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Jeff Miller

Voter turnout higher in 2020 Primary Election

August 25, 2020 By B.C. Manion

Voter turnout for the 2020 Primary Election was higher than it was in the 2016 Primary, in both  Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

In Pasco, 21.03% of registered voters cast ballots in the 2020 primary, compared to 18.64% in the 2016 primary.

In Hillsborough, the number of registered voters participating was 25.38%, compared to 19.1% in the 2016 primary.

Voters made their choices in some key races in Pasco and Hillsborough counties.

In a universal primary in the race for Pasco County Commission District 4, Christina Fitzpatrick won the election, with 32.6% of the vote, compared to the second-highest vote-getter, Gary Bradford, who received 31.52%.

Alison Crumbley won another term on the Pasco County School Board. Candidates Gabriel Papadopoulos and Catie Mansfield fell short of their bid for county commission and county judge, respectively (B.C. Manion)

Jeff Miller and Gabriel “Gabe” Papadopoulos also ran in the four-way race to fill the vacancy that was created when Mike Wells decided to seek the post of county property appraiser, which Wells secured.

All voters were eligible to vote in the universal primary for the District 4 seat because the winner faced no opposition in the general election.

In the Republican primary race for superintendent of Pasco County Schools, incumbent Kurt Browning captured more than 64% of the vote, defeating David LaRoche. He will face Cynthia Thompson No Party Affiliation in the Nov. 3 general election.

In the nonpartisan Pasco County School Board District 4 race, Alison Crumbley won reelection with more than 65% of the vote, defeating challenger Joshua Stringfellow.

In Hillsborough County, four school board seats were up for grabs and all four are heading to run-offs in the Nov. 3 general election.

In District 1, Nadia Combs was the top vote-getter, receiving 44.56% of the vote, and she will face incumbent Steve Cona, who received 33.30%.

District 3 drew five candidates. Mitch Thrower led the pack, with 25.15% of the vote, while Jessica Vaughn came in second, with 24.49%.

Four candidates competed in District 5, with Henry “Shake” Washington receiving 44.45% of the vote compared to incumbent Tammy Shamburger, who drew 23.70% of votes cast in that race.

A quartet of candidates sought the District 7 seat, with Sally Harris emerging with a slight edge over Lynn Gray. Harris hauled in 28.40% of the vote, while Gray received 27.85%.

Rain fell steadily, at least for a while, on 2020 Primary Election Day in Pasco and Hillsborough counties. Here are some of the political signs near an intersection in Lutz.

In the Republican primary race for Hillsborough County Sheriff, incumbent Chad Chronister received 62.39% of the vote, defeating challenger Charles Boswell. Chronister will face Democrat Gary Pruitt and Ron McMullen No Party Affiliation in the general election.

In the Democrat primary race for Hillsborough County Tax Collector, Nancy Millan received 61.07% of the vote, defeating April Griffin. Millan will face Republican TK Mathew in the general election.

In the Republican primary race for Hillsborough County Commission District 1, Scott Levinson received 55.61%of the vote, defeating Tony Morejon.

Levinson will face Democrat Harry Cohen, who received 54.24% of the primary vote, defeating Jen McDonald.

In the Democrat primary for Hillsborough County Commission District 3, five candidates competed to fill the seat being vacated by term-limited Les Miller. Gwen Myers was the top vote-getter with 26.52%, edging out Thomas Scott, who received 25.68%. Myers will face Republican Maura Cruz Lane in the general election.

In a universal primary, Hillsborough County voters selected Cindy Stuart as the county’s next Clerk of the Circuit Court. Stuart received 53.44% of the vote, defeating Kevin Beckner.

Election officials took care to make polling places safe. They asked voters to wear masks and maintain a social distance from other voters, to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Pasco County Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley said “vote by mail was way up from the 2016 primary, while early voting in person was down considerably.”

Election day operations went smoothly, he added.

“I’m so blessed to have an amazing team and dedicated poll workers who pulled off a sense of election normalcy during a pandemic,” Corley said.

Pasco County
Registered voters: 378,157
Ballots cast: 79,538
Voter turnout: 21.03%

Source: Pasco County Supervisor of Elections

Hillsborough County
Registered voters: 897,689
Ballots cast: 227,843
Voter turnout: 25.38%

Published August 26, 2020

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: 2020 Primary Election, Alison Crumbley, April Griffin, Brian Corley, Chad Chronister, Charles Boswell, Christina Fitzpatrick, Cindy Stuart, Cynthia Thompson, David Laroche, Gabriel Papadopoulos, Gary Bradford, Gary Pruitt, Gwen Myers, Harry Cohen, Henry Washington, Hillsborough County Commission, Hillsborough County Sheriff, Jeff Miller, Jen McDonald, Joshua Stringfellow, Kevin Beckner, Kurt Browning, Les Miller, Lynn Gray, Maura Cruz Lane, Mike Wells, Mitch Thrower, Nadia Combs, Nancy Millan, Pasco County Commission, Pasco County School Board, Pasco County Schools, Ron McMullen, Sally Harris, Scott Levinson, Steve Cona, Tammy Shamburger, Thomas Scott, TK Mathew, Tony Morejon

Pasco voters to weigh in on key races

August 11, 2020 By B.C. Manion

The Primary 2020 ballot is not long in Pasco County, but there are some key races in the election set for Aug. 18.

Some voters will make their way to the polls to cast their ballots on Election Day, but many will have already voted, or mailed in their ballots.

It remains unclear how concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic will affect voter turnout, but election supervisors in both Hillsborough and Pasco counties have reported efforts to ensure the safety of both poll workers and voters.

Such measures include social distancing and ongoing cleaning. As a result, lines at the polls could be longer, the supervisors in both counties have said.

In Pasco County, all voters will be able to cast ballots in the universal primary contest for the Pasco County Commission District 4 race.

The candidates are competing to fill the seat that was vacated by Mike Wells, who ran for County Property Appraiser and was elected.

In universal primary contests all voters can participate, because all of the candidates in the race are from the same party, and there is no opposition in the general election.

Those vying for the Pasco County Commission District 4 seat are Gary Bradford, Christina “Fitzy” Fitzpatrick, Jeff Miller and Gabriel “Gabe” Papadopoulos.

In another race, Republican voters will choose whether they want Kurt S. Browning or David LaRoche to represent the party in the Nov. 3 general election.

Meanwhile, voters will have a choice between Alison Crumbley or Joshua Stringfellow, in the nonpartisan race for the District 4 seat on the Pasco County School Board.

The polls will be open on Aug. 18 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Some seats have already been settled in Pasco County.

