FFG_Vol5_No2_WEB

CONTENTS

Volume 5 Number 2 Winter 2006

The Florida Frontier Gazette is published quarterly by the Historic Florida Militia Inc.

2. FEATURE - Of Hurricanes and History 5. FEATURE - Money was growing on trees 8. TALES - The Blue Knife

11. FEATURE - Battle of Royal Palm Hammock 15. COVER STORY - Painting Florida’s Lost Tribes 17. MUSIC - 17th Annual Florida Folk Music Camp 18-19. CENTERFOLD - Exploring the Ancient Crystal River 21. FEATURE - See ya later, Alligator!

22. FEATURE - Seahorse Key and the Civil War 25. JOHNNY’S CORNER - Chickens make Big Targets 26. MAMMA’S KITCHEN - And So We Gave Thanks 27. BOOK REVIEW 28. THE BOOK PAGE 29. COMMUNITY SPIRIT PARTNER 30- 35. EVENTS & EXHIBITS 4 pages of fun filled weekends 36. COMMUNITY SPIRIT PARTNERS

COVER ILLUSTRATION

Fisherman by Theodore Morris

A Timucuan fisherman examines his arrow prior to shooting fish in shallow water. The arrowhead is secured to the shaft with pine resin and further secured by binding with rawhide strips. Artifacts & Objects: Bald Eagle bird, carved bone hairpins, Pelican feathers, body paint, copper disc ear decoration, shell bead necklaces, bird bone necklace, deerskin, shark tooth pendant, carved bone arrowhead.

Courtesy of the artist.

Quiz

1. What was the name of the 1880 hurricane?

2. Who was the manager of Laurel Grove Plantation?

3. Who was superintendent of groves and “working forces” at Maitland.

4. Whose command was paralleled Captain John Parkhill’s?

5. What image was excavated at the Lake Jackson site near Tallahassee?

6. What did Donald Roebling call his amphibious tractor?

7. Who were shot and buried on Sea Horse Key on July 21, 1863?

8. What food was known as early as 2700 BC in Mexico?

Florida Frontier Gazette

5409 21st Ave. S. Gulfport, FL 33707 (727)321-7845 E-mail: tocobaga@verizon.net This publication has been financed in part with historic preservation grant assistance provided by the Bureau of Historic Preservation, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Department of State, assisted by the Florida Historical Commission.

However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Florida Department of State, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Florida Department of State.

STAFF Grant Administrator: George Watson Editor: Elizabeth Neily Graphics: Hermann Trappman Marketing: Albert W. Voght III Writer/Proof Reader: Lester R. Dailey plus our Special Volunteers - feature writers, artists, and photographers without whom this magazine would not be possible.

ANSWERS 1. Hurricane 4—1880; 2. Anna Kingsley; 3. Samuel M. Moseley; 4. Major Francis Dade; 5. Birdman Man Dancer Copper-Plate; 6. The Alligator; 7. Seamen Patrick Doran and John Bishop; 8. Corn or maize.

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FEATURE

by Jerald T. Milanich, Gainesville

Of Hurricanes and History

The 1880 Wreck of the Steamship City of Vera Cruz and the Aftermath My morning email included a short Associated Press story that caught my eye. Datelined April 1, 2004 from Ormond-by-the Sea, a small town north of Daytona Beach on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, the article told of failed efforts by a team of archaeologists and geologists using ground penetrating radar to find the bodies of sixty-seven victims of an 1880 shipwreck. Local lore, supported by a passage in a 1980 book (Ormond-on-the-Halifax: A Centennial History of Ormond Beach, Florida) authored by the late Alice Strickland, contended the bodies were buried in a mass grave just north of a fruit plantation in a sand dune. The bodies were thought to have washed up on the beach after the ship was destroyed in a hurricane.

The thing that peaked my interest was the name of the ship, the City of Vera Cruz. I was certain that a year or two earlier while doing research on Amos Jay Cummings, a journalist for the New York Sun newspaper, I had run across an article about the wreck 2

Courtesy of Hermann Trappman of the Vera Cruz. My notes, only a few clicks away in my laptop computer, showed me I was correct. Indeed, I had found several articles in the Sun about the wreck.

What I read in my notes indicated that although initial media accounts suggested as many as sixty-eight people aboard the ship may have died in the hurricane, later stories left no doubt that had not been the case. I set out to learn more about the shipwreck and the fate of her passengers and crew.

Logging on to the web page of the University of Florida’s George A. Smathers Libraries gave me access to one of ProQuest’s electronic databases. That search engine allowed me to electronically search back issues of the New York Times and Washington Post newspapers. Twenty-first century technology almost instantly provided me with an incredible twenty-six articles about the wreck in the Times and eight in the Post. A subsequent trip back to the New York Public Library to read microfilm of the New York Sun produced another twelve articles from that newspaper.

For about two weeks in September 1880, the story of the Vera Cruz and her passengers had gripped the attention of newspaper readers. The newspaper articles, some written by Amos Jay Cummings, the very person about whom I was doing research, allowed me to piece together the story of the Vera Cruz’s last hours.

The Demise of the City of Vera Cruz

On Saturday, August 28, 1880, the steamship City of Vera Cruz was three days out of New York City bound for Havana with twenty-nine passengers and a crew of forty-nine. Shortly after noon Captain Edward Van Sise asked his first mate, Frank Harris, if he had noticed that the ship’s barometer was falling fast, a sure sign the ship was headed into rough weather. At the time the 296-foot Vera Cruz was about thirty miles off New Smyrna in the normal shipping lanes.

The captain began to give the orders to ready his ship for the storm. Sails were taken in and the cargo lashed to the deck was cut loose and thrown overboard. Among other things, an entire street car, barrels of oil, and crates of fresh vegetables were jettisoned.

By evening “Hurricane 4—1880,” as it has been dubbed by modern scientists of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, was battering the ship with 100-mile an hour winds. Soon huge waves broke over the ship’s three decks, caving in a skylight over the main deck and allowing the sea to flood staterooms below. A sea anchor was deployed in an effort to help the ship hold to the wind, but it did little good. As night fell the storm tossed the ship about like a toy.

washed ashore, including letters from France bound for Havana via New York. The St. Augustine postmaster telegraphed postal officials in Washington, DC. The telegram was forwarded on to postal authorities in New York City, where the Superintendent of Foreign Mails told reporters the only steamship out of New York in recent days carrying mail from France was the City of Vera Cruz. About that same time shipping interests were forwarding news of a hurricane that had passed near Eleuthera in the northern Bahamas on August 27th, heading west. The same storm crossed the Gulf Stream on August 28-29, making landfall near modern Cocoa Beach about dawn on the morning of the 29th. Could the Vera Cruz have been sunk by the storm?

From their offices on Broadway in Manhattan the ship’s owners, F. Alexander & Sons, issued a statement. In it they ridiculed the idea that the Vera Cruz could have been lost at sea. Company officials were certain the six-year-old, 1,874-ton vessel and its experienced crew could have weathered any storm. As soon as telegraph communications to Havana were restored—the undersea lines had been damaged by the hurricane—the officials assured the media the company would be receiving notice that the Vera Cruz had arrived safely at that port.

But that turned out to be wishful thinking. Even while newspapers were printing the company’s statement, evidence of a

disaster continued to wash up on the Atlantic Midnight brought no respite from the coast of east Florida. Bodies of passengers and storm’s fury. About 2 AM on Sunday a giant crew, barrels of lard, boxes of bacon, luggage wave washed over the port side of the Vera trunks, and even pieces of the Vera Cruz itself Cruz, flooding the ship and extinguishing were strewn along the high tide line from St. the fires which provided the steam needed to Augustine south to Cape Canaveral. Among the power the ship’s two engines. Crew members detritus and bodies, there also were survivors. and some passengers tried bailing the engine Like the debris, the people had been blown like room so boilers could be lit, but their efforts corks through storm-tossed waves estimated at went for naught.

50-feet in height. Any doubt about the fate of Two hours later a second monster wave again the Vera Cruz was dispelled. broke over the port side, literally crushing that Ashore some of the survivors from the portion of the ship. Passengers and crew put Vera Cruz were immediately found by local on life preservers and set about lowering the residents and given aid. Others were washed life boats, but the rough seas smashed the boats ashore in unpopulated areas and wandered against the side of the ship, destroying them around for several days before encountering and flinging their occupants into the ocean. anyone.

Before dawn, the Vera Cruz began to On the morning of Saturday September 4th break up. Some of the crew and passengers headlines in major papers in the eastern United were swept overboard; others jumped into the States screamed the news. The New York Times Atlantic and grabbed on to debris. Still others carried five stories that day, including a prewere trapped in the ship’s interior where they liminary passenger and crew list. Some papers had huddled together in the dark in the flooded Courtesy of Florida State Archives. reported all seventy-eight people aboard were social hall where floating furniture and debris battered them, crushing some. Snapped in half by the storm’s feared lost. The Times, however, told of ten who had survived. By wrath, the Vera Cruz slid beneath the water, pulling some of its the next day other papers were reporting that sixty-eight people from occupants down with it. Thirty to forty people floated free and the ship may have drowned in the hurricane. found themselves in the water, grasping anything that would float, Over the next fortnight the New York Sun, New York Times, literally holding on for dear life. Some of them later would report and Washington Post provided their transfixed readers with story seeing the second quartermaster, William O’Neill, floating away after story about the catastrophe, including details gleaned from in the ship’s pilot house which had become separated when the surviving passengers and crew who told riveting stories about living Vera Cruz broke apart. through the storm and more than twenty-four hours in the ocean.

The two large sections of the City of Vera Cruz sank to a waTheir tales of survival indeed are incredible. tery grave. The date was August 29, 1880. Nearly a century later On Sunday, the day the hurricane struck land, one passenin the late 1970s, scuba divers would find both eighty feet below ger and six crew members washed up on the beach east of the the surface of the Atlantic Ocean off Brevard County.

Halifax River somewhere in the vicinity of modern Ormond Three days later the world outside of the hurricane’s path reBeach. The body of Civil War General Alfred T. A. Torbet came ceived its first hint of the fate of the Vera Cruz and the seventyashore nearby and was subsequently buried on a farm owned by eight people who had been aboard. South of St. Augustine people a Mr. Botefuhr adjacent to the river. I believe it is the general’s walking along the beach reported seeing “a lot of foreign mail” burial in a sand dune which confused later local residents into 3

Author’s Comments Amos Cummings was a well-known and beloved New York City journalist and politician (he lived at 32 Charlton Street in SoHo). Among other things, he served as president of the New York Press Club and was an active member of his New York City printers union (at one time he was the only union member in the US Congress). He also fought in the Civil War. After his death in 1902, Cummings received a state funeral in the Hall of Representatives in Washington, the third member of the U.S. House to be so honored. That funeral was followed by another in New York City, attended by the Tammany Hall executive committee. A memorial service under the auspices of the Columbia Typographical Union of Washington was held May 11, 1902, at an opera house in Washington, DC. Samuel Gompers, president of the Federation of Labor, was among the audience estimated at 2,000 people. Still another memorial service was held June 22, 1902, in Carnegie Hall, under the auspices of International Typographic Union Local 6, Cummings’ old union. Cummings was a quite prominent individual, yet he and his body of writing are unknown today.

I “discovered” Cummings when a University of Florida librarian handed me an 1873 article clipped from the NY Weekly Sun, in which several Florida archaeological sites were described. I fell in love with the article and set out to find who wrote it. My search ultimately led me to Amos Jay Cummings and his scrapbooks, now in the New York Public Library. The scrapbooks had been purchased from the Bargain Book Shop in 1929 by a sharp-eyed librarian. Most likely they had been tossed out when Cummings’s widow died in 1916.Those scrapbooks led me to the New York Sun, Weekly Sun, and Semi-Weekly Sun and a host of Cummings’s articles on Florida and other topics.

I’m working on another book featuring an 1873 overland trip Cummings made from New York to San Francisco, stopping in Salt Lake City for a month and a half along the way. His visit there happened to coincide with the hulabaloo (and court proceedings) which accompanied the divorce filed

by Ann Eliza Young, the seventeenth wife of Brigham Young, against her husband, the Mormon prophet.

Cummings interviewed both of the adversaries in the suit and a host of other players in the drama. He also provided his Sun readers with a vivid portrait of what the West was like, a land filled with bleached bones, punctual potato bugs, gun-slingers, petrified forests, claim jumpers (including New York attorneys), and all manner of other people and things. I would comment on this adventure as well.

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erroneously “remembering” that sixty-seven victims of the Vera Cruz wreck were buried there. The death of the general, a war hero, received widespread newspaper coverage. About a week later his body was exhumed and taken to St. Augustine, then shipped to New York City. General Torbet was given a final interment in Delaware.

Two other Vera Cruz survivors, both men, came ashore farther south, just south of Ponce de Leon Inlet. They were taken to Lowd’s hotel in New Smyrna where they recovered from their ordeal. A third man washed up on the beach in the same general area, but he wandered around for two days before he was found.

Later, all three were taken to Daytona and then St. Augustine, before being sent by ship to New York City.

A group of twelve survivors, who apparently had fashioned a raft from debris, made landfall at Cape Canaveral late on Sunday, August 29th. They were placed aboard a cart and transported to Burnham’s Grove, a small settlement on the east bank of the Banana River east of the Canaveral lighthouse. Later they were taken to Titusville, where, on September 2nd, Henry Titus wrote a letter about their rescue. The letter was taken to Sanford where it was put aboard a St. Johns River steamboat headed north. Most likely it was placed aboard another ship in St. Augustine, bound for New York City, where it was delivered on September 10th.

News from the Ormond Beach-Daytona area was slow to reach the outside world because of a lack of telegraph lines. A frustrated New York Sun editor, almost certainly Amos Jay Cummings, noted in an article, “Had those survivors of the Vera Cruz whose names were so long unknown reached Smyrna in Asia Minor instead of [New] Smyrna in Florida, we should several days since have learned a great deal more about them and their ship.”

By mid-September the wreck of the Vera Cruz had faded from the news, though the tragedy still lives on in history books and the local collective conscience of at least a few residents who live along the Halifax River in east-central Florida.

It is somewhat incredible that twenty-two people, mainly crew members and all men, survived the hurricane and lived to tell the tale. The hurricane literally blew them to safety. Fiftyfive other of the seventy-eight people aboard the Vera Cruz died, including a woman stewardess, the eight women passengers, and two children. Only a dozen or so bodies found on the beaches of east Florida were ever identified as people who had been on the Vera Cruz. The bodies of the other victims were never found. They certainly are not buried in a sand dune along the Halifax River.

The City of Vera Cruz was not the only ship claimed by the August 1880 hurricane. A second steamer and ten sailing vessels, none of whom carried more than a handful passengers, also were sunk. Survivors, victims, and debris from some of those vessels also were picked up along Florida’s beaches. All are mentioned in newspaper accounts, though not in the detail awarded the Vera Cruz disaster. It was the Vera Cruz and her passengers, along with the tales told by the survivors, that captured the macabre fancy of the public in late summer, 1880, if only for two weeks. ❁

    

Jerald T. Milanich is curator of archaeology at the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville and author of Frolicking Bears, Wet Vultures, and Other Oddities—A New York City Journalist in NineteenthCentury Florida (2005). Today the artificial reef formed by the remnants of the Vera Cruz is a well-known offshore fishing locale.

See review of Frolicking Bears... on page 27

FEATURE

by Canter Brown, Jr., Tallahassee

African American Pioneers of Florida’s Citrus Industry Courtesy of Florida State Archives.

“Money was growing on trees . . . and here I come!”

Although their achievements have received little notice up to the present time, African Americans have aided the development of Florida’s premier citrus industry for well over four hundred years, a fact that underscores the fundamentally significant contributions of black Floridians over the centuries. The impact of these pioneers, as will be seen, touched virtually every area of the state’s peninsular heartland.

Spanish owners compelled Florida’s first black citrus men to undertake their work. Fifty or so African-born slaves arrived at St. Augustine in 1565 with founder Pedro Menendez de Aviles.

