COMMUNITY
Wakulla Station News
By VERNA BROCK
Ed and I had such a good time at Wakulla Wonderful this past Saturday! We saw so many good friends, old friends, and even made some new friends. I especially enjoyed the historical displays, at the Historical Society’s Museum at the Old Jail, at the Wakulla County Courthouse, and at the Old Courthouse (now the Chamber of Commerce’s headquarters).
While there, I learned that Janie Thurmond’s many-times great grandfather, Rev. Enoch Giles ,was a circuit-riding Methodist minister who preached at both the Methodist Church in Medart and at the Wakulla Station Methodist Church. I suspect he was also a preacher at all the other Methodist churches in the circuit which included Sopchoppy, St, Marks, Woodville, and probably several more. It is a small world indeed.
The old wooden courthouse is the last of its kind in the state of Florida, and that makes it of great significance. If you get the chance, be sure to visit this treasure, and check out the special display celebrating the history of Wakulla County’s schools. I guarantee you will learn something new about your community.
I had the privilege of being the very first librarian to work in that great old building in its iteration as the Wakulla County Public Library. Together with Bobby Stephens and Ervin Jackson, and County Commissioner John Pigott, I worked to bring our library into the State Library System. To begin with, the library had been a branch of the Leon County Library (along with Jefferson County!), and was housed in a small storefront on Crawfordville Hwy., directly across from the “new” Courthouse.
The Board of County Commissioners balked at giving Leon County funds to run their library (imagine that!), and decided to end that arrangement and move the collection to the old courthouse. Bobby and Ervin were hired to provide services, under the guidance of a young media specialist from Shadeville Elementary School. How fortuitous for me, with a freshly-minted MS in Library Science, to move to Wakulla Station looking for a job! I went inquiring, one thing led to another, and I eventually wrote the state library grant that got me hired.
This coming Saturday, March 18th, is the 10th Annual Woodville Founders Day Festival. It is free and open to the public, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the J. Lewis Hall Recreation Park. This is an important fundraiser for the Woodville Volunteer Fire Department, and there will be more than 40 vendors, and food trucks, as well as a celebration of the history of Woodville and North Florida.
Come see the half scale model of the Confederate submersible, The Hunley, Native American drummers and dancers, a beautiful Galicenos heritage breed horse, Confederate and Union reenactors (Finley’s Brigade and the Colored Troops), performances by Theater With A Mission and Ernest and Sarah Toole, and so much more! Be sure to come out and enjoy this day of family fun.
Please continue to keep the family of Allen Hobbs in your prayers, as well as Faye Sweeney, the family of Hugh Taylor, the Carter family, Sebastian Mosley, the family of Emersyn Mae Sloane-Peacock, Louis Hernandez, and the Kendrick family.