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano, Clerk & Comptroller Nikki Alvarez-Sowles and Sheriff Chris Nocco each will serve another four years — since no opponents came forward to challenge them by the qualifying deadline in the 2020 election.

Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley also will serve another four years, as his opponent withdrew. And, Wells has been elected to Pasco County Property Appraiser, since his opponent Gary Joiner did not qualify.

Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley will serve another term in District 1, because opponent Christopher King withdrew. And, Pasco School Board District 2 incumbent Colleen Beaudoin has won another term because her opponent Adrienne G. Wilson withdrew.

A number of other races will be decided in the Nov. 3 general election, including the District 3 and District 5 seats on the Pasco County Commission.

Other races on the ballot will determine who will represent Florida’s 12th congressional district and who will represent District 36, District 37 and District 38, in the Florida House. A special election also will be held to choose a new representative in the Florida Senate, District 20.

To find out early voting locations or for other election information, visit PascoVotes.gov.

Pasco Active Registered Voters*
Republican: 151,859
Democratic: 115,807
No Party: 106,532
Minor Party: 5,723

Total: 379,921

*As of 08/09/2020
Source: Pasco County Supervisor of Elections

Published August 12, 2020

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Adrienne G. Wilson, Alison Crumbley, Brian Corley, Chris Nocco, Christina Fitzpatrick, Christopher King, Colleen Beaudoin, COVID-19, David Laroche, Election Day, Gabriel Papadopoulos, Gary Bradford, Gary Joiner, Jeff Miller, Joshua Stringfellow, Kurt Browning, Mike Fasano, Mike Wells, Nikki Alvarez-Sowles, Pasco County, Pasco County Commission, Pasco County School Board, Primary 2020, Ron Oakley

Columnist helps to keep Pasco’s history alive

August 11, 2020 By B.C. Manion

The name Doug Sanders will ring a bell with regular readers of The Laker/Lutz News.

Especially those who enjoy history.

Sanders dropped by the newspaper’s office a little over five years ago, offering to help us tell the story of the region’s history.

It was an offer we couldn’t refuse.

Doug Sanders has a penchant for history. He enjoys tracking down leads and sharing what he finds out, with others. He is shown here, after giving a talk at a Pasco County Historical Society meeting in February. (B.C. Manion)

Since then, Sanders’ columns have unearthed interesting facts about community landmarks, forgotten places, and people who have played a pivotal role in shaping the area’s history.

His columns resonate with people who are deeply rooted here, and with newcomers, too, who want to know more about the place where they now live.

And, we’re lucky enough to continue sharing Sanders’ work.

Sanders said his interest in history began in 1963, as part of a class visit to the home of Wilbur Wright, co-inventor of the airplane.

That visit to the farmhouse and museum near Millville, Indiana, left an indelible impression.

“It was just amazing to me: Here’s a man in history that changed the world, and he came from some humble beginnings. The homestead went back to 1865,” Sanders said.

“It’s something that filled my imagination that day,” he said.

It also sparked his interest in pursuing stories and preserving history.

When he arrived in Florida, in the early 1980s, he became enamored with learning more about Pasco County’s past. Over the years, he’s formed friendships and received help from other local historians, including Jeff Miller, Keith Bailey, Ted Johnson, Scott Black, Bill Dayton and Madonna Wise.

He’s done quite a bit of research over the years and has shared some of what he’s learned through periodic columns.

One of his favorites focused on a document possessed by Martha M. Fountain, of Zephyrhills.

The document, originally bestowed to Samuel Warren Fountain, was signed on Dec. 15, 1864. It bears the signature of President Abraham Lincoln, and has been passed down through generations of Fountain’s family.

President Abraham Lincoln’s signature, dated Dec. 15, 1864, remains legible.
It turns out the signature on the 156-year-old document was an engraved version of President Lincoln’s signature. (Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

Sanders wanted to know if it really was Lincoln’s signature on the document.

So, he set off to find out.

It took him two years, and ultimately a trip to Springfield, Illinois, where he discovered the document, now 156 years old, was marked with an engraving of Lincoln’s original signature.

While the signature wasn’t directly applied by Lincoln’s hand, Sanders still felt a sense of satisfaction, from tracking down the facts.

There were a couple other bonuses, too, he said.

For one thing, he made a new friend: Norm Schmidt. Schmidt, who lives in Akron, Ohio, had read Sanders’ column about the document, after receiving a copy of the column from Donna Swart, a former mayor of San Antonio.

Schmidt offered to take Sanders to Springfield, Illinois, where the men found out that the signature was an engraving of Lincoln’s signature.

The men also traveled to Lincoln College, where, as it turns out, the document is now housed, as part of the exhibits at Lincoln Heritage Museum.

Sanders also enjoyed the challenge of trying to determine whether President Calvin Coolidge ever stayed in Dade City, as local legend claimed for decades.

His painstaking research yielded a detailed timeline that Sanders believes makes it impossible for the local legend to be true.

Still, if someone can produce hard evidence of a Coolidge visit, Sanders would love to see it.

Other satisfying columns featured James Emmett Evans and William M. Larkin, Sanders said.

Evans was known as the citrus king and was a pivotal figure in the development of frozen juice concentrate. Larkin was a cattleman and lawyer, a member of the Pasco County School Board and chairman of the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Edward Bok and his wife, Mary Louise, are shown here with President Calvin Coolidge and his wife, Grace, on Feb. 1, 1929, the day that Coolidge spoke at the dedication ceremony at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. (Courtesy of Bok Tower Gardens)

Sanders’ columns often bring little-known facts to light.

One column featured the acting career of Roy Barnes Jones, a character actor who was born in Dade City.

Jones used the stage name Roy Roberts, and at the height of his career, his face was familiar to millions. He played recurring roles in such popular programs as “McHale’s Navy,” “Bewitched” and the “Dick Van Dyke Show.”

But, Sanders doesn’t just write about people. He also writes about the region’s places and events.

He called attention to the historic Cow Palace in Dade City, a venue that attracted some of the  biggest names in soul-blues and R&B music, including B.B. King.

The Cow Palace was part of what is known as the “Chitlin’ Circuit,” defined by National Public Radio as “a touring circuit that provided employment for hundreds of black musicians and brought about the birth of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

He also told the story of the Historic Pasco County Courthouse, an iconic building in downtown Dade City, that’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Readers of that column would learn the building, located at Seventh Street and Meridian Avenue, was erected in 1909. They also would find out that despite its impressive neoclassical dome and clock tower, the structure’s design was not exactly unique.

The architect — Edward Columbus (E.C.) Hosford — used a similar design for three courthouses in Georgia and two in Texas.