Within two decades orange and other fruit trees appeared in local gardens. Necessarily, black caretakers tended more than a few of the plantings.

Records of Spain’s first two centuries of Florida rule remain sketchy in providing detail, but, in time, black owners began planting and growing their own citrus crops. Perhaps the most notable of these individuals was Anna Madgigine Jai Kingsley, brought to Florida in 1806 by slave trader and planter Zephaniah Kingsley and soon taken by him as his wife.

Installed as manager of Zephaniah’s Laurel Grove plantation at Doctor’s Lake off the St. Johns River, Anna Kingsley proved herself more than equal to the task. Aided by 100 slave workers, as historian Daniel L. Schafer has detailed, she prospered in the citrus business, in the process protecting her 750 Mandarin orange trees with a 2,000-foot “bearing orange hedge.” The city of Orange Park today commemorates the site.

Away from territory closely settled by the Spanish, maroon growers also tended crops. Runaway slaves or descendants of runaway slaves, these individuals created farming villages that dotted the peninsula.

One such community, named Minatti, lay adjacent to Lake Hancock north of Polk County’s modern seat of Bartow. It had originated in 1818 or 1819 when the Creek Indian chief Oponay relocated there with his “Negroes” following the First Seminole War’s fiercely fought Battle of the Suwannee River. Survivors of the maroon community of Angola, situated on the Manatee River within present-day Bradenton and destroyed by raiders in 1821, then swelled its population.

Indian trader Horatio Dexter visited Minatti in 1823. “I found that the Orange trees at Oponneys settlement apparently more injured by frost than those at Volusia and St. Augustine,” he reported. Dexter added, “The Negroes indeed testified that

the Orange did not flourish at this settlement.”

Spain, of course, had surrendered ownership of Florida to the United States two years prior to Dexter’s sojourn at Minatti.

Although the cotton industry soon came to dominate the new territory’s economy, citrus, too, played its part. And, entrepreneurs of African descent justifiably deserve a portion of the credit.

One excellent illustration focuses on Odet Philippe, a refugee from revolt-torn St. Domingue (today’s Haiti). As his descendant J. Allison DeFoor II recently has chronicled, Philippe likely originated on that island as a free mulatto.

Having attempted to establish himself at various Florida locales, Odet Philippe had arrived at Tampa Bay by 1837. Within a few years, he had secured desirable plantation lands at Safety Harbor, calling his new home St. Helena. “It became a prominent local tourist attraction in his day,” DeFoor explained, “an area where the cultivation of grapefruit would be introduced to Florida.”

Historians also credit Philippe as Pinellas County’s first permanent settler of the American era.

The Civil War’s end encouraged expansion of African American involvement in the citrus industry, especially in the greater Tampa Bay region where white residents directed their energies more toward the cattle business. Without funds to invest in beeves, many freedmen instead took advantage of the federal government’s homestead program to establish farms and small groves. Seeds could be obtained free, and resulting seedlings required little other than good weather and patient care.

Many examples offer confirmation. At Tampa, according to homestead papers, Cyrus Charles “built two houses, dug a well [and] planted [orange] trees.” Nearby, Benjamin Taylor “built a house and planted seventy Orange trees and Guava, peach and plum trees.” Hillsborough County commissioner Mills Holloman, whose land lay to the east of Tampa at Simmons Hammock, proudly reported “more than 20 bearing Orange trees & some other fruit.”

The phenomenon stretched far beyond Tampa and eastern Hillsborough County. Andy Moore, whose Bartow area farm lay near the site of Minatti, achieved local renown for his success. By 1881, the local newspaper proclaimed, “He has some 30 bearing [orange] trees, makes some 400 or 500 bushels of corn, raises his own meat, and is independent generally.”

A few miles to the south at Homeland, the Davis brothers engaged in citrus culture on a much larger scale. Sons of one5

time slave Rachel Davis, Corrie, Samuel, and Lloyd Davis all planted and tended substantial groves. By the time Samuel passed away in 1928, his labors, according to the Fort Meade Leader, had earned him the respect of “a majority of the older families of southern Polk County.” Its obituary added, “He died possessed of an 80 acre farm, seedling orange grove and comfortable home as well as enjoying a good income during the later years of his life.”

Courtesy of Florida State Archives.

Similarly, African American citrus growers fared well during the post-Civil War era in old Hernando (now Pasco) County.

“Mr. Ben. Baisden (col.), of Ft. Dade, called to see us Monday and presented us with several bunches of beautiful oranges of fine golden hue, of the second crops of his trees within the year,” Tampa’s Sunland Tribune informed readers in March 1880. “Ben. says that his trees have borne three crops within the year and that the oranges of the last crop are now about the size of ordinary apples.”

Meanwhile, in Alachua County former congressman Josiah Walls had purchased and begun to develop what was to become one of the state’s showplace agricultural plantations. Innovative vegetable production aided Walls to achieve a remarkable annual income of between $7,000 and $10,000 by 1886, but citrus factored as well. “It is known that Walls invested heavily in orange production,” biographer Peter D. Klingman recorded.

“He apparently had one of the larger groves in the county.”

The success enjoyed by black citrus growers and those who emulated them in the immediate post-Civil War years drew white and black interest to the business. As noted in the case of Bradenton’s June Adams, “At the age of 27 [in 1871], June was lured and finally came to Manatee County.” The account continued, “At this period of time oranges and citrus fruit were discovered, planted, harvested, and sold.” A descendant recalled that Adams observed, “Money was growing on trees . . . and here I come!”

The slow, but fairly steady, stream of African American citrus men reached the Atlantic coast as well as that of the Gulf of Mexico. Andrew Jackson in 1870 purchased “a little grove” of “about five hundred orange trees” not far from Titusville. Within three years, as a New York Sun correspondent related, Jackson was clearing the impressive sum of $1,000 per season. “Many of the trees were still loaded with oranges when I was there,” the correspondent observed. “The ground was heaping with piles of the golden fruit.”

Jackson proved, as did the Davis brothers, that success in the citrus business could survive the calamities of decades if tended by careful and talented hands. Major black-owned newspapers accordingly heralded his achievements.

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“Andrew Jackson, an intelligent and industrious colored fruit grower, living near Titusville, Fla., has a five-acre orange grove from which he ships about 500 boxes every year,” the Cleveland Gazette and the New York Age related in 1888. “Last year he realized $1,100 from [a] one and half acre grove,” the articles explained further. “He owns 140 acres of good land and has about ten acres under cultivation. He sold a small grove a few years ago for $5,000, and he says that $40,000 could not buy his present young grove of five acres. His fruit is first-class, and he finds ready sale for his oranges at $2.50 per box.”

As a grower Jackson earned this success despite a lack of easy and reliable transportation since railroads did not open much of Florida’s peninsula for fruit shipments until the 1880s and 1890s. The New York Sun in 1873 had addressed how he did so. “A Capt. Bennett from Savannah was loading a little schooner with the oranges for which he had paid two cents a piece unpicked,” it declared. “The Indian river oranges retail in Savannah at five cents a piece.” The report concluded: “Their flavor and juiciness are unequaled, and they are in great demand throughout the South. Very few, if any, reach the Northern states.”

When railroads did tie Florida closer to regional and national markets, black investors joined white buyers in the search for “orange gold.” As African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AMEZ) presiding elder and former state legislator Joseph N. Clinton explained in 1894, communities such as Orange Bend near Leesburg depended upon black entrepreneurs for their future security.

Courtesy of Florida State Archives.

“This little [AMEZ] chapel [at Orange Bend] is completely surrounded by orange groves, and nearly every member of our church owns his grove, of, from three to five acres,” Clinton described in a letter to the church’s Star of Zion newspaper. “Among the many belonging to Zion who own their groves are Messrs. B. Dobbs, W. J. Barrett, Henry Freeman, J. E. Rivers, W. J. Sanders and others who are readers of the Star,” he continued. “All of these save one are members of our Zion, which is the largest, numerically, of the three or more churches situated among the largest orange groves in the state.”

W. J. Sanders, the AMEZ pastor at Orange Bend, singled out his friend E. N. Dobbs for special recognition, with important implications for increasing black participation in the citrus industry.

“Mr. Dobbs is a man of business and is accumulating wealth very fast,” he recorded. “He has also 6 acres of rich bottom land on which he has 3 acres in very fine grove.” Sanders then added mention of a carriage ride that he and Clinton had taken “to view more than a hundred acres of fine orange grove over which he [Dobbs] has been foreman for nearly nine years for General David Tillson of Rockland, Maine.”

As Dobbs’s case evidences, the expansion of Florida’s citrus industry in the wake of late nineteenth-century railroad construction propelled experienced black growers into supervisory roles on behalf of many wealthy white investors. Their record of accomplishment spoke for itself.

The example of Samuel M. Moseley helps to prove the point.

Josiah C. Eaton retained his services to superintend groves and “working forces” at Maitland. Eaton recognized Moseley’s abilities to the extent of relying upon him by the early 1890s to discharge ever-greater responsibilities. “During the enforced absence in Boston of Capt. J. C. Eaton of Maitland,” a Jacksonville newspaper noticed, “all of his business affairs are carefully and systematically attended to by his colored manager, S. M. Moseley, who is one of the thriftiest of his race in Orange county.”

Sketches of an Orange Grove.

Courtesy of Florida State Archives.

Easily able to handle the work load, Moseley branched out to assist other white growers. The year 1894 saw him superintending “several gangs of workmen at various groves.” One year later, the Jacksonville Florida Times-Union denominated him “one of the largest grove contractors in the state.”

Naturally, Moseley invested his earnings in citrus and in other businesses, helping in the process to found and guide Eaton’s namesake community of Eatonville. “He owns a store, dwelling houses and orange grove at Maitland and a fine farm in West Florida,” the Jacksonville Evening Telegram announced in 1893, “and keeps money in the banks to pay his employees promptly.”

Moseley’s example should not be taken as an isolated one.

As early as 1886 the Cleveland Gazette pointed out that Florida agriculture “is most profitable, and at it the Negro thrives best.”

Its writer added, “Many of the most lucrative orange groves belong to colored people.” Little wonder that individuals such as Mandarin’s W. A. Summerall would receive recognition in 1886 as “an industrious and enterprising colored fruit grower” or that Center Hill’s William Williams would be credited three years later for picking “13,000 oranges from one tree in his grove this season.”

Opportunities for black citrus entrepreneurs served even as spurs for immigration and state promotion. The AMEZ Church particularly singled out communities such as Bartow as being attractive for settlement by those desiring “to cultivate orange groves.” As the Star of Zion described in 1889, “Most every direction, you can hear the puff and whistle of the iron horse as he rushes past orange groves and through this once vast depopulated forest.” The item added, “Let out people immigrate here and grow up with the country.” It further advised, “Most

all kind of tropical fruits can be raised here as well as vegetables, which is the specialty of the farmers until their fruit groves begin to bear.”

As these illustrations make clear, by 1900 African Americans stood out as innovative pioneers of Florida’s citrus industry even though history, for the most part, has neglected to record and pass on that fact of significance. The same argument may be made for African American participation in Florida agriculture generally.

Even in their own day, black planters and growers suffered from neglect of notice by white newspapers.

In 1903 the Jacksonville Evening Metropolis spoke to the point. “Reliable information from the leading agricultural counties of Florida is continually coming to this office, giving the greatest assurances that the colored farmers, both tenants and owners of farms, are in prosperous luck this fall,” its article began. “In these counties are many self-sustaining colored men, who are eminently successful as farmers,” the Metropolis continued. “Many of them own large plantations, which they cultivate correctly and make an independent living.”

But that was not all. “This class of worthy men are not as much heard of as some others,” the piece commented. “Their names are not often found in the newspapers, nor are they often seen out on a tour of personal advertisement.” Tellingly, it added, “One has to go where they are and see them in the enjoyment of their possessions.” ❁

African American men picking oranges.

Courtesy of Florida State Archives.

     Canter Brown, Jr. is professor of history at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee and author of many books on state and local history. He is a native of Fort Mead in Polk County.

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TALES

To a pelican skimming low over the Gulf, the place would have been a sea of mangrove and the scarlet morning sun rising in the east.

To an osprey hanging in the currents over the scrub of palmetto and snags of long-needled pines, the place would have been brown water and turning silver fish.

To a horseshoe crab crowding into the fresh water along the inland waterway as its kind always has, the place would have been shell beds, and mangrove roots, and a warm sea to mate in.

To the people who lived there for ten, no, maybe fifteen or even twenty thousand years, this place was their place in the world, the fullness of the Circle of living where the Creator intended them to live.

There was a grandmother in that place. She told me her story. She is telling it to me as I write it. I will not forget her.

She told me.

I remember when I was little.

Though my mother told me I was too little to remember, I have always remembered. I remember my grandmother.

She molded pots from clay.

I remember her hands.

Her hands were netted with fine black lines, like lines in a fisherman’s net.

I remember my grandmother’s face and her eyes as she molded the clay. She looked out over the water, and she sang. My mother sat with her, and she carried me on her hip. I slept to my grandmother’s singing, and I would wake up when she patted her pots with a paddle to mark their sides.

I remember she had lines of pots she had made set in under a little shelter where the rain couldn’t get to them. My grandmother put them there to dry, and when the pots dried my grandmother cooked the pots in a fire.

When I was bigger I danced in the black mud while my mother added ground shells to the clay. My grandmother was always careful about her clay, but some days she would let me take little pieces to try to make pots too.

I remember the first time my grandmother set one of my little pots on her drying rack. I remember when she picked it out of the ashes after the fire had burned down.

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by Charles Bears Rioad Dunning

The Blue Knife Part 1

She sang over my first pot for a long time, and my mother wept and laughed.

Those were happy days. I remember them now.

My grandfather had a long boat. My grandfather had carved it from a cypress tree. When the fish swam in from the deep water, my grandfather took me into the channels between the mangroves. He made boats for other fishermen when the fish went back into the deep water, and I learned to help him with the boats.

But going out in my grandfather’s boat was better than making them. He had long, long nets, and my grandfather set those nets in a circle in the pass that led into the Gulf.

He strung his nets on poles he drove into the mud on the

sides of the pass, and the tide carried the fish into his nets. My grandfather would sit out on the water in his boat and wait for the nets to fill.

He had an anchor, and a long line made of braided strands of moss was tied around the anchor. The other end of the anchor line was tied up to the bow of my grandfather’s boat. Mostly, setting the anchor was a boy’s job, but my grandfather always took me, and he let me set the anchor.

Once the anchor was set, we waited. The tide carried the fish through the pass. Our boat drifted toward the shore until we swung in it at the end of the anchor line. But when the tide changed again, we floated back out. Then my grandfather paddled to his circle of nets. He pulled them tight, like you’d close a bag, you know, and my grandfather’s nets were filled with the fish that swam in on the tide.

The sea people, you call them dolphins, but we called them, the breath of the Ocean Sea, chased the fish in. My grandfather always threw fish to the sea people. The sea people caught the fish my grandfather threw them, and then they clapped their tails on the water.

I always laughed, because they made such a show of swallowing my grandfather’s fish, and my grandfather always grumbled at the sea people, though I know they were special to him, and that the sea would be empty for my grandfather without the sea people.

Sometimes, when the waiting was long, my grandfather let me swim off the boat out beyond the sandbars where the sea people waited for fish. I swam with them as my grandfather watched. The sea people came up to me, and I felt their sides pass by my hips in the water and felt the pull of their swimming as they passed under me. I fed them fish.

I remember once when a big bull of the sea people broke the water where I swam. His face was next to mine. I saw his eyes, and I believe he looked into me through my eyes. It could not have taken too long, but it seemed to be in another place where there was no waiting for fish, a place where just the bull and I looked into each other.

I have remembered his eyes all my life and more.

I remember my first moon time. My mother led me away to a little house beyond the village, and I stayed there for seven suns.

My mother called my name from outside the little house every morning. She passed in a gourd of water and some cold cooked fish to me, and pads made of dried moss.

