Announcements

FPAN Cemetery Monument Restoration Program

The Wakulla County Historical Society is currently in the process of restoring Richardson Cemetery in Wakulla County.  I have been unable to find any monument companies or persons who can help restore broken headstones and/or reset fallen headstones.  Many of the headstones in Richardson Cemetery just need to be leveled before they fall and break.  This is a problem not just for Wakulla County but many other Florida counties.  

The Florida Public Archeology Network (FPAN) has contacted me regarding the possibility of developing a program to help restore cemetery monuments.  The program they are interested in developing would teach people in the community how to repair, reset and preserve cemetery monuments.  This would include instruction on what materials and tools are needed to do the restorations.

I am trying to establish how many people would be interested in participating in this type of program.  If you are interested, please respond to this email with your name and phone number so I can establish a contact list.  FPAN will notify me if a program becomes available and I will pass the information on to you. 

Debbie Jay

Wakulla County Historical Society

March 2023 Program - Old General Stores Part 2

The Wakulla County Historical Society will continue the series on Old General Stores on Tuesday, March 14, 4:30 PM, at the Wakulla County Public Library, 4330 Crawfordville Hwy.  The public is invited to attend.

Stores we will feature this month include:  Rehwinkel’s Store in Crawfordville presented by Brian Rehwinkel and Mark Hudson; N. W. Ward & Son Store in Medart presented by Janie Ward Thurmond; Pigott’s Store in Medart presented by Linda Pigott Stalvey; and Raker’s Store at Shadeville presented by Mike Begley.  

Mark your calendar and make plans to come and learn more about Wakulla County’s history and take a stroll down memory lane for all of you who remember these stores.  We all love to remember the “Good Ole’ Days.”

For more information, please call 850-926-1110.

Historical Society Presents Series of Programs on Old General Stores in Wakulla County

The Wakulla County Historical Society begins a series of programs on Old General Stores on Tuesday, February 14, 4:30 PM, at the Wakulla County Public Library, 4330 Crawfordville Hwy., Crawfordville, FL. 

Not long ago, before there were dollar stores and convenience stores and supermarkets, communities had general stores.  The general store usually had hardware, groceries, automotive and gasoline products, and pretty much anything anyone needed.  They were places where children were sent by their parents to pick things up and charge that on their account and where the men of the community would hang out and play checkers.  They were the hub of a community.  A lot of information would be shared, some of which was news, and the old-fashioned gossip.  

Stores we will feature in this first program include:  The Willis Store in Sopchoppy; the Roddenberry Store and R&L Trading Post in Sopchoppy; the Page Store at Wakulla Station; and the Raker and Linzy Stores at Ivan.  

We will feature eight more stores during our March and April programs.  If anyone in the audience has a memory or two to share about one of the stores that is not on our list of those being featured, we will have a time for sharing at the end of each meeting.  If your family had a store in Wakulla County and you would like to share its history with us in a future program, please call the Historical Society at 850-926-1110.   

Make plans now to come to our monthly meeting to hear from family members who share memories of working in the family stores of times gone by. 

Arlene Vause, Secretary 

Wakulla County Historical Society