In other columns, Sanders has written about challenging times the region has weathered.

He wrote about the hurricane of 1921, which made landfall with sustained winds of 115 mph near Tarpon Springs, on Oct. 25, 1921. At the time, it was considered the most destructive storm to hit Florida since 1848.

Wilbur Wright was born here in Millville, Indiana, on April 16, 1867. His parents bought this home, along with 5 acres for $700. (Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

The hurricane caused considerable damage throughout the region.

The Sunnybrook Tobacco Company, in Dade City, for example, reported losing nine barns and  110 acres of shade-grown tobacco. The damage was estimated at $100,000.

The Dade City Banner was forced to abandon its offices, the Mt. Zion Methodist Church was demolished, and the storm damaged roofs, toppled trees, took down smokestacks and flattened water tanks, among other things.

The region has had its health scares, too.

While today’s news is dominated by COVID-19, headlines in the past have covered yellow fever and the Spanish influenza, among others.

Over the years, Sanders has written about life’s trials and triumphs, its death and despair.

He’s done much of his work the old-fashioned way: Through interviews, old documents, personal visits and newspaper archives.

“It takes a lot of effort to track this stuff down,” Sanders said.

Just about anything can be found on the Internet, but that’s not good enough, Sanders said.

“You’ve got to find out if it’s fact or not.

“Even though we have modern technology, there’s still nothing to replace shoe leather,” the history columnist said.

To read Doug Sanders’ Knowing Your History columns in their entirety, just visit LakerLutzNews.com, and search for Doug Sanders on our website.

Published August 12, 2020

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Abraham Lincoln, B.B. King, Bill Dayton, Calvin Coolidge, COVID-19, Cow Palace, Dade City, Dade City Banner, Donna Swart, Doug Sanders, Edward Columbus Hosford, James Emmett Evans, Jeff Miller, Keith Bailey, Lincoln College, Lincoln Heritage Museum, Madonna Wise, Martha M. Fountain, Mt. Zion Methodist Church, National Public Radio, National Register of Historic Places, Norm Schmidt, Pasco County School Board, Roy Barnes Jones, Roy Roberts, Samuel Warren Fountain, Scott Black, Southwest Florida Water Management District, Sunnybrook Tobacco Company, Ted Johnson, William M. Larkin

Political Agenda 02/19/2020

February 19, 2020 By B.C. Manion

Pasco Supervisor of Elections website change
The Pasco County Supervisor of Election’s Office has converted its website from a .com to a .gov Internet address, according to a news release.

The switch was made as a security measure, according to the release.

“Elections security continues to be at the forefront in all that we do, which is why we secured the PascoVotes.gov domain. Only official U.S. government websites will have addresses that end in .gov,” the release says. The switch and other security enhancements ensure that PascoVotes.gov is more secure against hijacking or website spoofing, the release adds.

Visitors to PascoVotes.gov can access voting and election information quickly and easily from any device they choose. They can access information on how to register to vote, make address or name changes, update their signatures, and more, according to the release.

Upcoming political club meetings:

Republican clubs joint meeting
The Feb. 24 joint meeting of the Republican Club of Central Pasco and the Pasco Federated Republican Women’s Club will feature the Republican candidates that have filed for the open District 4 Pasco County Commission seat. The candidates are: Gary Bradford, Jeff Miller, Gabe Papadopoulos and Dan Tipton. The meeting will be a “meet-and-greet” session to get to know the candidates and their stances on the issues.

The event is open to the public and the club encourages anyone that seeks to be involved in the political process to attend.  The club meets at Copperstone Executive Suites, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes. The social begins at 6:30 p.m., and the business meeting starts at 7 p.m. For more information, call (813) 996-3011.

Land O’ Lakes Democratic Club
The Land O’ Lakes Democratic Club plans to meet on March 4 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Brick City Eatery, 16540 Pointe Village Drive in Lutz. The club meets on the first Wednesday of the month in the private room at Brick City Eatery, according to the calendar on the Pasco Democrats’ website.

Young Democrats meeting
The Young Democrats plans to meet on March 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Brick City Eatery, 16540 Pointe Village Drive in Lutz, according to the calendar on the Pasco Democrats’ website.

Wesley Chapel Republican Club
The Wesley Chapel Republican Club plans to meet on March 12 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at Wesley Chapel Toyota, 5300 Eagleston Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. The scheduled speaker is Alexandria Suarez, according to the club’s Facebook page.

East Pasco Republican Club
The East Pasco Republican Club plans to meet on March 17 at 6 p.m., at the Microtel Inns & Suites, 7839 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills. The scheduled guest speaker is Dr. Randall Stovall, according to the club’s Facebook page.

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Alexandria Suarez, Dan Tipton, East Pasco Republican Club, Gabe Papadopoulos, Gary Bradford, Jeff Miller, Land O' Lakes Democratic Club, Pasco County Supervisor of Elections, Pasco Federated Republican Women's Club, Randall Stovall, Republican Club of Central Pasco, Wesley Chapel Republican Club, Young Democrats

Check out Pasco’s history at Fivay.org

August 8, 2018 By B.C. Manion

If you are curious about Pasco County’s history, perhaps the best way to become familiar with it would be to check out the website, Fivay.org.

Jeff Miller, a recently retired high school mathematics teacher, maintains the website and has invested countless hours piecing together Pasco County’s story.

Miller has gleaned information from newspaper articles, old deeds, post cards, photographs, public records and personal accounts to create a repository of information that provides visitors a chance to learn about the history of the county’s geography and its people.

Local historian Jeff Miller shared his knowledge about the origins of various Pasco County place names last week during a meeting of Pasco County Historical Society. (B.C. Manion)

Miller, who is a member of the West Pasco Historical Society, was the guest speaker last week at the Pasco County Historical Society meeting at Pioneer Florida Museum & Village in Dade City.

His talk focused on the origins of names for various places in Pasco County.

For instance, the name Fivay — for which his website is named — is a community in West Pasco that was established by five men whose last names each began with the letter A: Preston Arkwright, Martin F. Amorous, H. M. Atkinson, Gordon Abbott and Charles F. Ayer.

The town, famously, was put up for sale, Miller told the crowd of about 60 people who gathered for his talk. The 1912 advertisement offered 104 residences, bungalows, stores and hotels, electric lights and a water plant, noting it was willing to sell the property “whole or separately.”

A historic marker that helped share Fivay’s story sadly has been stolen, Miller said.

But, the marker isn’t entirely gone because there is a photo of it on Miller’s website.

The local historian traced Pasco County’s place names by sharing maps dating back to 1714, when Florida was still under Spanish rule.

