The man who cannot live in Wakulla county would starve to death in the Garden of Eden, or die of melancholy in Paradise.

P.E. Robinson Jr. tending his flock of Leghorns - Laurel Hill, Florida circa 1935 - Source: Florida State Archives  http://floridamemory.com/items/show/33154

EGGS IN WAKULLA

Wakulla county can heal the world on chickens and eggs. Every merchant in Crawfordville has a lot of egg crates, and they are kept steadily going between here and the markets. Every train that leaves Wakulla on week days carries from 50 to 500 dozen eggs.

In every store you will see tubs and boxes standing around filled with eggs. Eggs are the currency of Wakulla county. A dozen eggs represents the unit of value.  They are a legal tender of any and all debts, except state and county taxes.  Every article of merchandise has an egg price marked on it.

The value of gold and silver may fluctuate but eggs are standard, stationary and stable.  They will always buy a dozen eggs worth of goods.

United States currency went up so high during March and April that seven cents was equal to one dozen eggs in Wakulla, but the dozen eggs were still equal to ten cents worth of goods.

Every man, woman or child, white or black in Wakulla county, brings in basket, bucket or box of eggs when they come to town shopping.  They are the best currency in the world, it is so easy to make change.

The Wakulla farmer and his wife, walk into a store with an air of perfect independence, sit a basket of eggs on the counter and call for what they want.  The price of eggs is never asked, how many eggs are the goods worth to-day? is the only question.  When the farmer spends all of this basket of eggs, he goes home and begins gathering eggs for the next shopping, the supply seems inexhaustible.

The man who cannot live in Wakulla county would starve to death in the Garden of Eden, or die of melancholy in Paradise.

Transcribed from the May 28, 1897, issue of the Gulf Coast Breeze  newspaper

Makes Children Fat as Pigs!

There weren't as many overweight children in the 19th century, as evidenced by this ad for a tonic that "MAKES CHILDREN FAT AS PIGS" - only 50 cents a bottle!
1897 issue of the Gulf Coast Breeze newspaper published in Crawfordville, Florida.

Otter skins brought about $6 each in 1898

Image Source: Wikimedia Commons

January 7, 1898 issue of the Gulf Coast Breeze newspaper

LOCAL

Six otters were killed last week in the hammocks around Crawfordville by Mr. John Lawhon.  Otter skins bring from four to eight dollars in the market, and were formerly plentiful here, but getting very scarce.

Ivory-billed Woodpeckers in the Aucilla River forest?

Illustration by Theodore Jasper
Wikimedia Commons

Charles J. Pennock collected this specimen in 1917 somewhere along the Aucilla River in Jefferson county. Pennock was born in Pennsylvania and resided in Delaware where he was an active member of the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club. Pennock left Delaware under mysterious circumstances and arrived in North Florida in 1913. He lived near the present day St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge until late 1919 under the name John Williams. During the 6 years he lived in Wakulla County he collected at least 245 bird specimens and authored numerous articles on area bird life.

Go here to learn more about Charles J. Pennock, including the interesting story of how he ended up living in Wakulla County under the name of John Williams!






Photo used with permission of  the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club.

Female Ivory-billed Pennock obtained on May 30, 1917 from Aucilla River forest, Jefferson County, FL
Now housed at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, PA.

Gulf Coast Breeze, circa 1897

This is the masthead from the first issue of the Gulf Coast Breeze, May 28, 1897. It was a weekly paper serving Crawfordville and Wakulla County, Florida. R. Don McLeod, Jr. was its first publisher. The paper is believed to have been published through 1928. It is fascinating to me to read about the people, places and events of the area I grew up in. I love history and genealogy and will share interesting items I come across in my research here. Enjoy!

Source: Library of Congress and University of Florida Digital Newspaper Library