My grandmother and my mother were waiting outside the little house when the seven suns had passed. In that week I had become a woman. They put a robe around me. I remember when they made it. It was pieced together from two bleached doeskins and beaded with long rows of worked shell.

We walked back to my grandmother’s house where we all lived, but I was a woman walking with women, and that first week in the little house waiting for my mother to bring me water, and cold fish, and pads made of dried moss had changed me.

It was my first time of changing.

My father was not a fisherman. He was a trader, and he spent the dry months away from the place we lived. When he got ready to leave in the dry season, my father filled his boat with shells, and white bird feathers, and my grandmother’s pots, and the stone that grows beneath the water. Moons passed, and

when he returned, my father’s boat was filled with stones, black stones with colors in them like rainbows, and sometimes clear stones too, stones that my grandmother hid away. My father brought bleached, white cloth with him and spotted skins.

He let me climb into the boat and sit on the piles of new things he carried home. When I sat there it was like I sat on all the strange places where my father had been. I felt the water pulling at his boat, and waited for the first night, because my father would tell long stories about all the places he had been.

My grandmother and my mother made such meals when my father returned. She made dried fish, and turtle, and deer, and palm hearts, and sea berries. After we ate all we could stuff into our bellies, my father sat by my grandmother’s fire. Then he would tell us where he had been, and what he had seen, and about all the people he had met.

Oh, it was so good to sit on my father’s leg and feel his arm wrapped around me and feel his voice in his chest. I traced the pictures that lived on my father’s arm with my fingers.

He plaited my hair and tickled me until I fell asleep. I never understood how I could wake up in my bed the next morning.

All I remembered, and most of what I remember now, was sleeping on my father’s lap, listening to his stories until his stories became words, and the words lost sense, and I floated on his voice.

One time when my father came home, he had a second boat with him. It was as filled as the first boat was. Trade had been good that season. I had seen my father bring home a second boat before, usually tied to the stern of his boat tagging along in its wake. But this time a boy paddled the second boat.

He was almost grown. His eyes were gray, almost the color of the Ocean Sea before the Huraken blows. He had long brown arms, and the muscles moved beneath his skin like dark shadows as he paddled my father’s boat.

He wore a long black feather in his hair. A string of green stones and fish backbones circled his neck. His chest was alive with circles and blue stars that were tattooed there.

I looked at my father. I might have pouted. He was my father, but now there was a second to contend with, and he was paddling my father’s second boat.

My father laughed and told me this was no big thing that he had traded for the boy’s paddle way up the coast in another village. Since the paddle was not much good without the boy, well, the boy had come with his paddle.

My grandmother whispered to my mother, and my mother giggled behind her hand. My grandfather looked at the second boat to see how it had been made. My father patted the stack of folded white cloth and the skins heaped in the center of his boat.

I ran through the shallow water, and I sat in my father’s boat, but I looked back at the paddler. He looked at me.

I have remembered the paddler’s eyes all my life and longer.

The paddler boy stayed with us for several trading seasons.

He would leave with my father when the rain stopped and the nights grew longer, but he always came home with my father paddling the second boat when the nights grew short again.

He fished with my grandfather and me when the shining fish swam in from the deep water. He swam with the fish that the sea people chased into my grandfather’s nets. He helped my grandmother carry her pots to the drying shed.

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He went on long hunting trips with my father, and I always felt left behind, because I didn’t go hunting with them. He became my father’s son, though he was not my brother.

A time came when Crow’s feather, that was his name, brought a flute back from a trading trip. His flute was made from a hollowed piece of a deer’s leg bone. I had never seen a flute before, or heard one. I don’t suppose Crow’s feather knew much about playing that flute, but it sounded like magic, like the magic of birds’ songs, and skies in the morning, and the deep water to me.

Sometimes his flute sounded like the sea people singing in the pass to my grandfather and me. Sometimes the flute’s voice sounded warm and low and passed like water beneath me and carried me.

Did I tell you that his eyes were gray like the water before the Huraken? As he learned to play his flute, Crow’s feather’s music was like a storm inside of me.

My grandmother found this to be very funny, but I suppose I have laughed at the awkward beginnings of change too. Oh, I know I have.

Grandmothers understand these things.

This was my second time of changing, and to think it was all because of that deer bone flute. I kept it close to me all my life and will miss its notes, when it is gone.

One day, my grandfather, and my father, and Crow’s feather came to Grandmother’s fire to speak with my mother and my grandmother. They sent me away while they spoke.

I walked on the white sand out past the mangroves. I looked into the waves. Sea people swam in the shallow water. I watched a family of them swim by. There were three. I listened to them sing. Their voice sounded like a flute.

We married.

I remember sewing my bridal dress. It was made from pounded palm fiber cloth bleached white. My father had traded for it, and my mother had kept it.

I sewed long rows of shell beads onto it. It took weeks to

g g g g g g g g The Florida Frontier Gazette welcomes Albert W. Voght III to our staff as Marketing Consultant.

Albert is a graduate student in Florida Studies at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg Campus. Albert has a great passion for Florida history and reenacting. He was an active member of the 97th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Compny A, before continuing his studies.

Albert will be spearheading our fund-raising efforts at Florida Frontiers looking for sponsorships, grants, and of course, Community Spirit Partners.

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finish. Crow’s feather teased me that we would be too old to be grandparents before I finished.

I stuck my tongue out at him, and I giggled.

Families came from down the beach.One long boat of men and women came from beyond the pass. They knew my grandfather and had come to honor him and our family.

They amazed me. They were colored blue with lines of dots and pictures of birds and deer drawn on their skin, and their only clothes were their blue skins, and long beaded, pearl necklaces, and white egret plumes that had been braided into their hair.

That morning, I tied beads into my hair. I hung a string of green-blue stones around my neck. I perfumed myself with honey, and I shook.

Late in the morning, my grandfather and the old men began to beat on drums. My grandmother and the old women that had come joined the old men and they made a circle. The old women sat on the eastern side of the circle, and my grandfather and the other men sat on the west toward the beach.

My father and Crow’s Feather stood under the pines.

My mother led me into the circle where the wedding guests sat. The drumming stopped. My father brought Crow’s Feather to me and my mother.

My father took my hands in his. He gave my hands to my mother.

I swallowed so hard and almost began coughing. My fingers were cold. Sweat ran down my back. I worried it would stain my wedding dress that I had sewn so carefully.

Then my father took Crow’s feather’s hands. He knotted a plaited cord around his wrists. First, my father held the cord, and then he gave the cord to my mother. My mother held the cord for a moment. She looked at the circle of grandmothers then she gave the cord to me.

I untied the knot that held Crow’s feather’s wrists. I shook harder. My mother took the cord. I held his hands in mine.

We were married. . .l To be continued in the Spring 2006 issue.

g g g g g g g g Join us today.

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FEATURE

by Christopher Kimball, Naples

THE BATTLE OF ROYAL PALM HAMMOCK The Last Battle of the Third Seminole War Courtesy of Collier-Seminole State Park

Most people are familiar with the shots that started the Seminole Wars. The dates and locations are easily found by flipping through a Florida history book or tour book of sites in Florida. Although the beginning shots are well remembered, the final battles were soon forgotten. Parks, monuments, and historical markers usually mark the opening shots. But we are hard-pressed to find any information on the final shots and last battles.

The last campaign against the Seminoles of the Third Seminole war took place in 1857, and the last skirmish was held six months before the war was finally declared over. Not only do we now know the area where it happened, there is also a monument commemorating that final skirmish at the state capitol.

In November of 1857, the state of Florida and the U.S. Army conducted a failed campaign to round up the last of the Seminole and Miccosukee people in Florida. Most of this campaign was conducted in what is now Collier county in southwest Florida, in what is today state and national park and preservation lands.

There are some interesting similarities between this final skirmish of the Third Seminole War, and Dade’s Battle that started the Second Seminole War 22 years earlier. Both campaigns involved 110 soldiers on the march. Both resulted in the death of the commanding officer, and defeat for the soldiers.

Both involved an ambush with an over-confident Army commander who did not have enough men to successfully win the battle. One of the supply forts of the 1857 campaign was Camp Keais, named for one of the officers killed with Major Dade.

On November 22nd, 1857, a command of Florida Volunteers numbering 110 men landed on the island of Chokoloskee. The commanding officer, Colonel S. St. George-Rogers, became ill, so Captain John Parkhill took up the command. (Another parallel to Dade’s Battle, where Major Dade took command when Captain Gardiner’s wife became ill.) Parkhill’s command traveled up what is now the Turner River, and entered the area of what is now Big Cypress National Preserve. After the campaign was over, it was left up to Col. St. George-Rogers

of the Florida Volunteers to report what happened. The military maps of the area left much to be desired. There was confusion on where they actually were. (The Turner River was named for the Army guide for the expedition who eventually settled there.)

“The maps in my possession are reported so inaccurate as to render it doubtful as to the name of the stream. Capt. Turner calls it the Fakkahatchee, which river is laid down as entering considerable to the Southward. Mr. Harris thinks Chokoliska laid down to the far to the North on the map and I agree with him.”

“Captain Turner though a most excellent and fearless guide & though he can go anywhere into the country & come out again has not a correct idea of the geography of the country. The course of the scout for three days was generally N.W. The large cypress swamps heretofore reported impracticable were penetrated. The route lay through a section never before examined.“ Landing about nine miles up river, Parkhill’s command traveled to the northwest and followed several trails that connected Seminole villages. Typical of many campaigns conducted at the time by the Army and Florida Volunteers, they found several villages and fields of crops, but no Seminoles. Many trails of Seminole and Miccosukee footprints were found. They showed that a great number of people had passed that way. But when the trails were followed, they would soon disappear into the middle of the Big Cypress and dead-end in the swamp.

After scouting several trails, Captain Parkhill’s command located a village known as Royal Palm Hammock. The village, like all others they found, was empty. The soldiers razed the village and crops.

“After following the first large trail mentioned a large Indian settlement was discovered in a Palm Hammock. There were about thirty lodges and about 40 acres of land cleared and in cultivation. Large quantities of Pumpkins, Potatoes, Peas, Corn and rice were found, the Corn, Peas, & Rice hid away carefully in houses built off in the Swamp. The trails leading to which were carefully concealed. The Pumpkins were housed 11

in the fields and the ground was literally covered with them of all ages and sizes. Even the trees were full, the vines having run over them. The ground was full of Potatoes. Everything was destroyed that could be.”

On November 28th, in the same area of Royal Palm Hammock, the soldiers set up camp in order to allow the sick and wounded to rest. Captain Parkhill scouted other trails and located smaller villages in the vicinity which were empty but still had cultivated crops. In the afternoon after supper, Captain Parkhill took a party of men to continue following trails while the rest remained behind in camp. He found a recent trail and followed the pursuit without calling for his other men back at thei camp. He followed the trail for about three miles until he came to a stream about 20 yards wide.

The area was described as a thick cypress swamp.

“After dinner Capt Parkhill took twenty five or thirty men and started to destroy some fields and houses some two or three hundred yards from where the command had bivouacked. On his way he fell into a large trail, upon he discovered fresh Indian tracks. Instead of sending back for a portion of his force behind, he pressed on upon it for about three miles, until it came to a deep stream of water about 20 yards in width with Cypress & thick undergrowth on both sides. Captain Parkhill with five or six of his men had just entered the edge of the water, but had not emerged from the bushes when they were fired upon by a party of 30 or 40 Indians from the opposite bank or rather side of the stream as it had no banks. At the first fire Capt Parkhill was mortally wounded and lived but a few minutes.

Five of his men were severely wounded at the same time. The fire of the Indians was immediately and briskly returned by Lt. John Canova, and it is supposed with some effect, but the Indians fled almost immediately after the first discharge doubtless thinking the force stronger than it was.”

The Seminoles soon disappeared and firing ceased. The skirmish was short with probably only a couple volleys of shot from either side, but they were the last shots fired in the war.

It was night before the men made it back to camp with the wounded and the body of Captain Parkhill. No attempt was made after that to pursue the Seminoles further. The command fell back and did not resume the campaign. So this is considered a Seminole victory since the Seminole held the ground and the Army fell back.

Captain Parkhill’s body was buried on the shore of a lake, and from the description of the report, is probably Deep Lake off highway 29 south of Immokalee. Parkhill was a well-respected officer by both his men and his hometown of Tallahassee. He was the highest ranking officer killed in the Third Seminole War. “I cannot close this Report without paying a just tribute to the merits of the lamented Captain Parkhill. In him the service has lost one of its best officers, and the State of its best citizens. Though a strict disciplinarian for a Volunteer Officer he was beloved by his men. He was a man of elevated & chivalric feelings, and by nature a Soldier. His untimely death throws a gloom over the command 12

and is most deeply lamented by both officers and men.”

Royal Palm Village could be at two sites. The first may be the area known as Royal Palm Hammock, where Collier-Seminole State Park is located. An Army scout, looking for the location of the skirmish a couple weeks later, visited a site that fits the description of the Royal Palm Hammock at Collier-Seminole State Park, but quickly determined that this was not the location, but that it was several miles further inland.

The second location of a Royal Palm Hammock in the area is at what is now Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park. Fakahatchee, several miles to the northeast of Collier-Seminole State Park, has the largest number of native Royal Palms in the state of Florida. Our guess from the military report of the skirmish seems to indicate that the battle took place in the area of what is now Big Cypress Bend, which has a boardwalk that meanders through an area of large, native bald cypress trees.

Although we do not know for certain, it appears that the location for the Royal Palm Hammock village was in what is today Fakahatchee Strand Preserve, off Janes Scenic Drive, and the battle occurred in the area of Big Cypress Bend, off highway 41. The remains of Captain Parkhill were buried on the shore of a large lake. It would be interesting if they were found on the shore of Deep Lake.

By the end of December 1857, the campaigns to find and capture the Seminoles in southwest Florida had ended in total failure. Although several villages and cultivated fields were lo-

Courtesy of Collier-Seminole State Park

cated and destroyed, the Seminoles remained elusive. The soldiers that followed the trails came back exhausted, with much of the company weakened from sickness. There were not enough soldiers left who were healthy enough to volunteer for a further scout of the area. Furthermore, the soldier’s terms of enlistment had expired, and none were willing to continue on in the harsh conditions they had to endure with no successful result.

“I was totally unable to raise another scouting party of sufficient strength to enter the Indian Country and on the 15th I embarked with my whole command for Ft. Myers.”

“I was extremely anxious to continue my operations on the Coast being assured that in the next attempt I would be able to penetrate this country in which Captain Parkhill discovered Indians. But the Boat Companies were determined not to obey the

ROYAL PALM HAMMOCK MONUMENT Known only to a few, is the monument to commemorate the last skirmish the United States and State of Florida had against the Seminoles and Miccosukee. Pretty much forgotten, the monument to the battle of Royal Palm Hammock sits on lawn outside the old state capitol building in Tallahassee on Monroe Street, overlooking the Apalachee parkway.

The monument is dedicated to Captain John Parkhill, killed near Royal Palm Hammock. Parkhill was head of a company of Florida Volunteer soldiers from Leon County, Tallahassee area.

Courtesy Christopher Kimball The inscription at the base says, Capt. John Parkhill Of Leon Volunteers.

This monument is erected by his fellow citizens of Leon County, Florida.

As a testimonial of their high esteem for his character and public services.

He was born July 10, 1823 and was killed at Palm Hammock in South Florida while leading his company in a charge against the Seminole Indians, November 28 A.D. 1857.

This last battle of the Seminole Wars is reenacted each February at Collier-Seminole State Park, during the annual Native American and Pioneer Festival. The battle was lost by the state of Florida and the U.S. Army, as they failed to remove or capture any Indians during this final campaign.

The results were that the Seminole and Miccosukee people still remain in this area today. Six months later the war was declared over.