The name Anclote, appears on that map and may have appeared on earlier maps, going back possibly to 1500s, Miller said. “Anclote is apparently the oldest place name in Florida,” he said.

He told the crowd that Fort Dade, the fort, was established in 1837, and was named after Francis Langhorne Dade, who was killed in the “Dade Massacre,” a battle with the Seminole Indians.

A look at the rail yard in Abbott, which later became Zephyrhills.

Other places named for Dade include Dade City; Miami-Dade County; Dade County, Georgia; Dade County, Missouri; and Dadeville, Alabama, according to Miller.

“We don’t know what he looked like,” he said, because no photographs were taken of him.

“On the Internet, there’s a web page about him that has a picture, but it turns out the picture is actually Zachary Taylor,” Miller said.

At one point, Fort Dade was in Mosquito County, a huge county that stretched to where Palm Beach County is now, Miller noted.

Hernando County was created in 1843, he said. The name was changed the following year to Benton County, after residents asked the Florida Legislature to rename the county to honor U.S. Sen. Thomas Hart Benton, for his role in passing the Armed Occupation Act. That legislation opened up South Florida for settlement by providing each settler 160 acres, if the settler lived on the land for five consecutive years, built a home on the land and defended the land against Seminole Indians.

But, the county’s name was reverted to Hernando County in 1849 after Benton came out against slavery.

Miller also noted that the name Tuckertown, which was named for a local family, was mentioned in a newspaper in 1870. It was later changed to Richland in 1886.

Wesley Chapel also known as Wesley on area maps
The name Wesley Chapel was known to be in use in 1877, Miller said. Records show a school at Wesley Chapel for the 1877-88 school year. The community was thought to be named for John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church.

A post office named Wesley operated from 1897 to 1902, and during that time, maps show Wesley, rather than Wesley Chapel, he said.

The longer name was probably unacceptable to officials naming post offices at the time, he said.

In East Pasco, the name Lake Jovita is said to have been named by Judge Edward F. Dunne and Capt. Hugh Dunne on Feb. 15, 1822, because it was the feast day for Saints Faustinus and Jovita, Miller said. The lake also is called Clear Lake.

In 1882, the Sumner Post Office was established. The initial request was to name the post office Clear Lake, but that was denied with the request to use a short name, Miller said. Three weeks later, the name was changed to San Antonio. The name was changed to Lake Jovita on Nov. 1, 1926, and then changed back to San Antonio on Aug. 31, 1931.

Neither St. Joseph nor St. Leo were part of the original Catholic Colonies, established by Judge Edward F. Dunne.

St. Leo was named after Saint Leo University, which was named for Pope Leo I, and St. Joseph was named by the Barthle family, who had lived near a town named St. Joseph, Minnesota.

The Hatton Post Office was established in 1882, but it was moved, and its name was changed to the Dade City Post Office on Dec. 18, 1884.

In 1885, the McLeod Post Office was established. It was sort of the original name for Trilby. The name was changed 23 days later to Macon, and then changed to Trilby in 1901.

Trilby’s name came from railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant, who wanted to name the area around Macon after the heroine in wife’s favorite book, “Trilby,” by George du Maurier.

Even though the name wasn’t formally changed until 1901, there were references to Trilby in the late 1800s, Miller said.

“They platted out street maps showing streets named for characters in the story,” he added, and newspapers around the country reported that a small town in Florida was being named Trilby.

The city of Zephyrhills, originally was known as Abbott, got its name in 1888. It was changed in 1910 by Capt. Howard B. Jeffries, who founded a retirement colony for Civil War veterans. The word zephyr means gentle breeze, and Zephyrhills is known for its hills, Miller said.

The Pasco Post Office, established in 1889, was named after the county.

Pasco County got its name in 1887 when Jefferson Alexis Hendley and Dr. Richard Bankston traveled to Tallahassee to lobby the Legislature for a new county to be called Banner County.

The name did not go over well with legislators, who said “my county is just as much a banner county as yours,” Miller said.

Bankston then proposed the name Pasco County, in honor of Samuel Pasco, the newly elected U.S. Senator. On the same day, in 1887, Pasco and Citrus counties were created, with Pasco coming from the southern third of Hernando County and Citrus coming from the northern third.

The community of Land O’ Lakes got its name in 1949 and was the result of giving the Drexel-Denham area a new name. The following year, the Ehren Post Office was moved and renamed Land O’ Lakes.

Revised on August 9, 2018

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Armed Occupation Act, Banner County, Catholic Colonies, Charles Ayer, Civil War, Clear Lake, Dade City, Dade City Post Office, Drexel-Denham, Edward F. Dunne, Ehren Post Office, Fivay, Fort Dade, Francis Langhorne Dade, George du Maurier, Gordon Abbott, H.M. Atkinson, Hatton Post Office, Henry B. Plant, Hugh B. Jeffries, Hugh Dunne, Jeff Miller, Jefferson Alexis Hendley, John Wesley, Lake Jovita, Land O' Lakes, Martin Amorous, McLeod Post Office, Palm Beach County, Pasco County Historical Society, Pasco Post Office, Pioneer Florida Museum & Village, Pope Leo I, Preston Arkwright, Richard Bankston, Saint Faustinus, Saint jovita, Saint Leo University, Samuel Pasco, Seminole Indians, St. Joseph, Sumner Post Office, Thomas Hart Benton, West Pasco Historical Society, Zachary Taylor

Eddie Herrmann, a pillar in San Antonio, was an original

November 1, 2017 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Edward Joseph Herrmann, known as “Eddie” to most everyone in San Antonio, was an original, and with his passing on Oct. 21, the community paused to reminisce about a pillar of the community.

Eddie wore many hats. He was a father, a son, a husband, an uncle, a former Mayor of San Antonio, an award-winning winemaker, a writer and a respected historian.

His death came on the evening of the 51st annual San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival, an event which he co-founded with Deputy Sheriff Willy Post, as a project of the Jaycees.

Edward ‘Eddie’ Joseph Herrmann died on Oct. 21, on the first evening of the 51st annual San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival, an event he co-founded in the town of San Antonio, in East Pasco County. (Courtesy of Madonna Jervis Wise)

To know Eddie was to appreciate a man who revered his community, and valued the facts and lessons of history.

Local history buffs and museums regularly consulted with Eddie.

“Eddie gave me many photos to use on the Fivay.org website, and he was able to provide information about a number of old photos,” said Jeff Miller, who operates the website and is a respected local historian.

