Blog
A life marked by tragedy; the Florida Territory’s fourth governor
Robert Raymond Reid, the Florida Territory’s fourth governor, was appointed by President Martin Van Buren in December 1839. He presided over the convention that drafted Florida’s first constitution. Also, he was a strong advocate for the prosecution of the Second...
Florida Territory’s third governor was the third-largest slaveholder in the county
Richard Keith Call was appointed governor of the Florida Territory on March 16, 1836, by President Andrew Jackson. He served until President Martin Van Buren replaced him on December 2, 1839, due to a dispute with the Federal authorities over their assistance during...
Florida’s second Territorial Governor was the youngest U. S. Senator in history.
John Henry Eaton, born June 18, 1790, Florida’s second Territorial Governor, was a politician and diplomat originally from Tennessee. At 28 and 4 months and 29 days, he was elected to the United States Senate. Today he remains the youngest U. S. Senator in history. A...
William Pope Duval; Florida’s first civilian Territorial Governor
Appointed by President James Monroe, on March 10, 1821, Andrew Jackson was Florida’s first military governor to organize the first territorial government. Jackson accepted the appointment on the condition he could resign as soon as a territorial government was...
Hillman Bridge and Governor George F. Drew
Located in the once-thriving small sawmill town of Ellaville, Florida, sits the Hillman Bridge. The town was also known for a manufacturing center which along, with the sawmill, were own by George Franklin Drew, Florida’s twelfth governor from January 2, 1877, to...
Jacksonville’s Ford Assembly Plant once hummed now sits abandoned
We’ve all heard the story of how Henry Ford started Ford Motor Company, at least I think most have. For those who haven’t, Ford with $28,000 in cash from investors, two of which were John and Horace Dodge, started Ford Motor Company on June 16, 1903. Between 1903 and...
Richmond Hotel famous for the great African American artists
Built-in 1909, the Richmond Hotel was located in the LaVilla neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. It operated as a hub for prominent black residents and celebrities such as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday. In 1942 the Jacksonville...
Governor William Dunn Moseley’s
Born at his family’s home “Moseley Hall” in Lenoir County, North Carolina, on February 1, 1795, he was of English ancestry with long roots in America. William Moseley, who came in 1649 and built Greenwich, Virginia near Norfolk on the Elizabeth River, was a distant...
Burdines – “The Florida Store”
Henry Payne and William M. Burdine opened their first store “Payne and Burdine” on April 22, 1896, in Bartow, Florida, as a carriage-trade shop, for the well-to-do in Polk county. The building was a two-story structure located on the corner of Main Street and Central...
All that remains is an abandoned bathhouse
White Sulfur Springs originally was a sacred meeting ground for the Apalachee and Timucuan tribes. Later it became known as “Florida’s Original Tourist Destination.” With beliefs that the sulfuric water had medicinal powers, the opposing tribes set aside their...
The history of Bellamy Bridge; even a ghost story
For hundreds of years, the Bellamy Bridge had been used as a crossing point on the upper Chipola River. Before the Battle of Upper Chipola in March 1881, the people of the Lower Creek town of Ekanachatte used the area along the west side of the river as a hiding place...
World of Orchids; one too many hurricanes
A 1,000 foot-long boardwalk that trails off into the wetlands around Kissimmee, Florida is all that remains of the World of Orchids. Home to thousands of orchids, many of which were rare and unusual was scheduled to open to the public in 1992. Hurricane Andrew changed...