My apologies, but I will be in the North Georgia mountains for the next five days and away from my computer. Here are the This Day in the History of the Sunshine State for those days. It is a lot of material, I know, but... THIS DAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE SUNSHINE STATE (Post appears one day before the actual date) FEBRUARY 4 1832 Columbia County, the state’s 16th county, was created by the Florida Legislature today. The county was named for the poetic name of the United States. County Seat: Lake City See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_County,_Florida 1861 Delegates from Florida joined with delegates from Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana today in Montgomery, Alabama, to organize the provisional government of the Confederate States of America. 1863 A crew for the U.S.S. Sagamore today captured the Confederate schooner Pride near the Indian River Narrows. The Pride’s cargo of 188 bushels of salt and its crew were captured. 1864 A boat from the Federal schooner, Beauregard, sent to Jupiter Inlet to look for blockade runners today captured the Confederate boat Lydia, which was on her way to the Inlet from Sand Point. The Lydia was carrying two bales of cotton and five barrels of turpentine. 1864 Union General Quincy A. Gillmore continued preparations for his attack on the west bank of the St. Johns River. Federal Brigadier General Truman Seymour was ordered to load his troops on ships in preparation for a rendezvous with other Union units at the mouth of the St. Johns. 1897 Duncan U. Fletcher was elected the president of the Jacksonville Bar Association today. 1931 Sir Malcolm Campbell set a ground speed record of 245 mph today at Daytona Beach. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Campbell 1945 The18th Engineering Battalion, United States Army, arrived at the United States Naval Amphibious Training Base in Fort Pierce. The unit had just completed 32 months of duty in the Yukon. THIS DAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE SUNSHINE STATE (Post appears one day before the actual date) FEBRUARY 5 1861 The Florida Senate approved a bill to incorporate the town of Monticello in Jefferson County. 1862 The U.S.S. Keystone State captured the British blockade runner, Mars, off the coast at Fernandina. The Mars was carrying a cargo of salt. 1864 The U.S.S. DeSoto today captured the Confederate blockade runner Cumberland in the Gulf of Mexico. The Cumberland, a 700-ton steamer, was carrying a cargo of guns and ammunition, including 100 barrels of gunpowder. 1912 J. C. Luning was installed as Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture today. He held this post for a mere 14 days. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.C._Luning 1926 The City of Miami Shores was incorporated today. Originally settled in 1905 as Arch Creek Farms, the town later became known as the City of North Miami. 1940 The first papers of incorporation of Barry College were filed today. Barry College is located in Miami. THIS DAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE SUNSHINE STATE (Post appears one day before the actual date) FEBRUARY 6 1845 The first session of the Florida Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church met in Tallahassee today. 1870 Governor Harrison Reed received the news that his impeachment and removal for office had been recommended by a state legislative committee. This was the third of four unsuccessful attempts to remove the Republican chief executive. See floridamemory/exhibits/floridahighlights/governorharrison/ 1875 Four thousand acres were purchased from the state Internal Improvement Department today. This acreage became the site of the City of Orange City, which was started in 1876 with the sale of housing lots to prospective residents. 1897 Millard Fillmore Caldwell, 29th governor of Florida (1945-1949), was born today in his parents home near Knoxville, Tennessee. He attended carson-Newman College, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Virginia. Caldwell came to Florida in 1924. In 1929, he was elected to represent Santa Rosa County in the Florida House of Representatives. In 1933, he was elected to the U.S. House of representatives from Florida’s 3rd District. In 1941, he retired to private law practice. In 1944, he was elected governor. His administration was considered very progressive. In 1962, Caldwell was appointed a Justice, Supreme Court of Florida. He was elected for a full term that same year. In 1967, he was elected Chief Justice. Caldwell retired in 1969. He died in Tallahassee on October 23, 1984. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millard_F._Caldwell 1900 Eugene V. Debs, the leader of the Socialist Party of the United States, gave a lecture to some 55,000 persons today at Tampa’s Court House Plaza. 1907 Maas Brothers Department Stores were incorporated today. Originally founded by Abe Maas on Franklin Street in Tampa in October 1886, Maas Brother’s became a statewide chain of stores by the 1960s. 1956 Florida’s first Jordan-Marsh department Store opened at 1501 Biscayne Boulevard in Miami today. THIS DAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE SUNSHINE STATE (Post appears one day before the actual date) FEBRUARY 7 1806 The United States Senate approved a secret appropriation of $2 million to be used for the possible purchase of Florida. 1863 Federal naval authorities reported the destruction of two casks of sperm oil, 47 sacks of salt, and one boat sail near Jupiter Inlet. These materials are presumed to be Confederate stores. 1864 Union troops under General Truman A. Seymour landed at Jacksonville. This was the fourth occupation of the city by a Union army. The troops were to be used in a major Federal push into the center of the Sunshine State, a push that would culminate with the Battle of Olustee on February 20. Many of the African-American troops in the Union force were former free blacks and runaway slaves from the north Florida area. 1864 The Confederate steamer St. Mary’s, trapped in McGirt’s Creek above Jacksonville, was sunk by the U.S.S. Norwich. The steamer’s cargo of cotton was destroyed to prevent capture by Union forces. 1893 The first edition of the Tampa Evening Times published. 1969 Diane Crump became the first female jockey in thoroughbred racing when she raced at Hialeah. 1979 Gwen Sawyer Cherry, the first African-American woman to serve in the Florida Legislature, was killed today in a one-car accident in Tallahassee. Born in 1923, Ms. Cherry received her law degree from FAMU, where she taught classes. She was first elected in 1970 to represent Dade County in the House of Representatives. