A Hidden Jem: The Crooked River Lighthouse

I am at the top!

Some of you may have already guessed where I visited this past Saturday, but for those of you who have not yet figured it out, I visited the Crooked River Lighthouse in Carrabelle. Not only did I visit the museum but I actually had the opportunity to climb the lighthouse. It was a beautiful view from the top, approximately 100 feet up! I had to climb 138 steps to get there. I could see both Dog Island and St. George Island from the top of the Lighthouse. It was amazing and there was a wonderful breeze up there!

The Crooked River Lighthouse

The Crooked River Lighthouse was constructed in 1895, but the architect and builder are unknown. It consists of a cast iron skeletal tower with a cement foundation. Originally the light apparatus was a Fresnel lens. It was used in the Crooked River Lighthouse from 1895 to 1976. The original Fresnel lens is displayed in the USCG District 8 headquarters in New Orleans, but there is the possibility that it will be returned to the lighthouse to be put on display in the museum, which is located in the replica  Keeper's House. The modern light apparatus is a 190mm rotating beacon, which was used from 1977 to 1995.  In 1995 the Lighhouse was decommisioned and in 1999 local citizens formed the Carrabelle Lighthouse Association to rescue this historic landmark. In 2007 it was restored and re-lighted and opened to the public.

The current light apparatus, a 190mm rotating beacon.

The Crooked River Lighhouse guided mariners through the pass between Dog Island and St. George Island from 1895 to 1995. The Dog Island lighthouses were destroyed by hurricanes, so the plans were put in place to construct the Crooked River Lighthouse on the mainland. The site originally included two identical keepers houses, constructed on each side of the lighthouse. In 1933 electricity came to the Lighthouse and it was automated in  1952. This ended the need for keepers. In 1964 the Coast Guard sold both Keeper's Houses, and the buyers moved them from the site. One was burned to the ground, the other is privately owned. A replica of the Keeper's houses was built in 2009, and this is now the location of the Crooked River Lighthouse Museum and Gift Shop. The house also serves as the meeting place and office of the the Carrabelle Lighthouse Association.

The replica Keeper's House

There are wonderful amenities located at this beautiful historic site as well, including an awesome playground constructed to look like a pirate ship  named "The Carrabella". The replica Keeper's House now serves as the museum which includes some of the original items from the site. Every Saturday from 1pm to 4pm they open the lighthouse for the public to climb. It is a unique opportunity and very few lighthouses allow the public inside to climb to the top. The cost for climbing is $5 for adults and $3 for children (they also have group rates. I really enjoyed my climb to the top of this piece of local history. It was a very memorable experience! I think I just might have to do it again! The Crooked River Lighthouse is located less than 2 miles west of the Carrabelle bridge at 1975 Highway 98 West. I strongly recommend that if you ever are in the area that you go check it out!

A Step Back in Time: Mission San Luis

Marching to the fort.

This weekend I decided to take a minute and relive our area's history. I found myself at Mission San Luis in Tallahassee for their living history event. There you can interact with living history demonstrators, which takes you back in time to when the Spanish and Apalachee were living in close proximity at this exact location. This past weekend entry fees were waived as part of a special program put on by Visit Tallahassee and the Tallahassee T.O.U.R. Guides program.

My first stop was the fort, well, actually I marched with the soldiers to the fort, snapping photos along the way. On the way to the fort they stopped in front of the church, where they were blessed by a Spanish friar. Visitors of all ages were marching with the soldiers as they made their way to the fort. When we arrived at the fort, after making our way around the plaza, we had the opportunity to interact with the soldiers and learn about the fort itself. They showed us their weapons, where the soldiers slept and the various tools they would have used. There was even hard tack and olive oil on the table, giving visitors a real sense of what it would have been like to be a solider at the Spanish mission in the 1600s.

The musket firing at the fort.

After that, it was time for the real reason we were all at the fort, the musket firing demonstration! They had a visitor read the firing drill in Spanish. This was the actual drill that the soldiers would have used at Mission San Luis. Then we were all told to cover our ears and two musket were fired! It was awesome!

The blacksmith.