The age of this monument in front of the capitol is unknown, but probably dates to after the Civil War, because the other similar monument on the capitol lawn is to Florida Confederate Civil War casualties. So for the two monuments on the capitol lawn, the only one specific to a person and place is the monument to Capt. Parkhill and the battle at Royal Palm Hammock during the Third Seminole War.

orders which they had received, but to return to Fort Myers upon the expiration of their Term of service, One on the 20th and the other on the 25th of Dec. I had not the force to compel obedience, and indeed deemed it inexpedient to enter an Indian Country with a body of men under compulsion. I could not get off upon a scout until the 19th and on the following day the term of service of Captain Thompsons Co. expired“ Col. St. George-Rogers was able to compel one company to carry out on a last scouting mission. The company’s term of service alost up, but they would head to Fort Myers by way of the Big Cypress for one last scout to end their service. The result was the same as in November—abandon fields and villages, and elusive Seminoles. Although evidence was found of Seminoles the trails quickly ran cold.

“Great numbers of women and children had passed over it in both directions. It gradually became smaller and smaller, until it went into another Cypress six miles to the Eastward. Here it assumed the appearance of an old but little traveled trail. The Indians that had traveled over the western portion of it had evidently scattered as they crossed the prairie.”

As the year came to a close in 1857, the Army had scouted south of Fort Myers, along the coast from Marco Island to the east and well inland, and nearly all of what is today Collier County.

They found and destroyed many villages and crops, but did not remove the Indians. Continuing on with the war would be no easy task, as further stated by Col. St. George-Rogers: “It has been satisfactorily demonstrated that mounted men can not reach their (Seminole’s) retreats. The consequence is that horses become an encumbrance. Mounted men can only be supplied by wagons. Footmen might be supplied by means of pack mules. The equipments of mounted men are unfit for foot service. Camp Rogers the present post, from which the troops must enter the Indian Country, has proven most unhealthy, and yet it is as good as any other that can be had so near the Indians accessible to wagons.“ The Seminoles and Miccosukees enjoyed the upper hand.

Besides the terrain that offered concealment, they had ample

A Dragoon soldier in 1855 pattern uniform, “Fighting in Florida.” In reality it was not as glamorous as this illustration portrays. From 1878 book by L.U. Reavis, “The Live and Military Services of William Selby Harney.”

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sources of food, as well a numerous crops hidden away in hammocks across the swamp and wet grasslands. The finally Army recognized that it would be impossible to remove every Seminole, even if they were able to locate them. The swamp created a barrier that prevented mounted troops from entering, so any movement by the Army would be slow and exhausting. The officers recognized that it would be, not only futile to continue the war, but also logistically impossible. Climate, terrain, and disease, had conquered the soldiers.

“The troops that have been stationed there are in a wretched condition. Out of five whole companies and detachments from three others, I could raise but one hundred and fifteen men, able to do foot services or reported able by their company officers and by the Surgeon of the Post, and of these, had I desired to select able bodied healthy men, I should unquestionably have rejected nearly one half. This constitutes the whole effective force of my Regiment stationed on the Cypress. And when the present scout returns, I much doubt if more than sixty or seventy men can be raised for foot service from the whole command. This disability for service is not confined to the privates. Their officers are

prostrated by sickness and are unable to lead their men.”

Further comments by Col. St. George-Rogers details his utter hopelessness at continuing the war: “Under existing circumstances, I know not what to do for the short period left of Term of Service of my Regiment. In the present condition of the troops, I can do nothing. Service cannot be obtained from men scarcely able to walk, much less carry heavy packs upon their backs. The service required here cannot be performed by men who under ordinary circumstances might be able to do foot service. I have tried it and I know that it required men of more than ordinary power of endurance.

One single scout of seven days will disable men of any other character, (even if able to accomplish one) for a long time. I may therefore safely say that so far as my Regiment is concerned, this campaign is at an end. The Colonel commanding must be assured of my willingness and rendered great anxiety to bring this war to a close. I have up to this time left no stone unturned for the furtherance of this end. I have not hesitated when I thought it necessary to take the field myself, and on foot. Encounter the hardship attendant upon such service in the Big Cypress.” •

    

SEMINOLE WAR EVENTS December 31 & January 1 Bushnell 25th Annual Commemorative BattleE Reenactment. 9AM - 5PM. Experience a living history reenactment of the first battle of the Second Seminole War. At this site on Decemeber 28, 1835, 180 Seminole warriors ambushed Major Francis Dade and his command of 107 U.S. soldiers. Activities and food concessions both days. Donations: $5 for adults. Kids 12 and under free. Contact 352-793-4781.

Historian Christopher Kimball has researched and written extensively about the Seminole Wars in Florida. His website, Tour of the Florida Territory during the Seminole (Florida) Wars, 1792-1859, is one of the best sources for information about the Seminole Wars. He is a park ranger at Collier-Seminole State Park and participates in Seminal War reenactments.

Website: http://tfn.net/~cdk901/

     NATIVE AMERICAN AND PIONEER FESTIVAL

February 17-19, 2006 School day Friday, Battle reenactment Saturday & Sunday afternoon.

Blackpowder provided. Meals for participants provided Saturday, and Sunday Breakfast and Lunch.

Herbie Jim in dugout canoe.

Courtesy Seminole Tribe

Experience the local style and flavor of the Native Americans and Pioneers in southwest Florida. Craft vendors including Native American crafts will be for sale. Food vendors including fry bread. Visit historical camps where historical personas from the past will recreate life in the 1850’s, and demonstrate their crafts. Reenactment in the afternoon of the Battle of Royal Palm Hammock, the last skirmish of the Seminole Wars in 1857, where the Seminole and Miccosukee people showed their determination to remain in Florida. Fee: $10.00 per vehicle.

Contact: Chris Kimball at 239-394-3397

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February 3-5 Big Cypress Reservation Kissimmee Slough Shootout & Rendezvous.

9am – 5pm. Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum. Period and tribal vendors feature historically inspired merchandise, unique gifts and native taste treats. Southeastern tribal dances, old time contests and Historic Battle Reenactment. Free with museum admission: $6 adults, $4 children and seniors, under 6 free.

Take I-75/Alligator Alley to exit 49, then 17 miles north. Phone: 863-902-1113.

February 2-5 Zephyrhills Pre-1840s Second Seminole War Era at Fort Foster Historical Site. Thursday & Friday - school days (no charge). Skirmishes Saturday & Sunday. Donations: $5, Six & under Free. Located on US 301, N., 9 miles north of Fowler Ave, in Tamap, and 6 miles south of Zepherhills. across from Hillsborough River State Park. Contact: 813-987-6771.

March 18 & 19 Inverness Fort Cooper Days at Fort Cooper State Park . Battle reenactments at 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. 352-726-0315. Located off U.S. 41 on South Old Floral City Road.

COVER STORY

by Theodore Morris, St. Augustine

Painting Florida’s Lost Tribes

My paintings of Florida’s lost tribes started in 1990, after the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. Being a combat after I illustrated an Apalachee birdman dancer as part of a medic in Vietnam gave me personal insight into what happens fund-raising poster for the Florida Anthropological Society. when an advanced industrial culture invades a primarily rural At that time I’d been a commercial artist since graduating culture. The Spanish arrived in Florida with a superior attitude from Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, and I wanted to use and disdain for the native peoples, not unlike the United States my talents for something more meaningful. Then one day I military in Vietnam. A common denominator between the looked at this poster which consisted of text and small line sixteenth century Spanish and the twentieth-century American drawings of Florida’s early major tribes. Its focal point was military was the notion that the end would justify the means. a large black and white line drawing of a birdman dancer These paintings are like a puzzle and very based on the image embossed on a pre-Columbian copper fascinating to me. The idea of doing something plate excavated at the Lake Jackson site near Tallahassee. that’s never been d one befor e an d leaving That fall day in 1990 as I studied the poster, I wondered behind something of merit, both historically and artistically, really appeals what the birdman would look like to me. In the past, there was in full color! And so it began. The much misinformation as to faces I use in my oil paintings are what these people looked mostly inspired from historical like, what they wore, how black and white photographs and they lived their lives. That the remainder of the figures are is why I spend so much time from models I photograph. documenting the tribes as George Luer, an archaeologist of keen accurately as possible. insight and dedication, was especially helpful In my paintings, tribal men, at this time, making sure I used the proper women and children, with faces and artistic restraint to maintain accuracy. This bodies painted, arms necks and ears quest for accuracy proved demanding, given decorated with shells, feathers, skins the relative lack of concrete materials to work and bones, emerge from the lush with. During my research for the fund-raising vegetation to stare silently across poster whose birdman image first inspired thousands of years.

These direct, me, I discovered there were almost no images almost confrontational exchanges of Florida’s first peoples. And so I decided to lend a near-magical feeling to the fill that void. paintings.

In filling this void though, I had to Most mornings around eight, I settle educate myself about those lost tribes. in for a full day of painting. The hours I began to crisscross the state in search fly by as I travel back in time. My of information, traveling to libraries and window sills are lined with bottles museums, talking to archaeologists and CHIEF OUTINA This Timucuan chief was of bird feathers ranging from pelican historians, and joining in archaeological described in 1564 as being painted red and walkdigs myself. It certainly is a thrill to ing alone in solitary grandeur in the middle of his to seagull to hawk, jars of shells and excavate a piece of pottery last touched by warriors. Artifacts & Objects: Turkey Vulture bird, historical books and files—all to add accurate and authenticate detail to a Florida Indian thousands of years ago. raccoon tail, eagle feathers, tattoos, painted fish Further inspired by my education on the bladder ear decorations, Turkey Vulture feathers, my paintings.

I’ve completed over 40 paintings lost tribes of Florida, I decided to paint all copper breast plate, shell beads, deer hide robe, so far, some of which hang in private the major tribal groups along with their chert spear point, painted hide straps. Courtesy of Theodore Morris. collections, corporations, libraries regional artifacts, basing my images on and museums. My goal is to paint an entire community of people from each of the major tribes of Florida.

European descriptions and other archaeological and historical Following completion of the tribes of Florida, my new research will information. In terms of time periods, this proved a significant include the ancient Indians of the Southeast area, which includes undertaking: Florida’s indigenous tribes lived as far back as Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and South 13,000 years ago and continued into the mid-1700s.

Carolina. These Peoples are interconnected; they Five hundred years ago, Florida’s lost tribes faced a didn’t stop at the state lines. technological advanced enemy with weapons unknown to them.

In 1998 the Florida Anthropological Society chose In some ways, I can relate to what happened to these people 15

me as the main theme in a video about the early tribes which was broadcast on PBS television. It was funded by a grant from the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources. The video, “Shadows and Reflections, Florida’s Lost People,” focuses on how I work closely with professionals in the field. “We wanted to make a film about the ancient cultures of Florida without viewers necessarily knowing anything about archaeology or ever wanting to know anything about it,” says Brent Weisman, a professor of anthropology at the University of South Florida and the video’s executive producer. The video won the 1999 Louis Wolfson ll Media History Center Award.

I have exhibited at historical museums throughout Florida, where smaller museums especially, can put on an extremely interesting and informative exhibit with a modest budget. It’s a chance for museums to display artifacts and other related objects from the local area and sponsor historical programs.

Other projects I’ve become involved with are a series of Indian village illustrations for Parkin Archaeological Park in Arkansas and an informative poster on the different tribes of Louisiana. My art has been used for numerous publications and museum displays.

With the publication of my book “Florida’s Lost Tribes,” published by the University of Florida Press last year, I have been doing lectures and book signings at libraries and other venues. The book has been very well received and I am very grateful for the scholarly commentary included in the book by Jerald T. Milanich.

I feel that my paintings and research contribute to retrieving and preserving the legacies of Florida’s native peoples. I like the idea of bringing Florida’s lost tribes back through the mists of time into the present.

MUSIC Ever feel the urge to play the guitar, dulcimer, concertina, banjo, fiddle, harp? You name the instrument and you will probably find someone to to teach you how at the Florida Folk Music Camp held every fall at the Environmental Studies Area at Boyd Hill Nature Park in St. Petersburg. Charlie Groth organized the first camp 17 years ago with twenty-one people. It has since grown to 200 attendees.

Now if you already know how to play an instrument, there is always someone teach you some new tricks.Like Dennis Tobin of Spring Hill explained, “I was a hacker for years is and finally figured it was time to do it right. I really understand the value of Charlie’s camp.”

Theodore Morris can be reached at P.O. Box 431, St. Augustine, FL32085.

(904) 810-0381 or email: morristheodore@hotmail.com.

View more of his paintings at www.floridalosttribes.com.

Florida’s Lost Tribes

by Theodore Morris with introduction

by Jerald T. Milanich.

University Press of Florida. $29.95 www.upf.com

     17th Annual Florida Folk Music Camp

by Elizabeth Neily, Gulfport

Students gather under the trees or in Oak Hall with their mentors for classes. Teachers demonstrate the finer points of playing an instrument with a novice. The teachers are very generous with their time.

The camp is completely run by volunteers. Musicians, who have made their name in Florida folk, show up to pass along their skills. And when there is a little extra, Charlie pays them a small stipend. Charlie’s explains their philosophy, “My dad, Charlie Sr., used to say, “When you teach those who will live beyond you, that is your immortality.” •

The three-day music camp winds up with mucians demonstrating how they learned to play as a group. One session teaches individual performers the etiquette of playing with other muscians during a jam session.

16

Exploring the Ancient Crystal River Story by Hermann Trappman Photos by Elizabeth Neily

Back before the coming of Columbus, North America was a really big place. Because foot traffic was the only transportation across country, distances that could be controlled politically, could not grow too large. North America is said to have been the home of 500 nations, that is 500 social and cultural experiments. The truth of the matter is, sometime between 1509 and 1523, a bundle of horrific plagues ran along the trade-routes of North America, killing many millions of people. Great nations may have fragmented as disease shattered their existing political structures. The Native People, described by the first Europeans to contact them, were already radically changed.

Because American Indian medicine focused on the treatment of parasites, its practitioners were not prepared for the numerous plagues sweeping through the population. Native American culture was designed for human contact, which further spread the European diseases.

Truly biological, the map of human culture is ever changing. The American map before the coming of Columbus is hotly debated by scholars. In Florida, there were several major players at around the time of contact. Starting with northwest Florida, the Apalachee people inhabited the panhandle and swept north into Georgia. On the

Above - Park Manager Nick Robbins begins the tour with some history of the site

One of several moundsat the site.

Two dugout canoes were made as part of the site’s hands-on education program.

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The river features limestone outcroppings like these seen at low tide.

east coast, the Timucuan people lived from coastal Georgia through a large chunk of east Florida, down to around Cape Canaveral. On the west coast, the Tocobaga were dominant from north of Crystal River to just south of Charlotte Harbor. South, the Calusa were a major political player on the western tip. Mixed in between, were smaller states. Contact period intrigues suggest that the larger nations were in a power struggle over these smaller states. It can be surmised that these states were in the orbit of their larger political partners prior to the plague.

Florida was well-populated before the coming of Columbus.

Like today, larger cities were surrounded by less populated areas.

Our image of the contact period Native People lacks natural human patterns because so much has been destroyed since European conquest. Little research has been done in Florida’s panhandle.

Archaeological field work tends to be around colleges and focuses on already established viewpoints.

Crystal River State Archaeological Site is a beacon in this darkness. It was the site of the last Tocobaga town left in Florida.

Ghost-towns leave behind rundown abandon buildings. Ancient ruins are often just heaps of rubble. A feeling may be there, but only good interpretation can bring back the human story.

Crystal River has a fantastic staff. The Park’s Manager, Nick Robbins, brings a special depth of understanding to his job. His father, Tom Robbins, was the first Park Manager at Crystal River.

Nick has nurtured a personal relationship with the scientists that have studied the site over the years. He has met most of them, listened to their ideas, and woven them together into an intelligent framework.

Nick has heard all the divergent arguments. His long relationship with the site has given him a broad perspective. When he describes the archaeology, he is comfortable with all the theories.

He includes differing ideas naturally, without prejudice, in a way that engages the listener in the process. Nick appreciates that science is a journey. Answers grow and change through generations as new information is added.

