Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com While traffic accidents are common fare these days, back in 1901, the traveling was done by foot or by horse, minimizing the occurrence of such events. But, every horse…
Category: History
Local residents fought racism
Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com In 1904, Rev. J.P. Bresnahan, a Diocesan missionary, began establishing churches in North and Central Florida. In the beginning, services were held in private homes and at the courthouse…
Florida Normal Institute: Where Madison High School began
Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com In 1850, Madison Lodge Number 11, F.&A.M. founded the St. Johns Seminary of Learning at 202 North Duval St., in Madison. At its height, the site contained a school…
Local government begins to take shape in 1830
Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com The first post office in Madison County was established in Hickstown on April 19, 1830, with Abram Bellamy being the first postmaster of what was the first unofficial county…
Way Back When
Jan. 20, 1961 Clayton W. Jones, Jr., of Madison, is among twelve students at the Duke University of Law School, who have been announced as recipients of Law School Scholarships. Mr. and…
Spanish Moss has been hanging around for centuries
Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com Spanish Moss is common to Madison County and the deep south. Through the centuries, it has been called many things. Native Americans called it “itla-okla,” which meant “tree hair.”…
Pictures from the past
Camp Suwannee Store of Ellaville, Fla. from 1922. [www.floridamemory.com/Courtesy]
Gypsy Rose Lee gave Madison a surprise visit
Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com Gypsy Rose Lee made her claim to fame in the 1930s as a burlesque performer. She was dubbed an “intellectual stripper” because she did more talking than stripping. It…
Jingle Bells took a sleigh ride close to home
Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com James Lord Pierpont was 10 years old when he left his Boston, Mass. home for a boarding school. The young Pierpont was apparently a handful for his strict father,…
De Soto sought wealth in Madison County
Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com Hernando de Soto landed in Tampa Bay in 1539, with 700 soldiers. He soon made his way into our present area, traveling through the Suwannee Valley. He built a…
Pineywood Rooters are a gift from Spain
Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com Pánfilo de Narváez was a Spanish soldier and explorer who made his way to the shores of Florida after conquering Cuba and Jamaica. Narvaez and his 400 men were…
Way Back When
Nov. 18, 1960 Van H Priest was elected Director at Large of the Florida State Chamber of Commerce during their 44th annual meeting and business conference which was held in Jacksonville last…
Henrietta Lacks: Immortal life of a Tobacco Farmer
Gene Hall Contributor Greater love hath no man than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends…John 15:13 NIV. And that is what Henrietta Lacks did; well, all of us were not…
Way Back When
Nov. 11, 1960 US Senator John F. Kennedy, Democrat, was elected President of the United States in one of the closest contests in years, defeating Vice-President Richard M. Nixon, Republican, with a…
Entertainment was closer to home in the 1800s
Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com Today, we are flooded with sources of entertainment. Our only problem is selecting how we most want to amuse ourselves. In my childhood, watching television was limited to three…
The Bunker House has eyes
Alyssa Ridenour reporter@greenepublishing.com The large white house stands tall at the intersection of SW Shelby Ave. and SW Bunker St. The pillars on the front porch add character to the home and…
Transportation improved in the 1900s
Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com As highway routes were being laid out in the early 1900s, Madison County officials worked diligently to secure a route through the county on the Dixie Highway. This was…
Attics offer intriguing glimpse at family history
Mickey Starling reporter3@greenepublishing.com Martha Hoyt Young was one of my aunts who passed well before my time. Young died a tragic death within two years of writing this humorous reflection on the…
Way Back When
Oct. 7, 1960 Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Curry of Madison announce the birth of a baby girl on Oct. 3. She weighed 7 lb and 15 oz. Miss Nancy Tibbals, bride elect…
Way Back When
Sept. 23, 1960 Carlton Burnett is receiving congratulations from his many friends upon his promotion to the managership of the Madison Coca-Cola Bottling Company, after 13 years of service as salesman. The…