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwen_Cherry THIS DAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE SUNSHINE STATE (Post appears one day before the actual date) FEBRUARY 8 1571 Father John Baptist Segura, Vice-Provincial of Catholic [Jesuit] missions in Florida, and eleven companions were killed today at their mission on the Rappahannock River near the Chesapeake Bay. This was part of the plan of Pedro Menendez de Aviles to explore the land north of present-day Florida to find the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean and the Far East. As a result of this episode, the Jesuits abandoned their attempts to convert Florida Native Americans to Catholicism in 1572. See penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Gazetteer/Places/America/United_States/Florida/_Texts/FHSQ/6/3/Jesuit_Martyrs*.html 1832 The Territorial Legislature of Florida repealed an anti-dueling law, which again made it legal for gentlemen to settle their differences through personal combat. 1832 The Merchants and Planters Bank of Magnolia was incorporated today. 1832 Franklin County, Florida’s 17th county, was established today. The county is named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. County Seat: Apalachicola See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_County,_Florida 1837 Lieutenant Colonel William S. Harney and his small force were attacked today at Camp Monroe by some 200 Seminole Indians led by King Philip and Coacoochee. The U.S. Army lost 1 officer killed and eleven enlisted men wounded before the attack was beaten off. Captain Charles Mellon of the 2nd United States Artillery was the officer killed. The name of the encampment was changed from Camp Monroe to Fort Mellon to honor this fallen hero. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Seminole_War 1861 LaVilla Institute and the College of St. Augustine were incorporated today. 1861 Baker County, the state’s 38th county, was established today. The county is named in honor of James McNair Baker (1822-1892, Confederate States Senator and Judge of the 4th Judicial District in Florida. County Seat: MacClenny See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker_County,_Florida 1861 Polk County, Florida’s 39th county, was established today. Named in honor of James Knox Polk, the 11th president of the United States (1845-1849). County Seat: Bartow See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polk_County,_Florida 1861 The Confederate Constitution was approved by the delegates to the Convention in Montgomery, Alabama, and was submitted to the Southern states for their approval. 1913 The Colonial Dames Club of Tampa was organized today. 1958 The Daytona Beach International Speedway Corporation was organized today. THIS DAY IN THE HISTORY OF THE SUNSHINE STATE (Post appears one day before the actual date) FEBRUARY 9 1837 Captain George W. Allen and Company K of the 4th United States Infantry were attacked today near Clear River by Seminole Indians. One U. S. officer was killed in the skirmish. 1838 General Thomas S. Jesup, the commander of United States troops in Florida, reported that in his opinion “...the prospect of terminating this [Seminole] war in any reasonable time is anything but flattering. My decided opinion is that unless immediate emigration be abandoned, this war will continue for years to come, and at constantly accumulating expense.” Jesup proposed that the area west of the Kissimmee River, Lake Okeechobee, and Panai-Okee and east of Pease Creek and south to the extreme end of Florida be set aside for the Seminoles. The Secretary of War did not approve this plan, and some 500 Seminoles, who had entered Jesup’s camp on the strength of this recommendation, were seized and transported to Tampa for the purpose of removal to the West. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Jesup 1861 The steamer Everglade today unloaded its cargo of 1,500 muskets at Fernandina. The muskets were from the Charleston Arsenal. 1861 The U.S.S. Brooklyn arrived off Pensacola today with troops to support the Union occupation force at Fort Pickens. The troops were not off loaded as both Union and Florida forces maintained an uneasy peace in the area. 1861 Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was elected Provisional President of the Confederate States of America. Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia, an opponent of secession, was elected Vice-President. 1863 The Quincy extension of the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad began operations today. The train trip from Quincy to Tallahassee took only two hours. The train continued to its terminus at Lake City. 1864 The Union gunboat Para sailed thirty miles up the Nassau River today, shelling the woods along both sides of the river and taking an inventory of several lumbering plants. 1864 The 97th Pennsylvania, a Federal force encamped at Fernandina, today raided the surrounding area and captured a small force of Confederates in a nearby swamp. 1864 Union forces today occupied Baldwin (about 19 miles west of Jacksonville) and captured cotton, artillery pieces, a train of cars, and enough forage for 1,000 men in the field for four days. 1864 A small skirmish occurred between Confederate cavalry units and Federal forces at the south fork of the St. Marys River. The Union forces successfully forded the river and captured the village of Sanderson, some thirty miles west of Jacksonville. Retreating Confederate forces set fire to supplies of cotton, corn, and turpentine. 1915 The Subtropical Mid-Winter Fair, which was inaugurated by a parade of 150 horse and automobile-drawn floats, opened today in Orlando. See ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00079945/00479 1942 The first Congressional Medal of Honor awarded in World War II was presented posthumously to Sandy Niniger of Fort Lauderdale. See homeofheroes/moh/citations_1940_wwii/nininger.html 1967 Today marked the beginning of what would eventually become a record 768 consecutive days of sunshine in the Sunshine State. 1973 The first measurable snow since 1958 covered a portion of the Sunshine State. Pensacola reported two inches. DeFuniak Springs and Quincy reported similar amounts. Trace amounts were reported as far south as Clermont. Unofficial reports put the accumulated total of 6 to 8 inches at Jay.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 11:06:12 +0000
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