Category: History

Heather Ainsley ECB Publishing, Inc. Nestled in the vast acreage of the El Destino Plantation is a small parcel of land that holds within it a precious keepsake. Buried beneath the tall,…

Christian Peterson ECB Publishing, Inc. Jan. 27, has been a very important day in history for many years. For example, all the way back to 98 A.D., Trajan succeeded his adoptive father…

Devyn LeBlanc ECB Publishing, Inc. Cranberries, they’re tart and often pushed to the side in favor of sweeter berries such as strawberries and raspberries. During the winter holidays, however, the cranberry is…

  Devyn LeBlanc ECB Publishing, Inc. Since 4-H began more than 100 years ago, it has become the nation’s largest youth development organization. The 4-H idea is simple: help young people and…

Submitted by Rebekah Sheats Since Jefferson County’s inception almost two hundred years ago, Christmas has always been a festive occasion in every corner of the county, marked by joyous celebration and reverent…

Submitted by Rebekah Sheats Holidays have always been a special time for the folks of Jefferson County. The Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were festive occasions that have marked every household…

View of the Pinhook River     John E. Ladson III and George M. Cole Aucilla Research Institute The lower Aucilla River and its neighboring region have attracted human occupation for thousands…

During the last ice age, the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico along the Florida’s Big Bend was far offshore of its current location. At that time, several local rivers, including the…

Reports of pirate activity in and around the Aucilla River area have existed throughout recorded history, and there are good reasons for those stories. Numerous pirate incidents are documented in the River…

Submitted by Rebekah Sheats Roughly one hundred years ago, on March 27, 1925, two local banks (the Bank of Monticello and the Farmers and Merchants Bank) informed the Jefferson County public: “Commencing…

Submitted by Rebekah Sheats A glimpse into the life of the Thomas Scott family offers a fascinating picture of what life was like in Lamont during the 1940s and 1950s. Thomas was…

Submitted by Rebekah Sheats It started with tung nuts and ended with Nazis. An unlikely story perhaps, but this is how it goes: Tung oil, derived from the nuts of the tung…

Danny Federico ECB Publishing, Inc. “Censorship is telling a man he can’t have a steak just because a baby can’t chew it.” (Mark Twain) “I hate it that Americans are taught to…

George M. Cole and John E. Ladson III Aucilla Research Institute Although we usually think of the early settlers arriving immediately after Florida became a U.S. Territory as the first settlers in…

Submitted by Rebekah Sheats “I mailed a letter to coach today.” So ended the day’s journal entry of a sixteen-year-old boy in April of 1941. As young Jim Sledge laid aside his…

Submitted by Rebekah Sheats Driving through the gates of Roseland Cemetery for another visit, I note with relief that my vehicle fits easily between the tall posts that flank the road. Though…

George M. Cole and John E. Ladson III Aucilla Research Institute Based on writings of local historian Mary Lou Bennett, a cave system as large as the well-known Florida Caverns in the…

Submitted by Rebekah Sheats It was a crisp September morning in 1780. The American colonies were desperately attempting to defend themselves against the overwhelming forces of Great Britain marshaled against them. Throughout…

Submitted by Rebekah Sheats For more than one hundred and fifty years, Roseland Cemetery has marked the final resting place of many Jefferson County and Monticello residents. Each silent marker within its…

George M. Cole and John E. Ladson III Aucilla Research Institute Today, the Aucilla and its tributaries are known for excellent fishing. But, this is not a modern development. Since prehistoric times,…