Tallahassee Seniors Talk About the Time of Their Lives
We check in with senior seniors among us.
History
The Editor Takes a Nostalgic Trip Around the Bases
The editor takes a nostalgic trip around the bases.
A Final Salute
IÂ asked God for strength, that I might achieve. I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey. Courtesy of the Bowman Family Thereâs a dramatic turning point in the annual reenactment of the Battle of Olustee when the…
Elegance or Diversity?
Original print date: Spring 1981 Talleon Planner’s Log WKO 487 My Projections Terminal seemed to be out of tune, giving me a very unlikely looking future projection for the Talleon-Oyster Belt economy interface on which I was working. To see…
Longtime Newspaper Editor Reflects on Our Town
Original print date: Summer 1988 Author’s Note: Malcolm B. Johnson, editor of the Tallahassee Democrat from 1954 to 1978, has been a significant influence on Tallahassee. Ten years after his retirement, he looked at his town — the capital city…
Tallahassee Is No Longer the Small Town Remembered
Aerial view looking east from the Civic Center toward Apalachee Parkway. Photographed in 1985. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory Original print date: Nov/Dec 1990 IÂ grew up believing the slogan: âTallahassee: Everybodyâs Hometown.â But returning after an absence of 16…
Tallahassee As I Remember It
Original print date: Spring 1983 Number, please!â said the operator, and if you asked for âNumber l,â you got Byrdâs Grocery Store; whatâs more, they delivered your order. In 1926, at age 5, I lived with my mother, Florence Moore…
40 Years of Art, Artifacts and Animals
Original print date: Nov/Dec 1997 In January, the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science began its 40th year as a member of the Tallahassee family. Beginning in 1958, the museum has endeavored to bring history, artwork and animals to…
A Trip Down the St. Marks Is a Lesson in Local History
Original print date: May/Jun 1993 It was shortly after daybreak when we launched our kayaks from the weathered, wooden dock that extrudes from the floodplain woodlands along the middle reaches of the St. Marks River. The late-winter air was cool…
How Little Lanark Village Helped Save the World
Original print date: Jul/Aug 2003 Sharp palmettos sliced at the arms of inexperienced Army soldiers who boarded boats at the Gulf of Mexico coastline south of Tallahassee in a simulated attack on Dog Island. Darkness made each movement perilous, and…
Tensions Rose As The Waiting Went On
Original print date: Jan/Feb 2001 Y2K? As the year began, all sorts of dire predictions filled the air, but we seemed to dodge the millennium bullet just fine. In fact, we almost made it through the entire year. It was…
The Time I Stole the Governor’s Dog
It was a summer afternoon in 1930 when I stole the governorâs dog. I tried to convince myself that the dog followed me home, so it wasnât really stealing. But I was a seven-year-old Sunday school boy, and I knew…
A 19th-Century Story of Disloyalty, Gunplay, Lawsuits and a Mysterious Death
Original print date: Nov/Dec 2004 About this story Charles Chaires, the son of Floridaâs first millionaire, despite his vast inherited riches, proved unable to deter his wife Marthaâs affections for his nephew, Ben. The illicit union produced a child and…
The Legacy of Two Tallahasssee Families
Original print date: Spring 1987 The names of some of Tallahasseeâs most familiar landmarks can be traced to two patriarchs who came here in the early 1800s. Betton Hills, Meginnis Arm (the road name is spelled with one âsâ) Lively…
The Year We Almost Lost the Panhandle
Original print date: Spring 1984 There once was a year in which Alabama offered to buy Florida’s Panhandle — and Florida almost agreed to sell! It was in 1869 that representatives of Alabama and Florida actually signed a cession agreement…
The Search for Truth Keeps Local Legends Alive
Original print date: May/Jun 1995 It was a time of conjecture and even mystery. Strange words like “scoria,” “ash,” “pumice” and even “volcano” seemed to hang on every lip. All eyes strained toward the southeast where, some 30 miles distant…
Legends and Lore of North Florida
Original print date: Fall 1984 When folklorist J. Russell Reaver talks of the legends and lore of North Florida, nature listens. A thunderstorm appeared just minutes into an interview at his Tallahassee home. Then the power went off, shrouding his…
Is Tallahassee’s Growth Part of a Master Plan, or a Natural Evolution?
Original print date: Nov/Dec 1993 The letter was angry in its tone âĤ ââI am a production expert with street smarts. I want those idle rich in Killearn to dig up that blasted golf course and plant potatoes. They arenât…
Environmental Protection and Real Estate Development Were Both Concerns of the John H. Phipps Family
Original print date: Fall 1987 The John H. “Ben” Phipps family is one of the few “Yankee” plantation owners to put their roots down in Tallahassee and become a part of the community. Through their personal efforts and the Phipps…
