Blog Archives

Apalachicola

3/20/2022

Apalachicola ... A charming fishing town once known as the oyster capital of the world, is a little like Cape Cod. Apalachicola offers terrific seafood, waterfront parks, bed & breakfast inns and yes - shopping. It provides a glimpse of the Florida Panhandle's timber and fishing history.

A few years back, a reduction of fresh water caused a significant impact to oyster bed production. When the beds were productive in past years, a local oyster farmer could harvest 8-10 full baskets in a day ,... today they would be lucky to net 1-2. Fortunately, with tourism, real estate and fishing, the economy is holding its own. A great place to visit. You can enjoy a relaxing weekend or spend a few days exploring the town. Lots of history! Oh, we plan on returning. Click visit Florida.

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Chattahoochee

3/16/2022

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Chattahoochee is the home of Florida's 1st State Hospital and was also a psychiatric hospital. Established in 1876, it was Florida's only state mental institution until 1947. It currently has a capacity of 1,042 patients. It was subsequently refurbished as a mental hospital, originally known as Florida State Hospital for the Insane, which opened in 1876.

It gained notoriety over the course of its long history. It was sued in O'Connor v. Donaldson, a case that went to the US Supreme Court, which ruled that the hospital had illegally confined one of its patients.

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In our search for historical towns, we found Chattahoochee located on the Apalachicola River. The location was originally the site a military arsenal that had been used during the Seminole Wars and the Civil War. As noted above and told to us in 1876 the hospital was built on the site which later became Florida's first state hospital in 1947.

The property houses multiple buildings with strict rules about taking photos (oops). Upon leaving, we talked to the grounds keeper and became aware of 1,000 + year old Indian mounds that we had to visit. This was one visit that it was best for Ginger to stay with the car as I scooted between buildings and shrubs to avoid the facility guards from taking my camera.

Photo Ops:

Historic State Hospital (on the grounds or from street)
1,000 year old mounds

Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chattahoochee,_Florida
Wiki ... State Hospital ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_State_Hospital
Mounds (over 1,000 yrs old) ... www.exploresouthernhistory.com/chattahoocheelanding.html
Florida Backroad Travel ... Chattahoochee

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Monticello

3/8/2022

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"Only 28 miles northeast of Tallahassee, the Northwest Florida town of Monticello is graced by historic buildings, including a circa-1890 opera house still in use today. A courthouse square dominates the center of compact Monticello, surrounded by family-owned cafés and shops, and spectacular live oak canopies, draped with Spanish moss. Saturdays are particularly special as area farmers and ranchers – corn, peanuts, cotton, dairy, cattle, etc. – still come to Monticello to shop and socialize. Oh, and there is this: Those curious about the supernatural are advised to make a stop in Monticello, named by ABC-TV as the "Most Haunted Small Town in the U.S." (SRC#4)

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We found Monticello, in our early explorations - Florida certified wineries, we came across Monticello Vineyards and Winery a small and unpretentious Florida farm winery, featuring USDA organic grapes.

Photo Ops:

Downtown
Monticello Winery
Monticello Historical District

Resources:
Wiki ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monticello,_Florida
Monticello - History
Winery - Monticello Vineyards and Winery

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