“Eddie knew of the existence of a large collection of high-quality vintage photos of Dade City, San Antonio and surrounding towns. Most of the photos were taken by the Dade City Chamber of Commerce in the late 1920s, and before. He asked Oliver and Barbara DeWitt of Dade City, who are now in possession of the photos, to allow me to scan the photos, which are known as the Helen Eck Sparkman Collection. They can be viewed and downloaded in high resolution on the Fivay.org website,” Miller said.

These photos of public places and historic homes are indicative of Eddie’s zeal to capture accurate information and to share his knowledge, often through anecdotes, about the culture and flavor of a specific time or event.

Herrmann co-authored “The Historic Places of Pasco County,” commonly called “the orange book,” with James J. Horgan and Alice Hall in 1992.

The volume traces the history of the county from 1887 to a hundred years later, in 1987, describing 264 buildings, sites, and homes that were designated as historic. The book also provides a map and guide to the county’s cemeteries.

Compiling the information was a gargantuan task.

And, Eddie told others about a time he once spent 24 hours, without a break, conducting research for the book, along with his great friend, the iconic Zephyrhills activist Alice Hall.

“We spent the night together at the Zephyrhills City Hall poring through records, and they just left us there all night,” Eddie said.

Eddie was a charter member of the Pasco County Historical Preservation Committee, formed in 1977 by the Pasco County Commission.

In his role on the committee, he was involved in the placement of historical markers throughout Pasco County.

His work was valuable in protecting landmarks, said Scott Black, another local historian and a member of the Dade City Commission.

Eddie identified “important sites around the county that were in danger of being forgotten,” Black said, via email.

“I particularly remember how often he would talk about his quest for the ‘26-Mile House,’ which was a stagecoach stop 26 miles south of Chocochattee (present-day Brooksville) on the old road to Tampa,” Black said.

Eddie pinpointed the location so well that he was able to persuade the county to require Lennar Homes to fund an historical marker at the entrance of the Stagecoach Village housing development in Land O’Lakes — as one of the permitting conditions for the development, Black recalled.

Pat Mulieri, a member of the Pasco County Commission at the time, recognized Eddie’s contributions in a proclamation he received in 2014 on the steps of the Pasco County Historic Courthouse in Dade City.

Edward ‘Eddie’ Joseph Herrmann is in the front row on the far left, in this photograph taken at one of scores of historic marker dedications he took part in, throughout Pasco County.

Eddie rarely missed a meeting of the Pasco County Historical Society, and he served the organization in every capacity, from president to board member to program chairman, for many years.

He provided a wealth of information, and was always ready to help others unearth historic facts.

For example, he delved into assisting Eva Martha Knapp and Hernando High School students with documenting the 1944 German POW Camp No. 7 that was operated in Dade City during World War II. During the course of that work, Eddie forged friendships with several former soldiers — hosting them at his home and then visiting them in Germany.

Eddie had the knack of seeing both the forest, and the trees.

He recognized the interweaving of the economy, resources and changing political issues.

For instance, he had extensive knowledge about Florida horticulture, and proved to be an invaluable resource for me, when I was conducting my research for local history books about Dade City and Wesley Chapel.

As an example, he encouraged me to include the impact of a cactus farmer, Anthony Tuzzolino of Wesley Chapel, who raised 15 acres of cacti and imported cacti, and other produce, from Wesley Chapel to Ybor City during the early 1940s.

Beyond merely telling me that, Eddie researched the issue, contacting the Pasco County Cooperative Extension Office, as well as the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences on Opuntia Cactus, and then he passed along several citations to me.

Thus, I wasn’t surprised when I later learned that Eddie himself was an accomplished gardener and grower. As a matter of fact, he won the Florida Grape Growers Association’s first winemaking competition in 1974, and then went on to spend years continuing to hone his skills in growing grapes and making wine.

When gopher tortoises were declared a “species of special concern,” Eddie embraced the opportunity to protect the tortoises — which had been used in races at the Rattlesnake Festival. He spearheaded the design of a large wooden version of a toy that resembled a gopher tortoise to be used instead.

Eddie’s research also helped correct the record on one of Dade City’s most iconic buildings, Miller said.

“It had long been thought that the historic 1909 courthouse in Dade City was designed by a local man, Artemus Roberts, but Eddie discovered that it was actually designed by Edward Columbus Hosford, an architect who designed many courthouses and other buildings in the South,” the local historian explained.

“Eddie’s discovery came about after his brother Gregory moved to Mason, Texas, and told Eddie that the courthouse there looked almost exactly like the one in Dade City, but that it was designed by Hosford. Eddie looked through the old minutes of the Pasco County Commission and found that Hosford did indeed design the Pasco courthouse, and that Roberts was the Superintendent of Construction,” Miller added.

In addition to his public life, Eddie was a man who treasured his faith and family.

Every Sunday, he could be found kneeling in his pew in church at his parish of St. Anthony of Padua in San Antonio. Then, the family gathered for a pancake breakfast at his parents’ home.

He also was an active member of the St. Leo community and participated in St. Leo Abbey events. Articles he wrote about Father Felix Ullrich, former pastor of Saint Anthony Church, and about the history of San Antonio can be found on Miller’s website, Fivay.org.
With Eddie’s passing, San Antonio has lost a man who worked tenaciously for the community’s good.

Those of us who were lucky enough to know him, will miss Eddie’s optimistic outlook and energy.

In his final email to me, he signed off in customary way: “Keep smiling. It looks good on you!”

It was the same kind of upbeat sentiment that he conveyed, in so many different ways, during a life well-spent in San Antonio.

Edward “Eddie” Joseph Herrmann

  • Edward Joseph Herrmann, widely known as ‘Eddie,’ was born to Joe Herrmann and Rose Ullrich Herrmann on July 25, 1936 in the Jovita Building in San Antonio.
  • Eddie grew up in the Jovita Building that was built by his grandfather, Lucius Herrmann, a baker by trade, and Tony Rachel, with help from his father, Joe, and his aunt, Margaret Herrmann Kirch, who were teenagers at the time. The family lived upstairs, with businesses downstairs.
  • Eddie had several siblings: Margaret Herrmann Beaumont, Paul Herrmann, Rosemary Herrmann, Joseph Herrmann, Barbara Herrmann Sessa, John Herrmann, Mary Sue Herrmann Keenan and Gregory Lucius Herrmann.
  • Eddie started school a year early at St. Anthony School and skipped a grade. He graduated when he was 16 from St. Leo College Prep School.
  • Eddie married Mary Patricia “Patsy” Miller on Oct. 19, 1955. Their 62nd anniversary was just two days before Eddie died. The couple’s five children are: Michael Joseph Herrmann, Amy Herrmann Greif, Larry Herrmann, Laura Herrmann Bailey and Eric Herrmann.
  • After finishing high school, Eddie worked for his dad’s Saf-T-Gas Company, but eventually bought the Culligan Soft Water Business from his dad and raised his kids in ‘Culligan Kindergarten,’ with the children riding around with him for years in his big truck, as he serviced his route. His wife, Patsy, was the bookkeeper.

