, in 1994, rainwater boosted aquifer levels so that clear water once again poured from the wooden and concrete structure that surrounds the spring.

That’s apparently what is happening now, says Denis Price, a local geologist and former member of the town council.

FLOWING FOUNT The river is low — consistently running more than two feet below flood stage during recent months, according to Suwannee River Water Management District records — and the water is coming straight

Currents | July/August, 2015 | 35

T. Odum Florida Springs Institute in Gainesville.

In the case of the springs, the top holes represent springs at a higher elevation such as White Springs, while the bottom holes represent springs at lower elevations, like Ginnie Springs on the Santa Fe River.

White Sulphur Springs

from the ground.

The water pouring through the gate isn’t crystal clear.

White Springs Mayor Rhett Bullard collected some of the runoff in a cup and examined it carefully one late June afternoon.

“It’s a little brown when you look at it up close,” he said, though the familiar sulphur smell was present.

Price said water management officials have been contacted and plan to take measurements to determine the strength of the spring’s flow.

Walter McKenzie, a White Springs town councilman, said that in years past if the bottom gates of the spring house were closed, the spring would well up inside and overflow the enclosure.

HIGHER ELEVATION Robert L. Knight, a University of Florida professor and leading expert on freshwater springs, said the likely reason that little or no water had been flowing out of White Springs is because it is at a higher elevation than other springs.

“Imagine you had a bucket of water and the bucket had holes in it, each one lower than the next.

If you fill the bucket with water it’s going to pour out of all the holes but it will stop pouring out of the top ones first,” said Knight, president of the Howard 36 | Currents | July/August, 2015

The spring once drew countless tourists, including U.S. Presidents, to White Springs.

The rushing waters from White Sulphur Springs spill out over rocks into the Suwannee River. During the 1800s, Native Americans considered the spring an ancient healing ground that held special medicinal powers. Warring tribes visiting the spring house would set aside their differences, allowing each other to drink and bathe without fear of attack.

The lower-elevated springs have continuous access to the aquifer even when water levels are low. The higher-elevated springs often have nowhere to draw water from when water levels are low.

In the last 40 years, the

Currents | July/August, 2015 | 37

BELOW: White Springs mayor Rhett Bullard pours out a cup of spring water while checking the water’s clarity. The White Sulphur Springs have not been this clear for years.

area where White Springs is located and surrounding areas have experienced a near-continuous drop in the aquifer.

On occasion, when ground water levels are low and river water levels are high, river water will flow into the aquifer and then out of the spring. This is why the water that sometimes flows from White Springs is dark.

However, recently the area has experienced higher than usual rainfall, particularly since Tropical Storm Debby passed through North Florida in 2012. Since then,

38 | Currents | July/August, 2015

the aquifer’s water levels have gradually been increasing due to the rainwater.

According to Knight and Price, that rainwater is the clear water that has recently been spouting from the spring.

Price said that he doesn’t think this will be a permanent situation and that White Springs will most likely return to its original state of spouting river water or no water at all.

“If people want to enjoy the spring they need to do it quick,” he said, “because this probably won’t

White Sulphur Springs

last very long.”

McKenzie called the spring in its current state “a glimpse into the past.”

“It as something we took for granted, something we thought would never end,” he said. “I hope people reflect on that when they look at it.”

|

The spring is 0.1 mile west of the intersection of US 41 and SR 136 in White Springs.

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Pages from old Lake City Reporter newspapers are seen along with tickets and rate cards from the 1920s when the tombs were open for exploration. At center, James Gray is seen during his 1967 expedition to reach the tombs.

Folks still recall supposed archaeological discovery along US 41 in 1927

Secret of the tombs lives on

By SARAH LOFTUS • Photos by JASON MATTHEW WALKER

B

ack in the 1920s, U.S. Highway 41 looked nothing like it does today.

It was the road everyone took into Lake City — and beyond. Interstates didn’t exist, and people weren’t in as much of a hurry. Instead of rushing to their destinations, people stopped to see things as they traveled.

Along U.S. 41 in Lake City were all kinds of tourist attractions — a small zoo, fresh fruit markets and juice stands, things that probably could’ve been found on any Florida highway.

But there was also something that couldn’t be found elsewhere, something that attracted hundreds, including travelers and townsfolk alike: caverns that supposedly held petrified remains of prehistoric humans.

For 25 cents, people could stop at the site, now near a Dollar General store across from Columbia High School, and go down into the cave to see what was said to be the remains of a man and two women. A Lake City Reporter article from July 1, 1927 describes the petrified man, who’s head and shoulders were visible, as Currents | July/August, 2015 | 41

having “a pronounced forehead, large eyes, a small stubby, thickish nose and ... a thicklipped mouth framed by heavy bulldog like jaws.”