Crystal River State Archaeological Site has added a new dimension—a boat trip to the mouth of the river. Again the perspective grows as the story of the ancient people flows into the environment they were so much a part of.

Our guide, Mark Wilson, filled our mind’s-eye with a panoramic story of Florida’s changing past. As the beauty of the river ........Cont’d...Pg. 24

Tour Guide, Mark Wilson The Crystal River mound complex is one of the best preserved in the state. Besides several platform mounds there are two stele flanking the central mound. It has been suggested that the stele were part of a solar observatory.

Stele Stele

19

FEATURE

by Lester R. Dailey, Largo

See ya later, Alligator!

Both literally and figuratively, Donald Roebling was larger than life. He never left home without a box of chocolates tucked under his arm. Consequently, he had to permanently reserve his own doublewide seat in downtown Clearwater’s Capitol (now Royalty) Theater to accommodate his 400-pound frame.

Donald’s grandfather, Col. Washington Roebling, had built the Brooklyn Bridge and supplied all the wire cable used in its construction, so the family was rolling in money. Once, during the Great Depression, a “run” on a Clearwater bank threatened to put it out of business, so Donald had his New York bank send down $1 million cash in $25,000 bundles. He then made a big show of depositing the money in the bank, which gave the panicked customers enough confidence to redeposit the money they had just withdrawn, thereby saving the bank.

Born in 1909, Donald was a born tinkerer who forsook an Ivy League education to enroll at Bliss Electrical School in Washington, D.C. But he was expelled because he couldn’t get along with his teachers.

How a vehicle designed to rescue Florida hurricane victims helped win World War II After a hurricane, either the one that killed more than 400 people near Lake Okeechobee in 1926 or the one that killed another 2,500 people there two years later, Donald’s father, John Roebling II, sent the workers from his Lake Placid estate to assist in the rescue effort. When they reported that they could have saved more lives if they had had some type of amphibious tractor, John offered to finance such a vehicle if Donald would design it.

In 1924, the U.S. Marine Corps had tested an amphibious vehicle, designed by Walter Christie, which was propelled by wheels on land and by two boat propellers in the water. But it was rejected for not being seaworthy.

Donald hired some men and set them to improving Christie’s design in the workshop at Spotswood, his estate overlooking Clearwater Harbor. By the end of 1935 he had a prototype, a 14,350-pound behemoth that went 25 mph on land and 2.3 mph in the water. He called it the Alligator.

Mostly, it combined the best ideas of previous inventors, but it had one feature that was uniquely Roebling’s. Instead of wheels, it had two bulldozer-type tracks to propel it on land.

But the cleats on the tracks were so big that they also could be used like paddle wheels to drive and steer the craft through the water, similar to a sidewheel steamship.

Three later models were developed, the last weighing just 8,700 pounds. The Navy heard about them and, in 1940, contracted to buy 200 of them for $3.3 million. But they were to be built of steel because all aluminum, of which the prototypes were built, was earmarked for aircraft production for the World War that

was threatening to involve America. That boosted the weight to 17,500 pounds and required a bigger engine.

Donald hired Food Machinery Company (FMC) of Dunedin to build the hulls and install the engines and equipment built by subcontractors. Later, the government built FMC a new plant in Lakeland, but every tenth Alligator was shipped to the Marines’ Alligator base in Dunedin for testing. Before World War II ended, 18,620 Alligators had been built by contractors throughout the U.S. They were mostly used by Marines in the South Pacific.

Unlike the Higgins landing craft, which had a front ramp that dropped down in the shallows and exposed the troops to enemy fire as they waded ashore, the Alligator kept them safe from small arms fire as they rode ashore without even getting their feet wet.

At first, they were in danger as they disembarked over the gunwales. But that problem was solved by adding an exit ramp to the rear of later models.

Nobody claims that the Roebling Alligator was the secret weapon that won World War II for the Allies. But it did what it was designed to do: It saved lives. • Reenactor Lester Dailey is a regular contributor to the Florida Frontier Gazette and writes a weekly column, “Those were the days” for Entertainment Extra in Largo.

21

F E ATU R E

by Lew Zerfas, Clearwater

Seahorse Key and the Civil War “Sea Horse Key is high in the middle, and is, I should think, very healthy. It would be to the advantage of the United States if it were occupied and a redoubt thrown up.” J. C. Howell, Lieutenant, Commanding, U.S.S. Tahoma.

Many islands surround Floridas coastline. Most visitors are accustomed to seeing these islands as being quite flat, often not more than five or six feet above the high tide line. Covering one hundred sixty-five acres, Seahorse Key is the exception with a high point of fifty-two feet, having the highest elevation of all of Floridas west coast islands.

Courtesy of Lew Zerfas.

Recorded history of Seahorse Key goes back to before the Civil War. It served as a detention camp for the Seminole Indians during the Second Seminole Indian War (December 1835 - August 1842). Shortly thereafter, nearby Cedar Key grew in size and became an important seaport, shipping not only local raw and processed material, but fresh water for passing ships.

Shallow water pierced by a narrow navigable channel, and the coastal location of Cedar Key made a lighthouse necessary. In the early 1850s, money was appropriated to construct the Cedar Key Light. Seahorse Key (also identify as Sea Horse Key) was selected because of the high elevation.

The lighthouse beacon had to be seventy-five feet above the water and with the natural elevation of the land, the actual structure needed to be only twenty-eight feet high.

On March 1, 1861 the Florida Railroad Company completed a 155 mile line that ran from Fernandina Beach on the Atlantic Ocean to Cedar Key on the Gulf of Mexico. Cedar Key as well as Seahorse Key, Depot Key, and Way Key became 22

strategic points for both the North and South during the Civil War. Cedar Key was generally the main target of attacks by the Federals, and Seahorse Key as well as the other islands in the area were often rolled into those raids.

The Light Goes Dark

Lieutenant Commanding J. H. Strong, of the U.S.S. Mohawk noted on July 12, 1861 I understand they are building a battery at Cedar Keys, intending to mount four 24-pounders upon it, and the guns are now on the way. Within a month the Confederates removed the lens at Cedar Light and the lighthouse remained darkened throughout the war.

The Fourth Regiment Florida Volunteers garrisoned Seahorse Key in 1861 but on January 16, 1862 a force from the U.S.S. Hatteras landed and reported that the expenditure of very little powder and no one killed that I ant aware of, capturing or destroying all the public property here, including a battery of two long eighteens in position on the east end of Sea Horse Key, with their carriages and some ammunition and barracks. Further evidence show that these were 32-pounders. 120 rounds of solid shot, and one barrel of powder was also taken.

On February 1, 1862, the U.S.S. Tahoma arrived off Seahorse Key, and at about 1,400 yards shelled the redoubt and the woods, and with no return fire, dispatched two armed boats to land and reconnoiter. The island was abandoned. He saw two long 18-pounders, vents spiked, trunnions knocked off, carriages destroyed. The lenses had been removed from the lighthouse, and nothing portable of any value (the lumber excepted) remained on the key. It was noted that there were many live-oak trees and palmettos on the key which would last a long while for firewood. Also, the light keeper’s house would provide comfortable quarters for officers, and there was lumber enough for extensive barracks. The light-house itself would make a good lookout station.

William W. McKean, Commanding the Squadron, directed a rigid blockade of Cedar Key. It also prevented the reoccupation of Sea Horse Key by the rebel forces. There was sufficient lumber on Sea Horse Key to erect barracks, and a small force could easily defend the island. McKean also directed that If the rebels have not already done so, you will be pleased to remove from the light-house the lens and any other valuable property that you may find there, which you will retain on board your vessel until further orders.The Tahomas Assistant Paymaster J. S. Turnbull died on February 6, 1862 and was buried on Sea Horse Key near the rebel redoubt. His name, date of his death, name of ship, etc., were cut in the headboard of his grave.2

These early attacks on Cedar Key and the adjacent islands marked the beginning of the end as it being a port for the Confederacy. Gradually, Federal forces began to occupy the area in increasing numbers to the point where it became a battalion headquarters for the Federal Army.

But on July 20, 1863 the men ran into trouble on the Waccasassa River. At daylight, a launch from the U.S.S. Fort Henry came under fire from both banks by about 50 or 60 rifles. Seamen Patrick Doran and John Bishop were shot, one dying instantly and the other a short time later. Both were buried on Sea Horse Key on July 21, with the customary ceremonies.

Cedar Light at Seahorse Key as originally built. Today it has additions to each side. Courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard.

Ordinary Seaman Ephraim Hearn died at the age of 28 on board the U.S.S. Fort Henry August 20, 1863 due to the bursting of a blood vessel. He was buried on Seahorse Key next to the other sailors. Landsman William M. Robinson died on board the U.S..S Union on March 14, 1864 due to compression of the brain caused by a fall. He was 23 years old. Robinson was also buried on Seahorse Key.

In the later part of the war, hundreds of Union soldiers were stationed throughout Cedar Key and the adjoining islands. The Federal troops often skirmished with the enemy along the coast and several miles inland, taking prisoners as well as suffering injuries. The island was used as a rest and recuperation facility for troops who were rotated out of the interior. The Union soldiers often suffered from the heat and poor diet and treated there at a hospital.

Throughout the war, Unionist citizens were transported by the U.S. Navy to places of safety. The Cedar Key Lighthouse was a temporary home to a number of people that were eventually moved to Key West.

As the war dragged on, many deserters from the Confederate Army fled to this area seeking refuge. There were so many deserters and dissidents that the navy could not handle them and thus the army assumed that responsibility.

One of the last entries in the Official Records concerning Seahorse Key is that of the Confederate sloop Sort that was driven ashore during a severe gale on the night of March 9, 1865. The crew of the U.S.S. Honeysuckle removed the cargo and succeeded in getting the sloop afloat. The liquors on board were sent in to Key West with the schooner to prize court for adjudication.

The “Union Navy� Returns to Seahorse Key

On Saturday, October 15, 2005, five members of the U.S.S. Fort Henry reenactors group spent the day at Seahorse Key. They spent the day greeting spectators, talking about the Civil War history of the island, and demonstrating various small arms and implements used by the Union Navy.

During some free time, the men had the opportunity to visit the lighthouse and stand at the graves of the sailors of the original U.S.S. Fort Henry to pay their respects.

Pictured above at the sailors graves are ((from left) Lew Zerfas,Dave Ekhard, Vince Mangone, Rob Mattson, and Humberto Alvarez. Courtesy of Lew Zerfas.

For more information on the U.S.S. Fort Henry reenactors, visit their web site:

www.ussforthenry.com

After the end of the war, on August 23, 1866, Cedar Light was once again a sentential to passing ships. The lighthouse was eventually closed and sold in 1915.

Strolling About the Island Accessible to the public only by boat, Seahorse Key is open to the public only on certain occasions.

Re-acquired by the government in 1929, it is now part of the National Wildlife Refuge and used by the University of Florida for natural habitat and environmental studies.

A narrow channel winds like a snake into the north side of the island where the dock is located. Upon disembarking and a few feet across the grass, one sees the straight highly sloped concrete walk leading up to the crest of the hill where the lighthouse is located.

The original 1854 lighthouse still stands, but has had wings added after the war. You are still able to walk up the narrow iron staircase to the light.

Off to the east side of the walk is a patch of grass beyond which is a narrow footpath that winds through the heavy vegetation, eventually leading to the small cemetery. The area where the four sailors graves is 23

located in a plot by itself just beyond the civilian graves. Standing at the foot of the sailors graves, the names (left to right) read: Patk Doran, William Robinson, Ephriam Hearn, and John Bishop.

For more information on this island, go to: http://www.fws.gov/cedarkeys/

U.S.S. Fort Henry Living History Reenactors of the

American Civil War

NOTES: 1 The two original Confederate guns are on display at the Cedar Key State Museum.

2 J.S. Turnbull headboard was lost to time. The currently unknown grave on Seahorse Key might be that of Turnbull, which is currently under investigation resulting from the authors research for this article.

Dedicated to portraying American Sailors and Marines and their role of an infantry expeditionary force in Florida.

The original ship was stationed along Florida’s Gulf coast (1862-1865).

This Living History group participates in reenactments and living history events, memorial services, as well as providing educational presentations to schools, museums and other organizations.

    

About the author: This is Lew Zerfas’ second contribution to the Gazette.

He is a reenactor with the U.S.S. Fort Henry, and en joys reading and writing about the Civil War, focusing on the role of the U.S. Navy both at sea and as infantry expeditionary forces. He can be reached at

gunboat@ussforthenry.com

    

www.ussforthenry.com Courtesy of Lew Zerfas.

From Crystal River...page 19 drifted by, Mark pointed out limestone banks carved out by the ancient stream. A large flock of white pelicans circled overhead.

Stately Great Blue herons stalked the shoals near oyster beds. Mullet jumped. A pair of dolphins hunted them. Driving a pod of fish up along the shallows, a dolphin lunged with a great splash. Further along, a manatee languidly moved up the river’s edge. We could just make out its shadow beneath the surface.

Captured between the blue sky and blue water we drifted between two worlds. An amazing story spilled through the black rush marsh and the palm lined shore. Once canoes plied the river carrying exotic items from far away Ohio and Cuba. On the ceremonial mounds, Native pageants once thanked the estuary for its abundance and encouraged its future production.

The Crystal River State Archaeological Site is a magical place, where the past is drawn into the present. • Boat Tour leaves every Friday at 9 AM. Cost: $10.00 per person Phone for reservations: 352-795-3817 3400 North Museum Drive.

2 miles north of Crystal River on US. 19, left on State Park Drive, left on Museum Road.

24

email: gunboat@ussforthenry.com Member: MNLHA

Not for profit 501(c)(3)

Star Bird - reaching from the past.

This is an artist’s rendering of a pottery fragment on exhibit at the Crystal River State Archaeological site. The painstaking detail makes us wonder what significance it had for the ancient people. It may have an astonomical interpretation. Courtesy of Hermann Trappman. .

JOHNNY’S CORNER Chickens make big targets I think that every animal in the woods sees a chicken as a nice juicy pork chop or sirloin steak! It must be so, because I have lost dozens of chickens in the dozen or so years that we have kept them. The list of varmints is long; snakes, hawks, dogs, cats, opossums, raccoons, foxes, owls and weasels, just to name a few.

Jackie told me in the beginning that I should always look cautiously into a nest before reaching in for an egg. Those words have come in handy on several occasions. She claims that I’m slightly psychic because I get a feeling or insight at times that lets me know something isn’t right. I was gathering eggs one night after work and felt like something might be lurking in the nest box. Sure enough there was a seven foot long rat snake there.

That happened another time after moving to our current farm. A year or so after building the chicken pen, I discovered a rat snake in the nesting boxes. I chased it out and under a shed nearby. About three days later it happened again. When it happened a third time I decided that the snake had to go. The next time it appeared, I captured it, put it into a pillow case and took it for a ride down the road a few miles where I deposited it in a wooded spot next to the road. Guess what? A few days later it appeared again! I captured it and took it for a ride in the opposite direction to another spot near a different road. I decided that I had probably just separated a family of rat snakes. They have not returned for several years now.

I had some chicks growing up on the back porch one spring. They were several weeks old and were getting bigger every day. I came home one evening to find that something had taken the head of a chick right through the wire leaving the body behind. I assumed of course that an opossum had done the deed, so I set a Have-a-heart trap with the body as bait. Two evenings later I came home to find a hawk in the cage! Whoa! This could be a tricky deal, I thought. I released him with out any problem and reset the trap just in case it was a fluke. The next night, guess who was back? That silly hawk was right back where I found him the first time. Slow learner, I guess.

More recently my chickens seem to have been victims of neighbor hood dogs. After sending them packing with a 22 cal. rifle, they seem to have learned their lesson. We love to let our chickens out now and then to rid the yard of ticks and other bugs. It makes their eggs so very rich. Alas, we usually lose a few to the many predators lurking about. About seven disappeared one afternoon while I was working in a nearby pen. I only found a couple of piles of feathers here and there to indicate that fowl play had taken place, in spite of my presence. Well, it seems that Mother Nature just works that way. So anyway, keep a few for eggs and a few for everyone else and we’ll all stay happy!