This biographical information was supplied by Margaret Herrmann Beaumont, Eddie’s sister.

By Madonna Jervis Wise

Published November 1, 2017

Filed Under: Local News, People Profiles Tagged With: Alice Hall, Anthony Tuzzolino, Artemus Roberts, Barbara DeWitt, Dade City Chamber of Commerce, Dade City Commission, Edward Columbus Hosford, Edward Joseph Herrmann, Eva Martha Knapp, Felix Ullrich, Florida Grape Growers Association, Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Helen Eck Sparkman, Hernando High School, James J. Hogan, Jaycees, Jeff Miller, Lennar Homes, Oliver DeWitt, Pasco County Commission, Pasco County Cooperative Extension Office, Pasco County Historic Courthouse, Pasco County Historical Preservation Committee, Pasco County Historical Society, Pat Mulieri, San Antonio, San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival, Scott Black, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Leo Abbey, Stagecoach Village, Willy Post, Zephyrhills City Hall

Pasco’s early law enforcement days were notorious

October 11, 2017 By Doug Sanders

Pasco County’s early law enforcement days inspired quite a few dramatic stories.

An illegal killing captured headlines during Henry C. Griffin’s tenure as sheriff.

Built in 1892, the Old Pasco County Jail is the oldest brick structure in Dade City. It had two inmate cells, an isolation cell and an east wing used for the Sheriff’s living quarters. A later addition to the west end was the county’s gallows where the last legal hanging included “An array of picnickers positioned on the grounds surrounding the gallows area,” according to research conducted by local historian Madonna Jervis Wise in 2014. (Courtesy of Norman Carey)

During his second term, a mob killed two black men who were being held inside the county’s first jail located near downtown Dade City.

Will Wright and Sam Williams had been charged in the murders of Dan Childers and J.B. McNeil at Rice & Phelps’ turpentine camp near Dade City, according to newspaper stories published by The Tampa Morning Tribune.

The Tribune reported on Feb. 14, 1901, that Griffin refused to give up the keys and the mob —estimated as being between 30 to 50 men — broke down the outer door.

When they were unable to break down the steel doors of the cells, they opened fire, shooting both Wright and Williams to death, the report said.

The Coroner’s jury determined the prisoners came to their deaths at the hands of “parties unknown.”

Griffin lost his bid for re-election in 1904 to Bart Sturkie, who went on to serve four terms.

Another account of Pasco’s early law days involves the death of a Dade City farmer named Noah Green, who also is the Cherokee great-grandfather of Debbie DeLuca of Land O’ Lakes.

“As it stands right now, the only word I have on his death was the fire in the jailhouse,” DeLuca said.

“I have had cousins try to find his grave over in Linden Cemetery (off State Road 50 in Sumter County),” she added. “We were told it was in the center of the graveyard in an unmarked grave.”

Based on research for this column by Pasco County historian Jeff Miller, four newspapers including The Atlanta Constitution reported on the fire started by Green, who was “arrested on a charge of drunkenness and duly locked up.”

The 1892 cornerstone from the Old Pasco County Jail is currently on display at the West Pasco Historical Society in New Port Richey. (Courtesy of Fivay.org)

With a headline, “Cremates himself in lockup in Dade City,” The Tampa Morning Tribune printed this account on Nov. 23, 1911: “About 3 o’clock this morning, beginning to get sober, Green began to feel cold and scraping what rubbish he could gather on the floor, set fire to it.

“Locked up alone in the place, Green found it impossible to escape and began to cry loudly for help. No one was on the streets at that hour but a citizen who lives near the jail hurried to the place. He arrived too late, for Green was then beyond human aid. The jail was burned to the ground and Green’s charred and shrunken body was found in the ashes.”

Newspaper accounts are clear that Green left behind “a wife and five children,” but not much is known not about the wooden jail facility itself.

That incident offers just a glimpse into the county’s early law enforcement history, according to documents archived by fivay.org, a website that specializes in tracking Pasco County history.

Another vigilante mob stormed the jail in Dade City on the night of Aug. 5, 1915 and took a black inmate named Will Leak, according to the Dade City Banner. Leak had been charged with the attempted rape of a young white girl in Trilby and was hung on an oak tree in front of Hillard’s barber shop in the center of town. Details of the event were published on The Banner’s front page on Aug. 6, 1915.

Sturkie, who was serving his fourth term at the time of the break-in, was defeated in his re-election bid for sheriff in 1916 by Isaac Hudson, Jr., who served two terms as sheriff.

During his first six months in office, Hudson raided 164 moonshine stills, according to his son, Leon, who served as Dade City’s Police Chief in 1951.

Hudson’s family is prominent as the founders of Hudson, Florida.

Sheriff Hudson had a historic role on Dec. 28, 1917, when he released the trap door and executed Edgar London for the murder of his wife in the summer of 1917 at Ehren, near present-day Land O’ Lakes.

This is how the newspaper reported the last legal hanging in Pasco County, on Jan. 4, 1918: “The execution took place at ten minutes past one in the presence of a large crowd of whites and blacks who had come in for miles around to witness the affair.

“The negro was led to the platform by Sheriff Hudson and Deputy Osburn. He was accompanied by Rev. Father Francis (future Abbot at Saint Leo Abby), who had been with him all during the day, preparing him for his death. While the noose was being adjusted about his neck by Deputy Osburn, the negro displayed the utmost composure, never flinching once during the nerve-racking ordeal. He had the side of his face to the crowd and his lips could be seen moving in prayer.”

The account continued: “He never offered to say anything to the crowd, but kept his head well up and an erect position to the last, exhibiting a wonderful nerve. The black cap was placed over his head and the trap was sprung by Sheriff Hudson at 1:10. His neck was broken by the fall, and in six minutes he was pronounced dead by Dr. E. L. Reigle, the attending physician.”

