VOLUME 5 ISSUE 21
$2
MAY 24 - MAY 30, 2024
The history—and mystery—of East Hall What is now the home of the Marion County Museum of History & Archaeology once was a school for troubled young girls and had an ‘isolation box’ in the basement.
Local therapy dog team “level up” in their quest to bring comfort to the afflicted
Photos By Bruce Ackerman Ocala Gazette
Bella’s vest [Supplied] Clockwise from left: East Hall, the former location of the Florida Industrial School for Girls isolation and detention facility, is shown in Ocala on Thursday, May 9, 2024. George Albright, the Marion County Tax Collector, whose great grandmother, Mary E. “Miss Molly” Martin, was a house mother at the Florida Industrial School For Girls, explores the pitch black “solitary sweatbox” in the basement. Historic Marion County Courthouse seats from the 1907 courthouse are shown with the low door to the pitch black “solitary sweatbox” shown at left, in the basement of East Hall in Ocala on Thursday, May 9, 2024.
By Marian Rizzo Correspondent
A
spirit of the past lurks inside East Hall, home of the Marion County Museum of History & Archaeology. Besides the proliferation of age-old artifacts that grace the walls and showcases, shadows of the people who once walked the halls still linger there. Stop for a moment and listen. Subtle whispers speak of troubled lives and the struggle to earn a fresh start. Nearly 100 years ago, East Hall became part of the Industrial School for Girls, established by the Florida legislature to provide training and guidance to girls sent there because they had either gotten into trouble or were victims of abuse or neglect. The school first opened in 1915 in a home near the current Cascades office complex in southeast Ocala and was moved in 1917 to what is now the McPherson Complex. Besides East Hall
there was a dining hall, a classroom building, several dorms, a chapel, and even a swimming pool—all nestled within a grove of oaks, dogwoods and pecan trees. The dorms were outfitted with cots and a desk, with each dorm having its own house mother. Among them was Mary E. “Miss Molly” Martin, the great-grandmother of Marion County Tax Collector George Albright and grandmother of award-winning journalist/ radio personality Buddy Martin. Designed by architect Frank Parazile, the East Hall’s red brick building was built in 1936 as part of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s “New Deal-aided Projects, financed with a Public Works Administration grant of $27,000 that was matched by the state at 45% to 55% to bring the total up to $65,660. Several local contractors were involved in the construction of the Industrial School, including Marion Hardware, Ocala Lumber and Lake Weir Sand Company. In the beginning, the girls were
between 9 and 17 years of age. The age requirement later was changed to ages 12 to 17. In addition to traditional academics, the girls studied home economics and vocational classes such as office work, dental assistance, beauty culture and library services. They also were required to do chores, such as cleaning, laundry and yard work. “A regular school curriculum was taught,” said Price Landrum, a historian and trustee at the museum. “The classes were supposed to prepare the girls to take their places in the community as productive citizens. At some point, I think they were considered pupils of the Marion County school system, but I’m not sure what kind of diplomas they got.” The school operated on a point system. The girls needed to acquire a certain number of points to get released, said Landrum. “If they misbehaved or ran away, points were taken away,” he said. “Most of the See East, page A3
Mayors in the house OPD welcomes “home” six mayors to reminisce about their time in office. By Jennifer Hunt Murty jennifer@ocalagazette.com
W Gerald Ergle, who served as Mayor of Ocala from 2001-2005, third from left, gets greeted by Ocala Police Chief Mike Balken, second from left, as former Ocala Mayors, Wayne Rubinas (1980-1988), left, and Kent Guinn (2011-2023), right, look. on with Ocala’s current Mayor, Ben Marciano, second from right, during the Ocala Mayors Meeting at the Ocala Police Department in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, May 22, 2024. [Bruce Ackerman/ Ocala Gazette] 2024.
hen Ocala Police Department Chief Michael Balken asked this morning at OPD’s community room, “If I can get all of the mayors upfront,” six people, including Ocala’s current mayor and five predecessors, sat down to discuss their experience leading the city. The mayors gathered at OPD at the suggestion of former Mayor Gerald Ergle. Wayne L. Rubinas, a lawyer, who served as mayor from 1980 to 1988, drove to the event from his home in Tallahassee. His wife and all his children See Mayors, page A2
By Andy Fillmore andy@ocalagazette.com
K
athy Graham and Bella, her nearly 4-year-old standard poodle and personal medical dog, have brought comfort and joy to scores of residents and patients at area facilities, including Hospice of Marion County, as a therapy dog team. Now, Graham and Bella are taking their soothing ways to another level. The duo recently completed the higher level of training in Gainesville and have been certified by the Eugene, Oregon-based HOPE Animal-Assisted Crisis Response organization as a crisis response handler and dog team for the southeast U.S. region. Graham explained she and Bella have been getting outfitted with necessary identification materials and the team should be ready to accept their initial deployment in 10 days or less. Bella has served for over three years as a therapy dog--one year of service as a therapy dog is a prerequisite to become a HOPE A-ACR team dog-visiting 16 area facilities including Hospice of Marion County, assisted living and memory care facilities. Graham said while visiting local facilities, she has heard many shouts of “Here’s Bella” and seen lots of smiles from residents and patients. “Patients and residents don’t forget Bella,’’ she said. “If a patient is having a bad day, their whole demeanor changes when they see Bella.” Burnett Gamba, director of communications for Hospice of Marion County, issued a press release about the accomplishment of their longtime volunteer therapy team. “(Graham and Bella) are the first to be certified (for HOPE A-ACR) in Marion County. The Animal-Assisted Crisis Response Team is a higher level of training and a national program with teams that are deployed by designated region,” Gamba wrote. HOPE A-ACR teams are part of a nationwide network of perhaps 300 specially trained and certified dog and handler teams in seven regional zones. The teams work with local and national agencies like the Red Cross,FEMA, emergency management and school districts to deploy to crisis See Bella, page A10
READ DAILY NEWS AT OCALAGAZETTE.COM
INSIDE:
Bus Crash Memorial.................... A4 OPD Press Conference................ A5 Seniors and Higher Education.... A9 Puzzles............................................. B4 Calendar......................................... B5
Subscribers will receive their paper through USPS on the USPS schedule. Subscription orders must be received by 5 pm on Tuesday in order to be included in the following week’s delivery. Starting at $10/month ocalagazette.com/subscribe