After that I decided to take a walk around and visit some of the other living history demonstrators. My first stop was the village blacksmith. He had an apprentice assisting him, a young visitor with a ton of enthusiasm. I doubt that little boy will ever forget the day that he had the chance to actually assist a real blacksmith! His mom was busily snapping pictures.

Inside the Council House

Next we stopped by the Spanish House and visited with some Spanish women working in their garden and tending to their chickens. Yup, that's right, there were living history chickens there as well! I wonder if they attended interpreter training?! After that I just had to check out the large, thatched roof council house. This is where the Apalachee would have attended to their business. It was huge! There was an Apalachee woman in the council house who was very informative and showed me around and explained many of the items that were inside the structure. There were ceramics, drums, rattles and many other items the Apalachee used. There was a fire pit in the center of the structure and wooden platforms for the Apalachee located all around the fire pit. I could almost see and feel what it would have been like to sit around the fire with the Apalachee.

After my visit to Mission San Luis, I would have to put this on my list of places you must visit when in Tallahassee! In addition to the living history interpreters and the reconstructed structures, there is a beautiful museum and visitors center too! It was a great way to spend a Saturday!

Outreach Staff Retreat 2010

FPAN Outreach Staff at Bonnett House in Ft. Lauderdale

This past weekend the FPAN Outreach Staff met at our Southeast Regional Office in Ft. Lauderdale for our first ever Outreach Retreat. It was a great opportunity for me to get to know the staff better, since I am the newbie.

 We had fun, but we also had a lot of work to accomplish in two days. We discussed ways to integrate archaeology into existing classroom curricula and discussed new lesson plans. We also learned about some really awesome festival activities that Matt, the Southwest Regional Coordinator created. We even tried our hand at Photoshop-I still am a novice though! Sarah, the Southeast Coordinator, organized this wonderful weekend. She even invited guest speakers to help us fine tune our publicity and marketing by more effectively utilizing social media such as facebook and twitter. Which, by the way, I update regularly, so be sure to check that out! We had a wonderful reception at the local historical commission, and took that opportunity to check out their exhibits as well.

 The Historic Bonnett House and Gardens in Ft. Lauderdale

While in Ft. Lauderdale we had the opportunity to visit a treasured historic landmark, the Bonnett House. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 and later was declared a historic landmark by the City of Fort Lauderdale in 2002. The National Trust for Historic Preservation included Bonnet House in the Save America’s Treasures program and it has been listed as one of America's 11 most endangered sites because of the encroaching development of the area surrounding this unique Florida treasure. The property was purchased by Hugh Taylor Birch in 1919 and given to his daughter and son-in-law as a wedding gift. Construction of t he Bonnett House began in 1920. In 1983 it was donated to the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation. At the time this was the largest charitable gift in history! The house and gardens are very whimsical, to say the least. And colorful, exotic orchids can be seen in every nook and cranny. But wait, there's more to this property than meets the eye! A shell midden is located on this property that was left by it's earlier Tequesta inhabitants and dates to 2000 B.C. It goes to show that even the earliest Floridians appreciated beautiful beach front property! If you ever are down that way, I strongly urge you to check out this unique piece of historic South Florida!  It is one of a kind!

In conclusion, the Outreach Staff Retreat for 2010 was a huge success. I am sure I can speak for the whole staff when I say that we all learned a lot and shared wonderful new and innovative ideas. You can look forward to the benefits of this retreat in future North Central outreach activities. So as always, keep checking back with us to see what is going on in your region!

Barbara Hines, Regional Coordinator

Hi all, and welcome to the new FPAN North Central blog! I have to admit that I am new to this blogging thing, but I am very excited. The North Central Region holds a wealth of awesome archaeological resources and I am glad to have the opportunity to share them with you. Check back to this blog often to find out what is happening in our area and hopefully learn of some really awesome things to check out in  your own back yard! This is a new regional office for FPAN, and we are just getting up and running, so there is a lot to explore. We are planning some public outreach events for the upcoming months, so be sure to check back often! Be sure to check out our website (www.flpublicarchaeology.org) and follow us on twitter and facebook too!