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published Oct. 11, 2017

Filed Under: Government, Local News, News Stories Tagged With: Abbot at Saint Leo Abbey, Bart Sturkie, Cherokee, Coroner, Dade City, Dade City Banner, Dade City Police Chief, Dan Childers, Debbie DeLuca, Dr. E. L. Reigle, Edgar London, Ehren, Florida, Henry C. Griffin, Hudson, Isaac Hudson Jr., J.B. McNeil, Jeff Miller, Land O' Lakes, Linden Cemetary, Madonna Jervis Wise, Noah Green, Old Pasco County Jail, Pasco County, Rev. Father Francis, Rice & Phelps, Sam Williams, Sheriff Hudson, State Road 50, Sumter County, Tampa Morning Tribune, The Atlanta Constitution, Trillby, Will Leak, Will Wright

Dade City star had familiar face, but unfamiliar name

July 19, 2017 By Doug Sanders

Imagine this: A fictional round on the popular game show, “Jeopardy!”

The contestants listen closely as host Alex Trebek says:

“During the middle 1960s, he was one of the most recognizable faces on network television.”

A contestant responds: “Who is Roy Barnes Jones, of Dade City, Florida?”

Indeed.

Between takes on the set of Smoky in 1946, Roberts, center, finds time to get a haircut from his co-star, Fred MacMurray. Also starring Anne Baxter, Bruce Cabot, Hoyt Axton, Burl Ives and Slim Pickens, the movie was a drama about the strong bond between a cowpoke and a wild bronco set during the 1940s.
(Courtesy of the Scott Rollins Film and TV Trivia Blog)

Who is this man — whose face was familiar to millions, but whose name remains relatively unknown?

Roy Barnes Jones was born on March 18, 1906.

Records online with ancestry.com show that his parents were married in Dade City, and that his older sister, Nannie Louise Jones, was born there in 1904.

“It might be difficult to confirm that Roy was born in Dade City, but it seems likely,” according to Jeff Miller, webmaster for the Pasco County history website fivay.org.

“Some sources say he was born in Tampa, but maybe that’s because Tampa is better known,” Miller said.

He adds: “Roy’s father was a true Pasco pioneer, shown as living at Cedar Tree in 1870, before there was a Pasco County.”

While those same genealogical records document Jones as the youngest of six children in his family, not even the digital collections of the Dade City Banner— online at the University of Florida — make any mention of Jones’ 40-year career as a character actor. During those four decades, Jones appeared in more than 900 productions on stage and screen.

According to the Internet Broadway Database for theatre productions, Jones began his acting career on the stage as Roy Roberts, first appearing in such plays as “Old Man Murphy” in 1931, followed by “Twentieth Century” in 1932, “The Body Beautiful” in 1935 and “My Sister Eileen” in 1942.

“Roy was a cousin on the Tait side of my family and visited our home here in Dade City for family reunions when I was a kid,” recalls Darwin Croft, co-owner of Croft Farms in Pasco County.

Roy Roberts, with actors Don Knotts (Barney Fife) and Andy Griffith (Sheriff Andy Taylor) on the ‘Andy Griffith Show’ in 1962. In season 2 episode 29, Roberts played the vindictive newspaper publisher J. Howard Jackson, who accuses Sheriff Taylor of official misconduct after he is arrested on a traffic violation.

Additional sources from the Internet Movie Database report that Roberts made his motion picture debut in “Gold Bricks,” a 1936 two-reel comedy short released by the film studios at 20th Century Fox.

By 1943, he had successfully switched to the silver screen, debuting as a Marine officer in “Guadalcanal Diary” with William Bendix. He appeared in 1953 as the crooked business partner (and first victim) in Vincent Price’s “House of Wax.”

When he started recurring appearances on television, he was not known necessarily by name. But, the stocky character — portrayed with silvery hair and a perfectly trimmed mustache — reminded fans and actors of the “Mr. Monopoly” character from the classic board game.

“I remember being so thrilled that Roy was my distant cousin,” recalls Polly Hamm of Dade City.

Roberts made famous a take-charge demeanor when he played the no-nonsense Admiral Rogers on “McHale’s Navy” and the steely railroad president Norman Curtis on CBS’ “Petticoat Junction.”

The same thing could be said when he was cast as Darren Stephens’ father on “Bewitched” and as the father of Rob Petrie on the “Dick Van Dyke Show.”

As John Cushing, president of the Merchants Bank on CBS’s ‘The Beverly Hillbillies,’ Roberts, right, played the rival banker to Mr. Drysdale (Raymond Bailey), president of the Commerce Bank, which had Jed Clampett’s millions.

From 1956 to 1960, Roberts guest-starred in the western series, “My Friend Flicka,” which became the first television series filmed by 20th Century Fox, and as a Texas cattle baron in “The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp.”

Roy Roberts appeared on four episodes of the CBS legal drama, “Perry Mason,” including the role of murderer Arthur Janeel in the 1961 episode, “The Case of the Malicious Mariner.”

In the 1963 comedy hit, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” Blu-ray editions have restored Roberts’ small role as a police officer that was cut from the original film to reduce running time in movie theaters.

Roberts was the assured banker on both “Gunsmoke” and “Bonanza,” but perhaps one of his most familiar roles was as banker John Cushing in “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

Here’s an example of one his gruff reactions when dealing with the Clampett family, from the 1965 episode entitled “Clampett’s Millions”:

Jed Clampett: “Did you get our 45 million from Mr. Drysdale’s bank?”

John Cushing: “Every cent of it.  It’s all safe and sound, right in my bank.”

Jed Clampett: “That’s dandy.  We’d like to see it…in cash.”

John Cushing: (Exasperated) “I haven’t got it!?”

Jed Clampett:  Well, Granny?”

Daisy Moses: “Dogged, if he didn’t go through it quicker than Mr. Drysdale.”

Jed Clampett: “I think we’d be better off, back with him.”

In his last television appearance, Roberts played a veterinarian on the Jan. 21, 1974 CBS broadcast of “Here’s Lucy.”

Although he had a familiar face to viewers, he never had a leading role in Hollywood.

Roy Barnes Jones died of a heart attack in Los Angeles on May 28, 1975. He is buried with his wife Lillian Moore at Greenwood Memorial Park in Fort Worth, Texas. (Lillian Moore had her own film credits. She starred in the Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy movies, “Sons of the Desert” and the “Devil’s Brother,” both produced by Hal Roach and released by the MGM studios in 1933.)

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published July 19, 2017

Filed Under: Local News, Zephyrhills/East Pasco News Tagged With: Alex Trebek, Cedar Tree, Century Fox, Croft Farms, Dade City, Dade City Banner, Darwin Croft, Greenwood Memorial Park, Internet Broadway Database, Jeff Miller, Lillian Moore, MGM, Nannie Louise Jones, Polly Hamm, Roy Barnes Jones, Roy Roberts, University of Florida, Vincent Price, William Bendix

Book captures Dade City’s history through photographs

September 25, 2014 By B.C. Manion

When visitors drop by downtown Dade City, its stately historic courthouse, unique shops and good restaurants likely will impress them.