Keeping chickens in a confined pen is not a guarantee that they

by Johnny Shaffer

will remain safe. If a clever opossum or raccoon finds a small hole in your defense, and they usually do eventually, then the chickens are merely captive victims. Actually the chickens need only to rest near the wire screen to be taken by a claw through the wire. Roosts need to be made so that they can not sit next to the wire. Hawks will do the same thing. A chicken, once settled in after dark, won’t move out of the way. Go figure!

I did a photo study of the chicken coupes at Plymouth Plantation a number of years ago when I was there as a volunteer musketeer. Their coops are well made and very practical. All of them sit on the ground near the front or on a side of each house and are about the size of a medium sized dog house. They use a lot of clapboard siding there. The natural gaps in the boards that make up the sides and roof will not let varmints in, but will allow for good air flow. A stick or dowel about two to four inches off the floor and near the back of the coop makes a great roost. Chickens like many other fowl like to roost in the trees.

A barred door on the front at night protects them from harm’s way. The dowel is of course a good substitute for the tree limb and the coop is a good hide out from varmints where they can stay for a couple of days when necessary.

When I built the coop at the Beechnut Bottom Farm (our registered goat farm name), I asked Jackie for some ideas about its construction.

She made some suggestions like making room underneath the floor for scooping out the manure and screened vents for ventilation. There should be ample room for them to run in an enclosed pen safe from varmints, etc.

Along with some ideas found on the internet, I created the current coupe. It is very tall to accommodate the staircase roosting dowels and the screened windows at the top with shutters to block the winter wind. It has six nesting boxes, three up and three down (stacked) with a dowel to land on in front when flying up to a box. The running yard is completely surrounded by chicken wire including the top to prevent NTS entry by climbers or flyers. There is a short run of half-inch hardware cloth all the way around the bottom on the inside to keep small chicks safe. The entire outside is surrounded with old link fence to guard against larger varmints like dogs. The bottom of the chicken wire is buried in the ground about six inches to prevent digging escapees or burrowing predators. There is an outside roost consisting of a 4 x 4 post with 1 x 4 arms staggered near the top of the pen. It has a three-foot square of plywood wedged at the top to provide a little shade and shelter from the rain should they decide to roost in the open instead of the coupe.

I painted the coupe with a light color to give a little longer life to its wooden parts. Jackie calls it the “Tajh Mahal” of chicken coupes.

So, there I was…

I had a chicken and a turkey fight over the same nest one time... but that’s another story!

25

MAMMA’S KITCHEN

by Jackie Shaffer

And So We Gave Thanks L

NTS

Y

es, another season of thanksgiving and over-eating is just about over. The eating started on October 31 and won’t end until the end of 12th Night, some where around the first or second week in January. Feasting has been held a traditional for eons. The Bible talks about feasts well before the birth of Christ.

So what is a feast, exactly? Webster defines a feast as “a large, elaborately prepared meal, usually for many persons and often accompanied by entertainment; a banquet; or, as a meal that is well prepared and abundantly enjoyed.” That covers just about every meal at our house, except perhaps for the entertainment; though it can be very entertaining watching Johnny try to eat peas with a knife or soup with a fork, but then that’s a story for another time.

When I think of a traditional Southern Feast my mind trips lightly over fish and doe-boys, to fried chicken and corn on the cob, and stops abruptly at the Turkey Feast­—so good we usually enjoy it at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. This year our Southern Feast menu looked like this­—

The Menu Roast Turkey (delicately brown and falling off the bone) Cornbread dressing & Giblet Gravy (we never stuff our turkey—our faces, perhaps—but never our turkey) Green Beans (cooked with potatoes and pearl onions) Yams (baked with honey and nuts) Roasten ears (Corn roasted on the cob) Mashed Potatoes Dinner rolls (no plain old homemade biscuits for this feast) Cranberry Sauce Pumpkin Pie 26

et’s take a closer look and see first, just how “Southern,” and then how “American” these dishes are.

Lets start with The Bird. Turkeys were first discovered by Juan Ponce De Leon in 1513. He observed them being eaten by the Indians of South American. OK, that qualifies them as southern American. It was Cortez, however, that took them back to Europe from the Yucatan in 1519. By 1528 turkey meat, being less stringy and tough, had replaced the ever-popular peacock and swan, which until that time, had graced many a feast table.

Corn or maize had long been popular with the natives in Mexico and South American, as well as in the new world. It was known as early as 2700 BC in Mexico. The Indians of the Southeastern United States supplied many a conquistador with maise as they stumbled through La Florda.

Green beans—surely they are southern and American. It is true that when Hernando DeSoto marched through Florida in 1539 he found cultivated fields where many varities were growing. However, until around 1528 the only beans being eaten throughout Europe were fava beans and their near relatives. Again Cortez is credited with taking the green, string bean family to Europe in 1528.

Yams (a.k.a. sweet potatoes), white and yellow potatoes were also a known staple to the South Americans. They were introduced to Europe by the Spanish conquistadores between 1528 and 1530.

Cranberries were native to North America, so we can claim them as American. However, they were actually from the “northern states.” These were one of Ben Franklin’s and Thomas Jefferson’s favorite dishes. So obviously, they gained popularity and move south rather quickly.

We can thank the Chinese for those dinner rolls. They were the first to mill wheat into flower in about the 10th Century B.C. (When exactly does public domain kick in?)

Finally, we come to that good old southern dessert—pumpkin pie. Although pumpkins are native to the south, the English made a pie out of pretty much anything, even kidneys. A kind of squash was a staple in England well before the 15th century. So it stands to reason that a kind of pumpkin pie would have been among the list. Even the seasoning and spices used to make pumpkin pie predate Columbus. Remember he was looking for a faster route to the Orient to buy spices when he “discovered” America.

So let’s think of the Traditional Southern Feast as an international smorgasbord.

The Recipes Try roasting corn in their shucks, over an open fire or in your traditional oven,. Pull the shuck back exposing the corn but leave them intact. Wash, salt and lightly, and butter the corn.

Then carefully replace the shucks to their original position. Place

BOOK REVIEW Frolicking Bears, Wet Vultures,and Other Oddities: A New York City Journalist in NineteenthCentury Florida

by Jerald T. Milanich, University Press of Florida ISBN 0-8130-2848-5 Hardback $24.95 Using his forensic skills as the esteemed Curator of Collections at the Florida Museum of Natural History, Jerald T. Milanich has dug into some very interesting archives to produce this delightful jewel of nineteenth century journalism—the writings of “Ziska.”

His research reveals that “Ziska,” as it turns out, was Amos Jay Cummings, a journalist, a Civil War hero, a Tammany boss, and a U.S. Congressman, no less. However, it is the characters that Cummings revealed under the pen-name of Ziska for the New York Sun and other notable northeastern newspapers that leave a lasting impression. Milanich writes in his introduction: “Like a modern Carl Hiasson, Amos Jay Cummings stripped away the veneer painted by land speculators and tourist home operators eager for northern investors and found another Florida.

The underlying result was not always pretty, and Cummings pulled no punches.”

The title, Frolicking Bears, Wet Vultures, and Other Oddities, should give the reader some insight into the kinds of stories that Cummings was reporting. However, this is not simply a book about Florida wildlife. Actually, the wildlife seem quite tame compared to some of Cummings tales about the murderers, desperados, and defectors that haunted the backwoods of Florida.

The shady era of Reconstruction is the sort of history most people would rather forget. The emergence of the Ku-Klux Klan and its vicious attack on the political emancipation of African-

...The Recipes them in the oven and bake for about 30 minute at 350 degrees.

Yams with honey and nuts can be prepared by cutting raw sweet potatoes into slices about a quarter-inch thick. Layer them in a casserole dish alternately with a layer of pecans or walnuts, a few pats of butter, and a generous dribble of honey. End with a layer of nuts and honey. Cover the dish and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until the yams are thoroughly cooked. Remove cover last 15 minutes to brown the honey-nut glaze on top. If you are interpreting this dish prior to 18th century use walnuts as they are more appropriate to the Americas than pecans.

Green beans are delicious when they are steamed with cubed white potatoes and pearl onions. The onion tops can be cut into the beans as well for a little extra flavor. Season with salt and pepper.

Once the veggies are cooked well. Place then in a boiler having

Americans is history, thought by some, best swept under the carpet, preferring instead to remember “the good old days.”

Milanich, through a series of article written by Cummings, sheds a bright beam on the brutality of Reconstruction era politics, carpetbaggers, and dastardly deeds perpetrated during these days of “great social changes.” Milanich prefaces these articles with a review of data gleaned from the 1870 Columbia County census that reveals interesting demographics of the racial mix at the time, especially when compared to the demographics of Brevard County in south Florida. The story that Cummings reported is known as the “Lake City Outrage.” Unhappy with Governor Harrison Reed’s appointments of local officials, “...a gang of a dozen men visited the houses of Holt, Moore, Keene and Waldron between midnight and 4 A.M., and riddled them with bullets. They endeavored to entice Moore to the door, but failing that poured volley after volley into the house. Moore’s invalid wife and his children were in the house at the time.”

The gang purposefully went to the other appointees homes and showered them with bullets, leaving them “honeycombed with flattened balls.” Cummings reported that the 1,200 Lake City residents “were cowed.”

Florida offered Cummings a wealth of stories to write about, from Indian Mounds to the first expedition to Lake Okeechobee, from land speculators to swamp lands, and from sea turtles to alligators. A piece called “What an Alligator Loves,” demonstrates that the reptile’s appetite hasn’t changed much over the years.— “If there is one thing in the world that alligator loves more than any other one thing it is a dog. The bark of a dog will frequently bring a dozen alligators to the surface of the water.

Hunters occasionally tote their dogs on horseback while crossing shallow water or very swampy places. When an alligator hears the baying of a hound he always puts for a ford, if there is one in the vicinity, hoping to catch the dog when he comes that way.”

I have got a lot of mileage out of “Frolicking Bears,...” in the past few weeks since reading it. My favorite has to be the one about wife-swapping Cracker-style, but if you want to know how it goes, then you will just have to buy the book and read it yourself. Florida, ya gotta love it!

Reviewed by Elizabeth Neily

drainedall the water off. Place a half stick of unsalted butter in the pan and braze the beans until they are coated with butter and there is a fine light brown juice in the bottom of the pan.

Corn bread stuffing/dressing can be made southern style by using four parts cornbread to one part cold biscuit (never use a light bread). Add chopped onion, celery, and boiled, boned chicken meat to taste. Add one or two eggs just to give it texture and wet it with chicken, or turkey broth until it suites your fancy; dryer makes a better stuffing and soupy (about the consistency of cooked grits) is better for dressing. Place the dressing mixture in a baking pan and bake it like a pie. When a fork inserted in the middle comes out clean, it’s done.

For a tasty cranberry sauce try 1 cup of water, 2 cups sugar, 3 cups fresh berries. Season to taste with ground ginger and cinnamon.

Boil then simmer all ingredients until thicken. Chill over night.l 27

COMMUNITY SPIRIT PARTNER ST. PETERSBURG MUSEUM OF HISTORY

by Jude Bagatti

Did you know St. Petersburg is the home of the world’s very first scheduled airline, not just the first in our country, but the world? Neither did I, until research for this article revealed that unique distinction. And that’s not all it revealed.

Will Michaels, Executive Director, opened my eyes to St. Petersburg’s impressive history. Having relocated from Miami-Dade to Gulfport only three years ago, I admit ignorance of the colorful past of Pinellas County and St. Petersburg, in particular. I recall a long ago visit to Webb’s City.

I’ve acquired cigar boxes from that era, as well as a dish from the former Soreno Hotel. That was the extent of my knowledge of St. Pete nostalgia. Fortunately this museum can fill in the gaps. The first one in St. Petersburg, it was founded by Mary Wheeler Eaton in 1920, and is the third oldest Florida museum.

The current structure, just east of the Museum of Fine Arts, has undergone a $1.5 million expansion in the last couple of years. A new 4,000 sq. ft. North Wing holds offices and a conference room with a bay view, while the added second floor provides off-ground floor protection from flooding for the archives, vintage clothing, flintlock pistol collection and souvenirs from around the world donated by the museum’s benefactors. The changes have created a total space of 22,500 sq. ft. for this flourishing, non-profit museum.

Outside, the statue of the newsboy hawking newspapers stacked on a park bench, is probably the most familiar sight encountered by passing Pier visitors. Inside, an airy lobby and gift shop welcomes patrons to the museum. What lies in store in the maze of rooms will satisfy the most curious tourist and thorough historian. Besides a large room devoted to the airline gallery, there are exhibits of dishes, silverware and artifacts from early hotels, and a display featuring one of St. Petersburg’s many neighborhoods. Every three months a different area of the city is featured. So far this year Driftwood and Historic Kenwood have been spotlighted. The Heritage Gallery focuses on the city’s various nationalities, such as the Scottish Club presently on view.

“The thing I’ve tried to further is a museum that reaches out to all parts of the city and has a history to offer to everyone,” Michaels says. He is enthusiastic about upcoming events for 2006. A Blues Fest will highlight the city’s rich musical heritage of past performers like Diamond Teeth Mary, guitarists Little Juke, Blind Johnny Brown and Sarasota Slim, and harmonica player, T.C. Carr. Ray Charles’ sunglasses will also make an appearance. Another attention-getting event later next year will uncover St. Petersburg’s “Haunted History.”

“I’ve tried to make the connection between history and the present, how history continues to drive and influence the quality of life in St. Pete,” notes Michaels. An example he offers is the work of visionaries of the past who secured the waterfront for future residents. In January, Michaels will retire from his two-year stint at the museum and become a member of its board of trustees. Jessica Ventimiglia, previously with Selby Gardens in Sarasota and the South Florida Museum in Bradenton, will take up where Michaels has so successfully left off.

My thoughts went back to the former first airline schedule.

The city had built a hangar on the south side of the Pier to house the two planes in the “fleet.” From their Yacht Basin base, the open-air planes made two daily flights to Tampa, landing on the Hillsborough River. The planes could hold only one or two passengers. In five months 1200 people made that crossing. The fare was $5.00 and was geared to tourists. I imagined its reprisal. Wouldn’t it be great for traffic-avoiding commuters? And tourists, always looking for new diversions, would flock to the flights for a bird’s-eye view of downtown, the bay and Tampa. I’m afraid we’d have to raise the fare a bit, though.

St. Petersburg Museum of History founder, Mary Wheeler Eaton, standing in front of the airboat Benoist.

Photo courtesy of the museum.

335 Second Avenue NE 727-894-1052 www.stpetemuseumofhistory.org Hours: Monday 12 pm – 7pm; Tuesday thru Saturday 10 am – 5 pm; Sunday 12 pm – 5 pm Admission: $7; Students & Seniors 62 + $5; Children 6 & under free.

Mondays Free to All 5 pm – 7 pm 29

January 14-15 De Land CIVIL WAR ENCAMPMENT at De Leon Springs State Park 9 AM-4:00 PM Union troops raided the spring in 1864. See a typical encampment of the period; how the soldiers drilled; slept; and prepared their meals. Walk the trails once patrolled by union soldiers.

Regular park admission. Contact: donna.collins@dep.state.fl.us

Events & Exhibits January 2006 December 31 & January 1 Bushnell 25th Annual Commemorayive Battle Reenactment at Dade Battlefield Historic State Park. See details page 14.

December 31 St. Petersburg First Night, 97th Regimental String Band. 8:15 PM, St. Petersburg Museum of History, 335 2nd Avenue NE, Phone: 727-8941052 or www.stpetemuseumofhistory.org.

January 7 St. Petersburg “The Green House Coffee House” presents the Michael Southern Band at Sacred Lands. This is bluesy, folk, fusion music with a message by local musicians. Gate opens at 6:30; music begins at 8pm. Coffee, beverages and snacks available. $5.00 in advance; $8.00 at the door. 1700 Park St. N. Contact: doris2648@aol.com or 727 347-0354.

