WCHS to feature Robert Buccellato, author of Florida Governors: Lasting Legacies.

Wakulla County Historical Society Second Tuesday Program
February 10, 7:00 PM, Wakulla County Public Library

The Wakulla County Historical Society’s February 10 program features Robert Buccellato, author of a new book entitled Florida Governors: Lasting Legacies.  This 128 page book with 194 photographs will be released by Arcadia Publishing on February 2.  “Florida has a rich and diverse history, with a wealth of exciting events and colorful characters that form a brilliant narrative for any lover of history,” Buccellato said.  Highlights of this book include a foreword by Governor Wayne Mixon, new insights into forgotten figures of Florida’s past, and 200 years of Florida history covered in one book.  The Historical Society will have these books available for sale at the February 10 meeting and in the Old Jail Gift Shop in the WCHS Museum & Archives.

Robert Buccellato, 28, is a noted historian of the Florida governorship and the authorized biographer of Governor Wayne Mixon.  His second book on the Life and Politics of Florida’s 39^th Governor will be released by The History Press in August 2015.  He is a graduate of Florida State University and lives in Crawfordville with his wife Stephanie.

Wayne Mixon served as lieutenant governor during the Bob Graham administration and became Florida’s 39^th governor in January 1987 when Graham stepped down to take his seat in the United States Senate.  Mixon served as governor for three days until Bob Martinez’s inauguration.

For more information contact the Wakulla County Historical Society Museum & Archives, located at 24 High Drive in Crawfordville, at 850-926-1110 or 24research@gmail.com. Business Hours are Thursday/Friday from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

View Our Historic Photos on Pinterest

Visit our historic photos on Pinterest

http://www.pinterest.com/24research/wakulla-historical-society

 

8 Things You May Not Know About Memorial Day #2 & #3

iStockphotos.com

2. The holiday’s “founder” had a long and distinguished career. In May 1868, General John A. Logan, the commander-in-chief of the Union veterans’ group known as the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a decree that May 30 should become a nationwide day of commemoration for the more than 620,000 soldiers killed in the recently ended Civil War. On Decoration Day, as Logan dubbed it, Americans should lay flowers and decorate the graves of the war dead “whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land.” According to legend, Logan chose May 30 because it was a rare day that didn’t fall on the anniversary of a Civil War battle, though some historians believe the date was selected to ensure that flowers across the country would be in full bloom. After the war Logan, who had served as a U.S. congressman before resigning to rejoin the army, returned to his political career, eventually serving in both the House and Senate and was the unsuccessful Republican candidate for vice president in 1884. When he died two years later, Logan’s body laid in state in the rotunda of the United States Capitol, making him one of just 33 people to have received the honor. Today, Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle and several townships across the country are named in honor of this champion of veterans and those killed in battle.

Share Your Historic Photos With The Historical Society

Hello Fellow Historians ,

Wakulla county Historical Society is developing a collection of historic photos on Pinterest. Visit our site and send us any photos to Facebook of local history or anything you might consider of value to add to our collection. Hope to see your ideas soon! Cathy Frank

Visit http://www.pinterest.com/24research/wakulla-historical-society

 

Happy Birthday Wakulla County March 11, 1843

Wakulla County was created from Leon County in 1843. It may (although this is disputed) be named for the Timucuan Indian word for “spring of water” or “mysterious water.” This is in reference to Wakulla County’s greatest natural attraction, Wakulla Springs, which is one of the world’s largest freshwater springs, both in terms of depth and water flow. In 1974, the water flow was measured at 1.23 billion US gallons (4,700,000 m³) per day—the greatest recorded flow ever for a single spring. Source Wikipedia Wakulla County, Florida

Visit our Updated Genealogy Site

Thank you to Craig Kittendorf for updating our Genealogy Site. You can see who is buried in local cemeteries, check out marriages, and obituraries. More projects will be coming soon.

Click Here…

WCHS Regular Monthly Meeting at Panacea Welcome Center Tonight

Join us tonight for a treat! The Thompson Family will reflect on growing up in Panacea.

Tuesday, February 12th at 7 pm at the Welcome Center in Panacea located at 1505 Coastal Hwy. Helen Thompson Vaughn and her brothers, Nathan Thompson, Jr. and Larry Thompson will share “Reflections of Panacea” as they recall memories of people, places and activities of the community of Panacea where they, their families and friends have resided for many years. Program attendants will also be privileged to see the new art exhibit in the Center. Come early and tour the Center and enjoy refreshments provided by the Welcome Center volunteers.

This Day in History

 Dakota Uprising Begins in Minnesota

Minnesota erupts in violence as desperate Dakota Indians attack white settlements along the Minnesota River. The Dakota were eventually overwhelmed by the U.S. military six weeks later.

The Dakota Indians were more commonly referred to as the Sioux, a derogatory name derived from part of a French word meaning “little snake.” They were composed of four bands, and lived on temporary reservations in southwestern Minnesota. For two decades, the Dakota were poorly treated by the Federal government, local traders, and settlers. They saw their hunting lands whittled down, and provisions promised by the government rarely arrived. Worse yet, a wave of white settlers surrounded them.

The summer of 1862 was particularly hard on the Dakota. Cutworms destroyed much of their corn crops, and many families faced starvation. Dakota leaders were frustrated by attempts to convince traders to extend credit to tribal members and alleviate the suffering. On August 17, four young Dakota warriors were returning from an unsuccessful hunt when they stopped to steal some eggs from a white settlement. The youths soon picked a quarrel with the hen’s owner, and the encounter turned tragic when the Dakotas killed five members of the family. Sensing that they would be attacked, Dakota leaders determined that war was at hand and seized the initiative. Led by Taoyateduta (also known as Little Crow), the Dakota attacked local agencies and the settlement of New Ulm. Over 500 white settlers lost their lives along with about 150 Dakota warriors.

President Abraham Lincoln dispatched General John Pope, fresh from his defeat at the Second Battle of Bull Run,Virginia, to organize the Military Department of the Northwest. Some Dakota fled to North Dakota, but more than 2,000 were rounded up and over 300 warriors were sentenced to death. President Lincoln commuted most of their sentences, but on December 26, 1862, 38 Dakota men were executed at Mankato, Minnesota. It was the largest mass execution in American history.

This Day In History

This Day In History

On this day in 1780, American Lieutenant Colonel Francis Marion, the “Swamp Fox,” and his irregular cavalry force of 250 rout a party of Loyalists commanded by Major Micajah Gainey at Port’s Ferry, South Carolina. Meanwhile, General Horatio Gates’ men consumed half-baked bread, which sickened them overnight and contributed to their disastrous performance at the Battle of Camden, also in South Carolina, the following day. Read more about it…

Mystery of the paddlewheel boat | TheWakullaNews.com

Read John Y. Roberts’ monthly feature Mystery of the Paddlewheet Boat…

Mystery of the paddlewheel boat | TheWakullaNews.com.