But there’s so much more to Dade City’s story, and Madonna Jervis Wise has captured that through 200 photographs of the people and places in this city that initially was known as Fort Dade.

Downtown Dade City, during the 1940s, was a thriving hub of activity. (Courtesy of Madonna Jervis Wise)
Downtown Dade City, during the 1940s, was a thriving hub of activity.
(Courtesy of Madonna Jervis Wise)

Wise began working on the volume about a year ago. She’d done another book called “Zephyrhills” for Arcadia Publishing, and the South Carolina publisher approached her to see if she had an interest in writing a book about Dade City.

Wise wasn’t sure initially if she wanted to take it on. But her family encouraged her to pursue the opportunity, and Wise decided to meet with some local leaders to see if they’d like to have a book about their community published.

John Moors, the executive director of the Dade City Chamber of Commerce, greeted the idea with enthusiasm and set up a meeting for Wise with the city’s development director. She also met with the Dade City Preservation Advisory Board, which encouraged her to write the book and provided invaluable suggestions, she said.

Wise said her husband Ernie played an instrumental role, too.

The book includes photographs of everything from old railroad depots to stately homes, from ballet dancers to orange packers. It includes photographs of the sons and daughters of Dade City, who shaped the community and played an instrumental role in Pasco County and beyond.

“Dade City is a rich historical hub,” Wise said. “For many, many decades, this county was run by Pasco High graduates.”

The book showcases the community’s diversity, covering the history of the African-American community and its migrant farmworkers.

Wise used information and photographs she gleaned from a multitude of sources. Jeff Miller of the West Pasco Historical Society provided about 3,000 photos for her to consider from his collection.

She also used photos from the collections of Helen Eck Sparkman and of Oliver and Barbara DeWitt, who provided them to Eddie Herrmann, one of the authors of “The Historic Places of Pasco County.”

The Pasco County Genealogical Society and the Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System’s Genealogical Collection, as well as the librarians, were invaluable resources for the work as well, Wise said.

She used photographs from The Memory Project, produced by the Florida government.

The book’s photographs convey the city’s history through its people, residences, churches, social and civic clubs, and commerce. It points out that Pasco Packing, later known as Lykes Pasco, was the largest orange packing plant in the world, in the days before freezes, blight and development wiped out much of Florida’s citrus industry.

The photographs also show homes of early residents, with many of the structures still standing today.

“My husband photographed many of the houses,” Wise said, noting some of the photos had to be taken more than once, to be sure that alarm signs and air conditioners didn’t show up in the frame.

When they were out in the neighborhoods taking the photographs, people would approach them and ask what they were doing, Wise said. When she told them about the book, she said, “they would add other pieces to the story. It was great. It was just great.”

The actual work of culling photographs, writing captions and arranging the layout was a gargantuan task. But Wise enjoyed learning about Dade City’s history and spending time with the people who helped on the project.

Besides Herrmann, other primary sources included William G. Dayton and J. Thomas Touchton.

“I probably talked to Eddie (Herrmann) nearly every day,” Wise said. “And Bill is a real storyteller. He can give you the feel for the different eras. He knew a lot of the inside of what was going on.”

Touchton, a Dade City native and leader of the effort to establish The Tampa Bay History Center, also provided valuable insights, she said. Touchton has an international reputation for the collection of maps he’s acquired, and has fond recollections of Dade City.

“He told me the most fabulous stories about growing up there,” she said.

As she conducted her research, Wise was struck by the realization that Dade City remains a cohesive community, something that’s not all that common in the 21st century.

As people page through the volume, Wise hopes it will inspire them to learn more about Dade City.

“The book is intended to be an invitation to learn more about Dade City and serve as an enticement to walk through Church Avenue, visit the historic courthouse, dine in a vintage café, or visit the Pioneer Florida Museum and Village,” Wise writes in the acknowledgements section of the book. “History must be shared to pass it on to the next generation.”

If you go …
WHAT:
Author Madonna Jervis Wise will offer some remarks regarding her new book, ‘Images of America, Dade City’
WHERE: Historic Pasco County Courthouse, 37918 Meridian Ave., Dade City
WHEN: Oct. 4, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
DETAILS: Other speakers at the event will include Pasco County commissioner Pat Mulieri, Dade City councilman Scott Black, Trilby historian Angelo Liranzo, and J. Thomas Touchton, founding board member of the Tampa Bay History Center

Published September 24, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Filed Under: Local News, Zephyrhills/East Pasco News Tagged With: Arcadia Publishing, Barbara DeWitt, Dade City, Dade City Chamber of Commerce, Dade City Preservation Advisory Board, Eddie Herrmann, Helen Eck Sparkman, J. Thomas Touchton, Jeff Miller, John Moors, Lykes Pasco, Madonna Jervis Wise, Oliver DeWitt, Pasco County Genealogical Society, Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System, The Memory Project, West Pasco Historical Society, William Dayton

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01/26/2021 – Crystal snowflakes

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will present Virtual STEM Studio: Crystal Snowflakes on Jan. 26 at 4:30 p.m., for grades four to seven. Learn how to create your own crystals with just saltwater. Follow along with the video on the Regency Park Library’s Facebook page. No library card is needed. … [Read More...] about 01/26/2021 – Crystal snowflakes

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The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will present “Into the Interstellar Unknown” on Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Natalia Guerreo will present the latest news from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Guerrero works at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research on the MIT-led NASA TESS Mission. The program is for teens and adults. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/27/2021 – Into the Interstellar

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The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will host “One Book, One Night” on Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m., for teens and adults. Participants can start online as the beginning excerpt of the book “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, is read in English, Spanish and French. For information and to register, visit the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/29/2021 – One Book, One Night

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The Pasco County Library Cooperative will host a virtual craft for toddlers on Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. Participants can learn how to make a paper plate shark. To view the video, visit Facebook.com/cplib. … [Read More...] about 01/30/2021 – Toddler craft

01/31/2021 – Nova Era performs

The Pioneer Florida Museum and Village, 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City, will host a live performance by the classical music group Nova Era on Jan. 31 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The ensemble performs in handcrafted 18th-century costumes and ornate, powdered wigs. Gates open at 2 p.m. There will be heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. This is an outdoor event. Guests should bring lawn chairs. No cooler or pets. Masks are required inside the buildings. Social distancing will be in place. Advance tickets are $25, or $30 at the door (if available). For information and tickets, visit PioneerFloridaMuseum.org. … [Read More...] about 01/31/2021 – Nova Era performs

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