January 20- 22 Brooksville 26th ANNUAL BROOKSVILLE RAID. Biggest and the best Civil War Reenactment in Florida. Lots of sutlers and lots of reenactors. School day on Friday. Two battles- one Sat., one Sun. Ladies tea (the women put a lot into this tea and I have been told it is one of the best anywhere), Blue/Gray Ball Sat night, church Sun. morning. A $2.00 donation to the event will be required for all reenactors and adult family members participating in the Brooksville Raid. A powder ration will be given to the first twenty pre-registered cannons only. Located at the Sand Hill Boy Scout Camp on US Hwy 50, 10 miles West of Brooksville. The entrance is on Hwy 50. Take Hwy. Go through Brooksville - West about 10 miles, and look for the signs. Call (352) 799-0129 or /www. brooksvilleraid.com January 20 & 21 Newberry DUDLEY FARM PLOW DAYS at Dudley Farm Historic State Park. 10AM-2PM Experience farming before mechanization when mules and men worked the fields. Draft horses and mules will be used to plow and disk the fields, preparing them for spring planting. Park admission of $4.00 per vehicle. Contact: 352-472-1142.

January 19 St. Petersburg June Hurley Young, “Saving the Don CeSar” 7PM. (Wine, Cheese, and History Speakers Series) St. Petersburg Museum of History, 335 2nd Avenue NE, Phone: 727-894-1052

January 14-22 Homeland January 20 Avon Park Alafia River Rendezvous. 9AM – 4PM. The is a pre-1840 living Moonshine with a wine tasting, 7:30-9 PM., at the Hotel Jacaranda. history encampment where reenactors set up and live in camps Panel discussion to focus on their importance to Florida’s history portraying and demonstrating life skills of various Early American and economy, as well as their future. Sponsored by MOFAC, locultures, i.e.; British, Irish, Scottish, Spanish and Native American. cated adjacent to the SFCC Auditorium, Highlands Campus, Avon At last years gathering, over 1000 lodges were set up housing well Park. Contact: Mollie Doctrow, curator, 863-453-6661, Ext. 7240. over 1600 people. Traders Row was host to well over a hundred traders selling everything from kettle corn to tents to firearms and January 20-22 St. Petersburg knives, to beads and sarsaparilla to skins and period clothing of all Weekend workshop with author/teacher Dr. Susan Gregg at sorts. Reenactors: Early setup starts Jan. 11. Break down Jan. 22.

Sacred Lands. Building relationships that fulfill our spirit. FriPre-registration: $30/person by Dec. 15 or $35.00 at Gate. Early day evening, Saturday and Sunday Fee: $15.00 Friday evening, Participant Fee: $15.00 by Dec. 15 of $20 at gate. Trader Fee: $100.00 for weekend workshop. $20.00 Saturday ceremony. 1700 $25.00 by Dec. 15 or $35 at Gate. Day Visitors: Friday Jan.20, Park St. N. Contact: doris2648@aol.com or 727 347-0354.

Sat. Jan. 21 Only. 9am - 3pm. Fees: Adults- $6, Children $3, age 3 and under Free. www.floridafrontiersmen.org.

January 27-29 Osprey NATIVE AMERICAN POW WOW at Oscar Scherer State January 13 Avon Park Park. 10AM-6PM. Sponsored by the Mystic Eagle Cultural AsCatfish and Cattle: An Historical and Environmental Perspecsociation. Contact the park at: 941-483-5956 tive 12:30-2 PM, Sponsored by MOFAC, a panel discussion to focus on their importance to Florida’s history and economy, as well January 28 White Springs as their future in room 102, SFCC University Center, Avon Park.

Craft Rendezvous at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center Contact: Mollie Doctrow, curator, 863-453-6661, Ext. 7240 State Park, 10 AM - 4 PM. Florida’s artists demo hand crafts and studio arts. Blacksmithing, pottery, stained glass, basket making, painting, and weaving etc. Call (386) 397-1920 or visit online 30

at www.StephenFosterCSO.org. Park fee.

January 28 Gainesville The Second Annual Floridiana Show and Sale. 9 AM – 3 PM Vendors from around the state will display and sell their unique Florida- themed memorabilia, antiques an souvenirs. Early Bird Special- Friday, January 27th 5 p.m.- 7 p.m. and Saturday, January 28thth 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. $6 Admission. Come early while the vendors are setting up! 513 East University Avenue, Gainesville, Florida 32601 (Additional parking located across the street at the Kirby Smith School Board. Contact: Eloise Pinto, Event Coordinator, Matheson Museum. Phone: 352-378-2280.

January 28 Largo Pinellas Folk Festival. 10 AM-4:30 PM Annual celebration features traditional Florida folk music, storytelling, and pioneer crafts performed by skilled artisans. Special guests at this year’s festival will include author Patrick Smith and artist Guy LaBree. Heritage Village at Pinewood Cultural Park. 11909 125th St. Phone: 727582-2123 or www.pinellascounty.org/heritage/default.htm.

February 3-5 Big Cypress Reservation Kissimmee Slough Shootout & Rendezvous. 9am – 5pm. Ah-TahThi-Ki Museum. Event features a wide array of period and tribal vendors featuring a variety of historically inspired merchandise, unique gifts and native taste treats. Southeastern tribal dances and old time contests serve as a background for the main event, a Historic Battle Reenactment. Free with Museum admission: $6 adults, $4 children and seniors, under 6 free. Directions: Take I-75/Alligator Alley to exit 49, then 17 miles north. Phone: 863-902-1113.

February 3- 5 Mt. Dora Renningers/Townsend Battle. Two Civil War battles. 100 acres to camp and fight on. Living history exhibits, folk music, weaponry demonstrations, authentic camps, ladies tea, Sunday church service, and sutlers. Cash prize for largest unit and best drills. Dress ball with 97th Regimental String Band. Full scale artillery, cavalry, and soldiers in period dress and weaponry. Cavalry wanted. Bounty paid for artillery and cavalry. This event is North of Orlando on Hwy 441 just a couple of miles from Mt. Dora. As you start down the big hill, look for the Renningers flea market and battle sign on East side of road. If you are coming down the FL Turnpike, get off at the new North Apopka exit #267A on the new 429 toll road then turn north on Hwy. 441 and follow the directions above. Contact Wayne Vaughnggvghn@cs.com. Sutlers contact Fred Jakobson at csarooster@adelphia.net February 4 St. Petersburg The Coffee House in the Greenhouse with Elaine Silver at Sacred Lands. Metaphysical music by musician Elaine Silver.

1700 Park St. N. Follow the driveway off to the left, park in the gravel topped parking lot and enter the gate marked Sacred Lands at the south end of the parking lot. Contact: doris2648@aol.com or 727 347-0354.

February 9-12 Hollywood 35th Annual Seminole Tribal Fair. Features competitive Native American PowWow and entertainment, Seminole culture, arts, crafts and food. Hard Rock Live located at the Seminole Hard Rock

Hotel & Casino. Admission: Adults $10, Children $3, Seniors $5 or 3-day pass: Adults $25, Children $7, Seniors $12. Directions: Take 441 (State Road 7) to Stirling Road. (954) 797-5570.

Feb. 10-11 Estero GHOST WALK at Koreshan State Historic Site. Tours last one hour and are limited to 30 people. Meet the Koreshans of the past and learn about how they lived in the early 1900s. Evening Fee is $10 per person, reservations are required. Contact: 239-992-0311.

February 10-12 Bradenton Singing River Rendezvous. Pre-1840 Living History Event. Camp Flying Eagle, 16009 Upper Manatee River Rd., off SR 60. Contact: Karon Lamb 941-746-2399 or 941-720-4181.

February 9-12 Charlotte Harbor 10th annual Florida Frontier Days festival. The popular historical festival features pioneer artisans and demonstrators, traditional entertainment, old-fashioned games, fun hands-on activities and delicious frontier-style food. Trades people, demonstrators and storytellers from around the state will demonstrate and sell an array of pioneer trades and crafts, from wood carving to weaving. Pioneer food such as swamp cabbage, hamburgers, hotdogs, ice cream, and kettle corn. Open Thursday and Friday, February 9-10, from 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m., and Saturday, February 11 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Admission is just $3 for adults and $2 for children 12 and under.

Sponsored by Charlotte County Historical Center and located at Bayshore Live Oak Park. Contact: Debra February 10- 12 Key West 20th annual Civil War Heritage Days at Ft. Taylor State Historical Site, a Union held fortress (one of three in Florida). It served as headquarters for the Union Navy’s East Gulf Coast Blockade Squadron. Parade down the world famous Duval Street to Fort Taylor, artillery and infantry demos, period crafts, land/sea battle, period ball, court trial of captured blockade runner and skirmish on the beach. No registration fee but sutlers need to call in advance.

Primitive tent and dry RV camping is available. Directions: US 1 south to mile marker 0 and turn left on Southard Street. Turn Left and follow the signs to Ft. Taylor State Historical Site. Sutlers and reenactors contact Maj. Brass at nbforrest10@juno.com. Information and on-line registration is available at http://www.forttaylor. org/hfest.html or by telephoning Park Service Specialist Harry Smid at 305-292-6850.

February 17 & 19 Tallahassee Tallahassee Colonial Faire, 18th Century. 9am to 4pm Public Admission: Visitors dressed in correct Colonial attire - no charge.

Adults-$5. Under 12 free.10610 Centerville Road,across from Bradley’s Country Store approx. 12 miles north of Capitol Circle.

Contact: 850-386-8506 or www.tallahasseetradefaire.com.

February 18-19 Naples NATIVE AMERICAN AND PIONEER FESTIVAL at CollierSeminole State Park. See page 14 for details.

February 17-19 O l u s t e e The Battle of Olustee and Living History at Olustee Battlefield State Historic Site, Olustee, Florida. Battles Saturday and Sunday.

Full scale artillery only. Get there early. The crowd gets big fast, 31

sign-in and parking can be a hassle. The battlefield is located just fifteen miles east of Lake City on Hwy. 90from I-75 and 50 miles west of Jacksonville. Take I-75 to Hwy. 90 exit. Goeast on Hwy. 90. Drive slow, the signs at the entrance for reenactors have been small and hard to see in the past. Contact the Olustee Battlefield Historic Site at (386) 758-0400. olusteecso@yahoo.com February 20-26 Gainesville Southeastern Regional NAI and ALHFAM Workshop and Meeting “From Parchment to PCs , Discover with Research, Deliver with Resources”. The National Association for Interpretation (NAI) and the Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums (ALHFAM) will have an overlapping 2006 Southeastern Regional Workshop and Meeting. Building on the theme, From Parchment to PCs, the two organizations will explore the evolution and application of research toward interpreting museum offerings and living history. Concurrent tracks will be offered in administration and education, development and planning, and other topics of interest to museums and interpretive sites. Contact: Angela Yau 352-334-3327 or yauaf@cityofgainesville.org February 24, 25 & 26 Micanopy ANNUAL KNAP-IN & PRIMITIVE ARTS FESTIVAL at Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park. Celebrate artistry that stretches back thousands of years with the Friends of Paynes Prairie hosted, 9th Annual Knap-In and Primitive Arts Festival. Come learn how early people lived and worked by participating in demonstrations of flint knapping, the art of projectile point fashioning; deer hide brain tanning; and bone, wood, and antler carving, bow and arrow construction, basket weaving, early pottery, beadwork and more. The festival is the kick-off to Archeology Month in March and facilitates a connection to our cultural heritage. Paynes Prairie has a rich history of man interfacing with nature and its resources for over 12,000 years. Close to 100 vendors and demonstrators will be attending. Atlatl throwing and primitive bow competitions are scheduled, plus an auction. $4.00 per vehicle Call 352-466-3397.

February 25-26 Dunnellon CRACKER WEEKEND AND NATIVE PLANT SALE at Rainbow Springs State Park. AM-4PM This is an opportunity to learn how the settlers of that time lived, performed their daily chores and enjoyed themselves. Corn grinding, soap making, basket-weaving are just some of the demonstrations. A cracker cow camp and a homestead will be set up and the star of the show, the cowpony will perform. Country music will be provided by Shade Pickers, Front Porch and Florida Park Service’s own Bill Robeson throughout the two days. located on S.W. 180th Avenue Road about two miles north of County Road 484 and two miles south of State Road 40. $1.00 park entrance fee. Call 352-465-8555.

February 25 Largo Florida African American Heritage Celebration 11 AM-5:30 PM Join us in celebrating African American culture through art, music, dance, storytelling, historical presentations, ethnic food, and interactive family activities. Heritage Village at Pinewood Cultural Park. 11909 125th St. Phone: 727-582-2123 or www.pinellascounty. org/heritage/default.htm.

February 25 St. Petersburg The second weekend Toltec teaching with Sheri Rosenthal. Another 32

perspective on the Toltec teachings of Don Miguel Ruiz by one of his more recent apprentices. Call for times and costs. Entrance to Sacred Lands events is at 1700 Park St. N. Enter the gate marked Sacred Lands at the south end of the parking lot. Contact Doris: doris2648@aol.com or 727 347-0354.

February 18 St. Petersburg Saturday AM Coffee Break/Book Nook by the Bay, 10am-1pm, The Pier Aquarium special activity and refreshments, second floor, 800 Second Ave. NE. Phone: 727-443-7993, www.pieraquarium. org.

February 24- 26 Fort De Soto Park, Pinellas County Sixth Annual “The Battle of Ballast Point”. 10 AM-5PM. The 97th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Re-enactment Regiment, in cooperation with the Pinellas County Parks Department and Fort DeSoto Park, will host an American Civil War Weekend Encampment and Historical Battle Reenactment at the Fort De Soto Park located in Tierra Verde on the Southern-most tip of Pinellas County, Florida. On Friday, the camps will be open for tours by elementary schools. Historical battle re-enactment each afternoon at 1PM. period sutlers and vendors, a mock military trial and execution, artillery demonstrations, infantry drills, ladies afternoon tea, drum and fife music performances and civil war medical demonstrations.

Limited number of modern camping spaces will be available on a first contact, first served basis. Contact event host for your reservation now because modern campers showing up on the day of the event without a reservation will not be allowed to camp. The 97th PA will provide firewood, hay, and ice. Reenactors are encouraged to arrive on Friday the 25th and participate in our ‘school day’ program. Participating units and artillery contact event host in advance of the event. There will be a $50 cash bounty for the first four artillery units with a cannon (two Union, two Confederate) that participate at the event. No fee for sutlers, but limited spaces. Take I-275 south (St. Petersburg). Keep going south on I-275, all the way past the Tropicana Field. Watch for the brown, Ft. De Soto Park signs. Exit at 54th Ave. South, and you want to be going westbound on the fly over at the 54th Ave. S. exit. Keep going west thru the first toll booth. Make a left turn onto Pinellas Bayway South. It’s at the 2nd light, and look for the brown, Ft. De Soto Park signs again. Keep going south thru the next toll booth until you get to the Giant American Flag. At the Flag, turn right, and go about 1 mile to the fort which will be on your left. For more information and to pre-register for the event, contact David Glenn, Event Coordinator at coa_97thpa@hotmail.com or write to: 97th Pennsylvania Vol. Inf., Fort De Soto Committee, 14172 Sharon Drive, Largo, Florida, 33774. www.angelfire.com/pa5/97pavolinf/2006fortdesoto.html March 4 Homosassa Homosassa Heritage Day at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. 10 AM-4 PM. Exhibits and programs in the Florida Room at the Visitor Center on the history of the park and the Homosassa area. Former employees, their families and anyone interested in the heritage of the park and this area are invited to attend. Historical photos will be on display and throughout the wildlife park. Former employees may register as Homosassa Heritage Keepers and will receive a pass for free park admission on this date. Film showings & Florida Room activities are free. Regular park admission into the Wildlife Park. Contact: 352-628-5343.