The female bodies were much more refined, the article says.

James Gray, a Lake City native who published a book in 2008 on the story of the remains called “The Lake City Tombs,” describes the women’s bodies as showing “a marked contrast to the brutish appearance of the man.”

But still to the average person, none of the bodies looked like actual mummified human remains. Even Gray admitted, “To someone not accustomed to looking at or studying fossils, they appeared largely as decaying rock.”

When visitors ventured into the cave, they also saw a shelf displaying a gold breast plate, ancient jewelr y and stone slabs with hieroglyphic writings carved into them, all purportedly found during an excavation of the land in the late 1920s.

Was it a hoax?

Even back then, many believed it was.

But locals, whether they studied the history of the tombs or lived it, still enjoy telling the tale.

42 | Currents | July/August, 2015

the beginnings The man behind the discovery was Marquis Edmund G.F.R. DuMazuel, who served in the naval reserves during World War I. On June 15, 1927, his company, Kas-So Kitch-E-MonE-Toosa-Ne-Ah Limited, known as K.V.S., was boring a 16-inch well to drill for oil and while searching for a lost a bit discovered the bodies 63 feet below the surface, according to a July 1, 1927 Lake City Reporter article.

Hundreds of people from the area rushed to the site, the article says. Gray wrote in his book that DuMazuel’s findings became the site of a pilgrimage.

Now the land that supposedly was home to petrified bodies is nothing more than a grassy area beside the Dollar General across from Columbia High School. Most people drive by it and have absolutely no idea what once was there. Most weren’t even alive then.

But there are a few Lake City locals who remember when the tombs were the talk of the town.

Marie Kennon, who was born in 1928, lived across the street from the petrified remains site until 1938.

She said she doesn’t remember seeing the bodies or hieroglyphics but remembers going down into DuMazuel’s caverns as a child. Kennon described them as “long hallways.” She and other young children

Land owner Bob Jordan stands in a field behind the Dollar General store along U.S. Highway 41 where the tombs were located. would run around playing in them, she said.

“I was so young,” Kennon said. “I don’t remember too much.”

James Montgomery, a retired Columbia High School history teacher, remembers the controversy surrounding the tombs -- Were there really petrified bodies and hieroglyphic writings or was it just made up to be a tourist attraction?

“You had two sides of it,” Montgomery said.

Those who believed and those who didn’t.

And everyone had an opinion, he said.

Personally, he has never had an opinion on the authenticity of the tombs, he said.

But according to a Lake City Reporter article from April 20, 1928, then-editor Herbert L. Dodd saw the petrified bodies and was sold.

The article tells his tale of going down into the caverns and how he saw the remains clearly enough that he believed they were really petrified bodies.

He wrote in the article, “... I am fully convinced that there is no fake as regards

(to) the genuineness of the petrified bodies. I examined them thoroughly with an electric light which I held.

“The faces of the petrified remains, and that part of the bodies visible, were full of small indentations, something like the depressions in the face of a person who has had the smallpox, and were not smooth like a statue sculptured from stone,” he wrote.

|

”I am fully convinced that there is no fake as regards [to] the genuineness of the petrified bodies.”

— Herbert L. Dodd

People still have strong opinions on whether Du Mazuel really found prehistoric human remains.

Gray, who wrote “The Lake City Tombs,” wholeheartedly believes the caverns and everything Du Mazuel claimed to find in them really existed.

today’s reasoning Bob Jordan, a local attorney who now owns the land that DuMazuel supposedly found petrified remains on, falls on the nonbeliever side of the tombs debate.

He said the tombs were probably a tourist attraction — one of many along U.S. Highway 41.

“He was like a P.T. Barnum kind of guy,” Jordan said. “He always had an angle.”

Back in the 1920s, science wasn’t nearly as advanced, so there were a lot of attractions like DuMazuel’s, he said.

“People could say all kinds of things, and there was no way to prove it,” Jordan said. “They didn’t have any science then. Back then, they looked like bodies, so he said they were.”

When DuMazuel discovered the tombs in 1927, hundreds of locals, along with folks passing through, were coming to see the petrified remains, but there were also lots of people who

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DuMazuel and sons are seen in this photograph printed in James Gray’s book, “The Lake City Tombs.”

thought the tombs were bogus, Gray wrote in his book.

About a month after DuMazuel discovered the tombs, a few nonbelievers — “hooligans” as Gray calls them in his book — put dynamite in the caverns and blew them up, severely damaging the caverns and the purported mummies. As a result, DuMazuel closed the tombs.

In December of that year, a Romanian foreign dignitar y, Princess de Stourza, came to see the tombs while in the U.S., Gray reports. The tombs were closed at the time, but Gray allowed her to visit anyway.

She was so impressed with the caverns, she donated $1,000 to DuMazuel. And with that money, DuMazuel reopened the Lake City tombs on March 16, 1928.

