By Starr Munro Riverbend News America has led the way for a lot of new ideas, but one pioneering action from this country was how ahead of the times it was when…
Category: History
Local History regarding Hamilton, Lafayette and Suwannee counties.
Florida pines and the old timber industry
By Cole Davis Riverbend News Hamilton and its surrounding counties have long been recognized for their natural beauty and this is in no small part due to the Florida pine. With that…
The duel that got Hamilton County’s namesake killed
By Cole Davis Riverbend News On a July morning in 1804, two giants of American political life walked out onto the field in Weehawken, N.J. to have a duel and only one…
Remembering Suwannee
The Steamboat “Madison” on the Suwannee The deep throated whistle of the paddle wheelers created the most vivid of the legends which surround the Suwannee River. For 75 years the steamboat was…
Scott Prine: Farm Family of the Year
By Kathrine Alderman Riverbend News Though the tobacco-growing industry may not be as prolific as it once was, farmers such as Scott Prine and his family are keeping it alive, which is…
American architecture and the Old Hamilton County Jail
By Cole Davis Riverbend News Keeping with the theme of past articles about the historical buildings of our North Florida counties, this piece will go into the architectural significance of the Old…
Remembering Suwannee
J.D. Henry reflecting on Live Oak’s past – 1976 Susan Coleman Fennell Contributor Born in Chipman, Tenn., J.D. Henry came to Live Oak in 1908 when he was 14 years old. He…
Who were the Timucua?
By Cole Davis Riverbend News Most Floridians are aware of the fact that the Seminole may be the most well-known Indian tribe native to the state. FSU football and John Anderson music…
Remembering Suwannee
Richard Warren Sears: founder of Sears, Roebuck and Company Susan Coleman Fennell Contributor Few people realize that Richard W. Sears, founder of the Sears and Roebuck financial empire, played a significant role…
From pageant queen to farm girl: McCall Farm
By Ramsey Sullivan Riverbend News The 2017 National Forestry Queen and teacher at Anderson Elementary School, Shelbi McCall, isn’t like most other pageant queens; she isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty…
James Tucker and the wreck of the Madison
By Cole Davis Riverbend News It’s no secret that the Suwannee River has fostered plenty intriguing stories over its long history. For years, the tale of the piratical Lafitte Brothers of New…
Stephen Foster, the Suwannee River and the Erasure of Americana
By Cole Davis Riverbend News The tune is as popular as the river is travelled. Stephen Foster’s 1851 “Old Folks at Home” or “Suwannee River” (as it is more colloquially known today)…
What’s in a name? Lafayette County
By Cole Davis Riverbend News When one thinks of counties in North Florida that have to be pronounced correctly to be considered, a local one thinks of Lafayette County. In fact, the…