March 4-5 W o o d v i l l e Battle of Natural Bridge at Natural Bridge State Historic Site This battle is held on the original battlefield located 12 miles south of Tallahassee. Federal reenactors needed. Sponsored by the Florida Park Service, Natural Bridge Historical Society and the Leon Rifles.

No modern campsites provided. No fee for reenactors. Saturday night ball. Hay and water are available. Free meal Saturday evening. Military and civilian demos. Skirmish on Saturday and battle on Sunday. Registration open at 1pm Friday. Due to the size of the site, no mounted troops. Artillery invitation only. Take I-10 to Tallahassee, exit onto US 27 (North Monroe Street-Exit 199) where you will travel south of US 27 (Monroe Street) until you reach the Florida Capitol. At this junction, US 27 will turn to the left.

Do not continue on US 27, Travel south on Monroe Street. which becomes Woodville Highway. At Woodville, turn left on Natural Bridge Road, go 6 miles to park located at where the paved road ends. Contact Mark Rominger m_rominger@yahoo.com or Chris Ellrich at cellrich@hotmail.com Phone: 850-922-6007.

March 4 St. Augustine “The Sack of St. Augustine: Capt. Robert Searle’s Raid of 1668.” In 1668, Capt. Robert Searle and his privateers sailed from Jamaica to loot the silver ingots held in the royal coffers at St. Augustine, Florida. Under cover of night, they slipped into the harbor and attacked the sleeping town. Join in a weekend of 17th-century pike and shot drill, culminating in Saturday evening’s annual reenactment of Searle’s raid in Old Towne San Agustin, site of the original attack. Focus is on accurate, historical impressions, historically-accurate, 17th-century garb and gear are required for participation in this event. There will be a 17th-century-style encampment at the Fountain of Youth Park. Contact: info@searlesbuccaneers.org.

March 3-4 White Springs Suwanee Storytelling Festival at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. Enjoy storytellers of international reputation telling tales of Florida history, ghost stories, family yarns, and much more! Workshops, story swaps, concerts, and special events for children. Fees vary. Call 386-397-4462.

March 4 Tampa Adult Forensic Science Program - CSI: Tampa, 9 AM-noon.

Apply science to cracking a case. Gather evidence from a crime scene. Discover how fingerprints, hair and fiber samples, a drop of blood, or a footprint can connect a suspect to a crime. Analyze clues from the crime scene, and use DNA fingerprinting to help in the criminal investigation. Explore actual and fictional case studies from TV programs such as CSI and Without a Trace. Participants must be 18 or older. Wear comfortable clothing that can get messy.

Fees: Members $30, Nonmembers $40. MOSI 4801 E. Fowler Ave. Phone: (813) 987-6000 or www.mosi.org.

March 5 Ellenton 46th Annual Open House at Gamble Plantation Historic State Park. 10 AM - 4 PM. Visit and tour the only remaining antebellum mansion in South Florida. Period costumes, music and folk demonstrations highlight a delightful afternoon at the 1850’s plantation site. Hosted in co-operation with the United Daughters of the Confederacy. Free. Contact: 941-723-4536.

March 11-12

High Springs LENO HERITAGE DAYS at O’Leno State Park. 9 AM-5 PM. Step back into the 1800’s when the town of Leno thrived. Cracker cow camps, civil war camps, and Seminole Indian camps along with demonstrations by blacksmiths, candle makers, quilters and weavers just to name a few. Lots of food, fun and music for the whole family. Fees: 1 can of food per person to be donated to a local social service center. 410 S.E. Oleno Park Road. Call 386-454-1853 March 11 Bradenton Founder’s Day. 10 AM - 4 PM. Join 16th Century reenactors from Calderon Company and park staff to celebrate the 58th Anniversary of the founding of De Soto National Memorial. Living History programs in Camp Uzita. Free. Located at the end of 75th Street NW. Phone: (941) 792-0458 March 18 & 19 Ft. Myers FLYWHEELERS ANTIQUE ENGINE SHOW at Koreshan State Historic Site. 9 AM-5PM Dozens of antique engines of all types, cars, tractors and gadgets will be on display throughout the historic settlement. Park entry fee. Located on U.S. 41 at Corkscrew Road. Contact: (239) 992.0311 March 18 & 19 Inverness FORT COOPER DAYS at Fort Cooper State Park. See Page 14 for details.

March 18 Largo World War II Salute. 10 AM-4 PM. Honor those who served their country during World War II, whether in the military or on the home front. Enjoy a USO Revue and swing dancing; meet “President Roosevelt;” watch a military fashion show; memorabilia; and mingle with Allied and Axis re-enactors. Heritage Village at Pinewood Cultural Park. 11909 125th St. Phone: 727-582-2123 or www.pinellascounty.org/heritage/default.htm.

March 18 & 19 Naples 17th Annual Old Florida Festival. 10 AM-5 PM. The Friends of the Collier County Museum postponed this event due to Hurricane Wilma! Step back 10,000 years in time to visit with Calusa Indians, Spanish Conquistadors, Revolutionary War Soldiers, Pioneer Craft demos & mouth-watering food. Adults $5, Students $2, Children under 8 - Free. County Courthouse Complex, 3301 Tamiami Trail East. Phone 239-774-8476 or www.colliermuseum.com.

March 18 St. Petersburg CGCAS Archaeology Day at the Science Center 10 AM-4PM. Indian Village operated with ancient Indian re-enactors, Native American vendors and entertainers, and Dr. Albert Goodyear, world renowned archaeologist to speak at 1:00 PM on “Evidence for Clovis and Pre-Clovis human habitation in the Southeast”.

March 24-26

St. Cloud The13th Annual Battle at Narcoossee Mill. Battlefield is on 150 acres of open and wooded land on the shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga. No sutler or re-enactor fees. Friday education day at 9:00AM; re-enactors are needed to provide demonstrations. Ladies tea and military ball on Saturday. Take Hwy 192 (Irlo Bronson Hwy) to Hwy 15. Go 2mi North on Hwy 15, look for the park sign. From 33

the North take I-4 to the toll road 528 (Beeline Expressway) go east and get off on Hwy 15 exit (Narcoossee Road) go South on Hwy 15. From the Florida Turnpike, get off at exit #244 and go east on Hwy 192 through St. Cloud, then turn North on Hwy 15 (Narcoossee Road). Contact the SCV Camp hotline at 407-9317003.

March 31-April 1 Perry 14TH ANNUAL FLORIDA STATE BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL at Forest Capital Museum State Park Enjoy music, food, crafts and festivities. Bring your lawn chairs or blankets. No pets.

Admission is free.C ontact the Perry-Taylor County Chamber of Commerce at 850-584-5366

Courtesy of the Semnole Tribe of Florida

EXHIBITS

ORANGE COUNTY REGIONAL HISTORY CENTER Through March 5 QUILTS AS TEXTS: Storytelling with Fabric and Pixels Embedded in the quilt top, fabric patches are relays, time pathways to stories and memories of their former owners. Reflect on these stories and trace a path of connection between oral traditions, storytelling, folklore, and the preservation of cultural memory and history in this exclusive exhibit that mixes traditional quilts with the dynamics of the digital age. Interactive display titled the “Digital Story Quilt” will allow patrons to participate in the creation of a virtual community quilt that immediately becomes part of this dynamic and interactive exhibit.

January 19 through April 16 FLORIDA’S HIGHWAYMEN: Legendary Landscapes Captivating visitors through bold strokes of dramatic color depicting Florida’s backcountry; this retrospective exhibition will display over 65 original oil paintings.

January 21 through April 16 THIS OLD HOUSE: Historic or Just Old? Explore how to discover the history of your house using some of the most fascinating resources in the Historical Society collection, plus a little luck.

January 22 through July 23 THE MOTORCYCLE IN FLORIDA: The Road Starts Here.

To learn more about motorcycles in Florida, A photography exhibit entitled to coincide with The Art of the Motorcycle exhibit hosted by the Orlando Museum of Art. The Motorcycle in Florida will feature select archival photographs and postcards from The History Center’s archives.

March 3 through May 7 FLORIDA’S FAVORITE PASTTIMES: The Central Florida Fair Collection, 1940-1975. Take a stroll down memory lane and see memorabilia from one of Florida’s favorite pastimes . . . the Central Florida Fair.

March 11 through June 25 TRAINING AND RELAXING: Baseball, Fishing, and Sporting in Florida. Since the 1800s, springtime has been a time for Florida sports enthusiasts.

Phone: 407-836-7046 OR www.thehistorycenter.org

ON-GOING NATURE PROGRAMS

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January-March St. Petersburg FISH-ful Saturday and Spa Beach Splash at The Pier Aquarium. Family fun marine discovery day at Education Station and Spa Beach, Call for dates and times. 800 Second Ave. NE. Phone: 727-443-7993.

ST. PETERSBURG MUSEUM OF HISTORY 335 2nd Avenue NE, Phone: 727-894-1052 www.stpetemuseumofhistory.org.

Thru Jan 6 Antique Holiday Train Show

January-March St. Petersburg Guided Hike Through Ecosystems Family Night Hike - Explore Night Life Photography Hike - Seasonal Features And Natural Beauty At Weedon Island Preserve The Great Weedon Bird Quest - A Hike For All Bird Enthusiasts!

Weedon Island Preserve. Call to Register:727-453 - 6500.

Jan 15-May 30 Diamond Teeth Mary Blues Exhibit

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February Black Women: Achievement Against Odds Exhibit

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South Florida Community College MUSEUM OF FLORIDA ART AND CULTURE January 28 Catfish, Moonshine, Cattle on the Peavine: Surviving on Florida’s Last Frontier. The work of pioneer families around Lake Okeechobee are depicted through photographs, original art, demonstrations, and video, Avon Park.

February 2-23 Big Cypress Group Show Images from the Big Cypress National Preserve, featuring the photography Jeff Ripple, woodcuts of Mollie Doctrow, oil paintings of Natalie Salminen, and watercolors of Cathy Futral.

March 1-31 Stephanie Birdsall Exhibit Plein-air painter captures the color and light in her landscapes of Florida’s marshes, swamps, and prairies.

Adjacent to the SFCC Auditorium, Highlands Campus, 600 West College Drive, Avon Park. Contact Mollie Doctrow, curator, MOFAC, (863)453-6661, Ext. 7240 .

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Community Spirit Partners CUSTOM LOCATORS USA 2322 Hercala Lane, HERNANDO, FL 34442 352-560-0056

THE PIRATE HAUS INN 32 Treasury Street, St. Augustine, F 32084 904-808-1999 www.piratehaus.com

DUNNELLON AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 20500 E. Pennsylvania Avenue, Dunnellon, FL 34432 1-800-830-2087 www.dunnellonchamber.org

WILCOX NURSERY & GARDEN SHOP 12501 Indian Rocks Road, Largo, FL 33744 727-595-2073 www.wilcoxnursery.com

GREAT OUTDOORS PUBLISHING CO. 4747 28th Street N., St. Petersburg, FL 33714 info@floridabooks.com

AD SPACE AVAILABLE Email: tocobaga@verizon.net

FLORIDA FRONTIER GAZETTE MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTION or RENEWAL FORM ___ INDIVIDUAL - $12.00 per year - 4 quarterly issues mailed to your home. Every little bit helps us keep it going. ___ COMMUNITY SPIRIT PARTNERS (not-for-profit) - $50.00 per year - 100 each quarterly issues to distribute to your patrons for FREE! Visitation and/or upcoming events may be promoted by purchasing ad space. ___ COMMUNITY SPIRIT BUSINESS PARTNERS - $50.00 - $500 per year. 4 quarterly listings with Business Name,

Address, Phone Number, and Website. 1/4 to Full Page Ad Space available. ___ COMMUNITY SPIRIT CORPORATE PARTNERS - $500 - $10,000 per year. - Logo with Business Name, Address,

Phone Number, and Website on an individual page of the magazine. 1/4 to Full Page Ad Space available in Full Color.

Name:_________________________________ or

Community Spirit Partner or Business:____________________________

Address:____________________________________________City:_________________________State:_______Zip:_______ Phone:(_____)_________________E-mail:__________________________Website:__________________________________ Membership $______________ Display Ad $______________ Total amount enclosed $______________

Please make checks payable to FLORIDA FRONTIERS, 5409 21st Avenue S., Gulfport, FL, 33707.

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Community Spirit Partners AMERICAN WATERSKI EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION 1251 Holy Cow Road, Polk City, FL 33868 863-324-2472 www.waterskihalloffame

NATIVE EARTH CULTURAL CENTER AT INDIAN STUFF 1064 4th Street N, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-821-8186 www.orgsites.com/fl/ourstory

CENTRAL GULF COAST ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY P.O. Box 9507, Treasure Island, FL 33740 www.fasweb.org/chapters/warmmineralsprings.htm

ORANGE COUNTY REGIONAL HISTORY CENTER 65 East Central Boulevard, Orlando, Florida 32801 407-836-8500 www.thehistorycenter.org

COLLIER COUNTY MUSEUM 3301 Tamiami Trail East, Naples, FL 34112 941-774-8476 www.colliermuseum.org

PANAMA CANAL MUSEUM 7985 113th Street, Suite 100,Seminole, FL 33772 727-394-9338 www.panamacanalmuseum.org

DUNEDIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM 349 Main Street, Dunedin, FL 34697 727-736-1176 www.ci.dunedin.fl.us/dunedin/historical-society

PAST TYMES (Living History Educators) 745 N.E. 117 St., Biscayne Park, FL 33161 305-895-7317 www.pasttymeproductions.com

FLORIDA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY SW 34th St. & Hull Rd. Gainesville FL 32611 352-846-2000 www.flmnh.ufl.edu

PENSACOLA HISTORICAL SOCIETY 117 E. Government Street, Pensacola, FL 32502 850-434-5455 www.pensacolahistory.org

GAMBLE PLANTATION PRESERVATION ALLIANCE 3708 Patten Avenue, Ellenton, Florida 34222 www.floridastateparks.org/gambleplantation

THE PIER AQUARIUM 800 2nd Avenue NE, St. Petersburg, FL 33701 727-895-7437 www.pieraquarium.org

THE HERITAGE MUSEUM 115 Westview Ave., Valparaiso, FL 32580 850-678-2615 www.heritage-museum.org

RANDELL RESEARCH CENTER PO Box 608, Pineland, FL 33945 239-283-2062 www.flmnh.ufl.edu/sflarch/pineland.htm

HERITAGE VILLAGE AT PINEWOOD CULTURAL PARK 11909 125th Street N., Largo, FL 33774 727-582-2123

SACRED LANDS PRESERVATION & EDUCATION 1620 Park Street N., St. Petersburg, FL 33710 727-347-0354 www.sacredlandspreservationandeducation.org

www.pinellascounty.org/heritage/default.htm HISTORIC FLORIDA MILITIA (Living History Groups) 42 Spanish Street, St. Augustine, FL 32084 904-829-9792 www.historicfloridamilitia.org INDIAN ROCKS BEACH HISTORICAL SOCIETY P.O. Box 63, Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785 727-593-3861 www.indian-rocks-beach.com/historical_ society.html/ MATHESON MUSEUM 513 E. University Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32601 352-378-2280 www.mathesonmuseum.org MUSEUM OF FLORIDA ART & CULTURE at SFCC 600 West College Drive, Avon Park, FL 33825-9356 863-784-7240 www.mofac.org

ST. PETERSBURG MUSEUM OF HISTORY 335 Second Avenue NE, St. Peterburg, FL 33707 727-894-1052 www.stpetemuseumofhistory.org TAMPA BAY HISTORY CENTER 225 S. Franklin Street, Tampa, FL 33602 813-228-0097 www.tampabayhistorycenter.org THE TRAIL OF THE LOST TRIBES Toll Free - 877-621-6805 www.trailofthelosttribes.org WARM MINERAL SPRINGS/ LITTLE SALT SPRING ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY P.O. Box 7797, North Port, FL 34287 www.fasweb.org/chapters/warmmineralsprings.htm

Join the team for only $50.00 a year.

Details on page 35.

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