The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1918-01-02
MARK THE HISTORIC
SPOTS IN FLORIDA
Rv w A MsRae

flags of three foreign nations have
waved over state now POLITICALLY and
very properly termed the Land of
Flowers Here white men made the /,
first permanent settlement in what is
now the United States. On the first
maps Of the New World the name of /
Florida was given to all that was
known of our continent north of I
Mexico. st. Augustine and Pensacola
are the Oldest cities in the United
States and abound in features of in.
terest Gen. Andrew jackson captur +
ed Pensacola from the British in 1914, +
and from the Spanish in 1913. In
1921 he became our first territorial
governor Later he became president |
of the United States.
New Smyrna has a record going
back definitely to 1867 when DR.. |
Turnbull brought his colony of 1900 /
Minorcans and Greeks there and en-
gagged in the growing of indigo. The
site OF Fort Caroline at the mouth
of the st. Johns, where the French
Huguenots in 1864 raised the first
flag of foreign power within the
boundaries OF the state-should be
marked. The fate of these Hugue-
|nots was one of the first tragedies
among the many of our early history.
The city Of st. Joseph, terminus OF
Florida's first railroad and once a
fiourishing seaport, where our first
convention was held, is
now scarcely more than a memory.
fernando de Soto marched from Tam
pa Bay north across Florida, and
westward to the Mississippi river to
his death
A few SCARED trees end mounds Of
earth mark the scene where Major
Dade and his company of 138 men
met their death in what is now Sum
/ ter county during the Seminole war;.
| the longest and most costly warfare
| with the Indians in our history. The
sites Of the many battlefelds OF that
Iprotracted and bloody strife are not
known to the public. Palatka was
headquarters during this war, with
lofficers notable in American military
history.
It is possible to call off long list
lof interesting historic events not to
speak Of natural bridges, disappear
ling rivers, caverns, sink holes, mann
moth springs-the largest of the
world etc, to be found here and
there in the state, all worthy of be-
ling marked and described for not only
our own people but for tourists who
|are constantly going about, and more
strangers would come II they knew of
the interesting things to see.
i The historical museum in old Fort
1 Marion at st. Augustine and the one
lat the state university at Gainesville,
as well as the collections in the Of
lfices of the state geologist and of the
Ifish commissioner at Tallahassee, are
places of real interest, not only to
practical observers but to casual
visitors. At Tallahassee, too, can be
seen the former home Of Prince
Charles Napoleon Achille Murat, son
Eof the king of Naples, and a nephew
Iof Napoleon Bonaparte. His grave
land that of his wife can be seen in
1.-THE Episcopal cemetery Of the capt
Ital city. Near Tallahassee, too, was
the seat of government of Mary
Ilanader who proclaimed himself "King
of Florida and fought Indians and
lSpaniards to maintain authority. Near
Tallahassee also is township of land
GRANTED by Congress to General La
Fayette, our French friend and bene-
) factor during the revolution. ITALIA
lhassee was the only capital city of the
South not occupied by federal troops
during the war between the states
The chief battle of that war was al
Olustee, west, Of Jacksonville, close tc
THE western boundary Of what is now
! Baker county. The site is marked by
La monument in view from trains OF
the north side Of the Seaboard rail
lway. There were many minor en-.
gagements in the state during the
WAR of 1876.
For many years Florida has proved
I La very important collecting ground
for human relics. No state has pre-
served more definite record of It's
learly human inhabitants. Both sand
: and shell mounds are common along
the coast; and sand mounds occur al
! many localities on the banks OF the
!, principal streams farther inalnd
:. Some of the sand mounds appear t.
have been used for dwelling places
while others as burial grounds. Sew
leral accounts have been published by
northern scientific societies describing
1.-THE skeletons, implements and pottery
obtained by excavating in these
mounds; and partial list of the pap
ers may be found in the photography
accompanying Moore's papers in the
Journal of the Academy of Natural
Science, Philadelphia, Vol w, 1898
apparently all of the mounds are
built of sands or shells of living
specie sof mollusks. Cushing's 1Age
of the Shell Man" is readable. vol
June devoted to the life of the early
inhabitants of Florida, and of value
Ito persons interested in archaeology.
There are mounds and evidences OF
! cultivated fields in Florida which
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