However, DuMazuel wasn’t sure that’s what he wanted to do at first.

He planned to seal the hole for good and only decided to reopen them after being persuaded that leaving them open could advance science, Gray wrote.

Despite his initial doubts about reopening the tombs, DuMazuel had grandiose plans for them.

He wanted to build an underground tunnel system that would start with the bodies and ancient artifacts and end with a “shrine of Christendom” — an underground chapel for prayer and worship, Gray wrote.

But in 1931, tragedy struck his family.

44 | Currents | July/August, 2015

His younger son, Jean DuMazuel, accidentally shot his oldest son, Alexander, according to a Sept. 25, 1931 Lake City Reporter article. The boys were playing in their house when Jean picked up a gun left in the house by the hired help. The article says he picked up the gun, aimed it at his brother and accidentally pulled the trigger.

People now say DuMazuel was never the same after that. He buried Alexander in an above-ground tomb on the property where the tombs were and had a priest bless the land.

His ornate plans for the tombs never came to fruition, and around the start of World War II, DuMazuel left Lake City. No one knew why he left, and it’s unclear if the tombs closed when he left or if they were already closed. The Lake City Reporter does report they closed sometime in the 1930s.

Once DuMazuel left Lake City, talk about the tombs seemed to completely cease. There were no newspaper articles, and no mentions of DuMazuel or the tombs.

a tale reborn The Diocese of St. Augustine bought the land from a tax deed sale, and that could’ve been the end of the Lake City Tombs.

But Gray kept the story alive.

Fascinated by the tale of the tombs, Gray assembled a team to excavate the land where the tombs supposedly were in 1967.

They found the tunnels DuMazuel had dug, but after digging about 45 feet, the crew literally hit a dead-end — they struck a layer of solid clay that was so dense it was impenetrable.

They hadn’t given up, but when they returned the next weekend, they found that the hole they had dug was filled with water. Gray and his team waited for the water

HISTORY LIVES ON to drain, but it never did. Without a lot of money, there was nothing they could do, and that’s where their excavation ended.

But Gray, determined to tell the story of the petrified remains, published “The Lake City Tombs” in 1982 and republished the book with additional information in 2008.

In 2005, the land changed hands for the first time in more than 60 years. Jordan bought the land as an investment from the church and is working on selling it off as commercial lots. So far, he has only sold one acre to the Dollar General.

While the Lake City tombs aren’t talked about too much anymore, “every now and then, someone calls me asking about the tombs,” Jordan said.

And so the story lives on.

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Currents | July/August, 2015 | 45

Searching for Holy Ground, Manny’s Gift, The Crossroads of Forest Hills, Revenge at Forest Hills, Harvest Time, and Christmas at Forest Hills are available on Amazon and at the Shands Lake Shore Regional Medical Center gift shop, the LifeStyle Enrichment Center and MS Wezzies Haircut.

LOCAL READS Hill’s first book, ‘Searching for Holy Ground,’ which is separate from the series, was written about her childhood.

Journey through Forest Hills Local author says characters are like family.

By SARAH LOFTUS ______________________ Photos by JASON MATTHEW WALKER

Helen Hill’s life hasn’t been easy.

She remembers at the age of 9 watching her father chase her brother around the house, fearing he would kill him.

Although she didn’t go herself, Hill’s mother told her it was time to go to church.

Hill said she ran the whole way there. She remembers looking up and seeing a picture of 46 | Currents | July/August, 2015

God embracing a lamb. Right then, she asked God to hold her like that.

“He saved me that day,” Hill said. “For the first time, I felt what it meant to be loved.”

Her life didn’t get much easier, but God helped her through the hard times, she said.

“It’s been an uphill battle,” Hill said.

Seven years ago, she felt called to share her testimony in the form of a book. “Searching for Holy Ground” chronicles her walk with Christ and the miracles she has witnessed.

In 2011, her next book, “Manny’s Gift,” was published,

which tells the tale of a man who immigrated to the fictional town of Forest Hills, Va. and becomes a Christian.

With so many of the characters from “Manny’s Gift” having unfinished journeys, Hill decided to write a series based off of Forest Hills.

The books are about the members of a church in Forest Hills.

“It’s a whole community,” she said.

Hill has written four more Forest Hills books since then and expects to write at least a few more books in the series.

Hill said her favorite book is her first one, “Searching for Holy Ground,” because it’s the one that got her into writing.

But she loves all her books and the characters in Forest Hills.

“I love all of them,” Hill said.

“They’re like my family.”

The most rewarding part of writing the books has been the response from them, she said.

People have told her that by reading about how God helped the characters get through their struggles, they realized they can get through their own problems with God’s help.

|

Helen Hill is currently working on writing a children’s book.

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