admiral jean ribault owl of mayport

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Newsletter for Friends and Supporters of the Sanford Museum

May June 2006 Volume 13 #3

Sanford Historical

Society, Inc.

P. O. Box 168

Sanford, FL 32772-0168

[email protected]

Sanford Museum520 E. First Street

P. O. Box 1788

Sanford, FL 32772-1788

(407) 302-1000

Alicia Clarke Curator

http://www.ci.sanford.fl.us

[email protected]

Red Barber in Sanford 1

Next Meeting 1

Sanford Scandals 2

Jackie Robinson in Sanford 3

Sharon Robinson Visits Sanford 3

Fredric Hitt, Speaks to Society 4

March Meeting 4

Mildred Knight & Zora Neale Hurston 5

The Monkey in the Lobby 5

Did You Know. 6

Many Thanks 6

Hand Wash No Longer! 6

Research in Progress 7

Highlights

Next MeetingMeeting - May 25, 2006Place - Sanford Museum 520 East First StreetTime 4:45 p.m. - Social TimeTime 5:00 p.m. - Business MeetingTime 5:30 p.m. - Program - Tom Ball Past, Present and Future

Red Barber in Sanford

By: Alicia Clarke

Walter L. Red Barber was born in Columbus, MS

in 1908. His family moved to Sanford when he was ten.

The Barbers lived at 1311 S. Palmetto Avenue. William

Barber, Reds father, was an engineer for the ACL Rail-

road. His mother, Selena, was a teacher and principal of

Southside Elementary School. In the 1920s, Barber at-tended Sanford High School when the school was located

at 9th Street and Palmetto Avenue. In 1926, he was cap-

tain of the Celery Feds baseball team. While in high

school, he worked at Orin Stenstroms R&S Grocery on Saturdays. Al-

though Barber rarely, if ever, returned to Sanford as an adult, he did

write about high school friends. In his book The Broadcasters, he de-

scribes the thrill of listening to the 1921 World Series on the radio at

Merrill Roberts home at 801 S. Elm Avenue. At the time, there were

(Continued on page 3)


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S AN FO R D HI S T O RI C A L S O C I ET YMA Y JU NE 20 06 PAGE 2

The Sanford Historical Society,Inc., a 501(3)c not for profit or-

ganization, was founded in 1984.

The Society functions as an auxil-

iary for the Sanford Museum. It

supports and promotes the objec-

tives of the Museum through

fundraising and by providing

volunteers. The Society holds six

meetings during the year, which

includes programs relating to the

areas history.

OfficersPresident Jim Robison

V. Pres. Donald Jones

Secretary Valada Flewellyn

Treasurer Joe HuntMembership Secretary

Grace M. Stinecipher

Directors (2 yr)

Stan Rockey

Susan PanteliasDirectors (1 yr)

Paulette WhiteConnie Williams

NewsletterJay Jacobs - Copy Editor/

DesignerContributing Editors

Patty Swann

Bette Skates

Christine Kinlaw-Best

Valada Flewellyn

Alicia Clarke

Web Pagehttp://sanfordhistory.tripod.com/

Jay Jacobs - Webmaster

Memberships

Individual $15.00

Family $25.00

Patron $100.00

Corporate $500.00

About the Society

In early 1902, Dr. D.M. Melton, along with his wife and young son, hadbeen living in Sanford for a short time. On a Sunday in February, Dr. Melton wasapparently in need of some money. With the banks being closed on a Sunday, Dr.Melton approached our very own sheriff, Charlie Hand and asked him to endorse thecheck and cash it for him, in the amount of $155.00. Sheriff Hand, wanting to helpthe doctor, took the check and gave the man the money. Dr. Melton told Sheriff Handthat he needed the money so that he and his family could take the train to Georgia tovisit his family. They left that very day on a northbound train.

Early the next morning, Sheriff Hand, along with every other sheriff in thestate, received telegrams stating that Pinkerton detectives were looking for a notori-ous criminal, by the name of Dr. D.M. Clay, who sometimes went by the name ofDr. D.M. Melton!! This criminal had once been in the hands of Pinkertons but had

escaped and they now had a $500 reward out for him, along with several thousand inreward money across the state of Florida, from individual counties.Sheriff Hand had been fleeced! He immediately notified the railroad officials

that Dr. Melton had told him that he would be traveling to Georgia and asked thatthey be on the lookout for him and his family. The railroad officials recognized Mel-ton immediately and reported that Melton had traveled to the Macon area. The sheriffin Macon was notified and Clay-Melton was arrested.

As soon as the sheriff in Macon sent out telegrams to the sheriffs all over thestate, that Melton had been arrested, telegrams began pouring in to hold him untilmy arrival. After receiving at least five telegrams from different sheriffs in Florida,all wanting Melton, the Georgia sheriff decided that it would have to be first come,first served, whichever Florida sheriff arrived there first would get their man.

Sheriff Hand high-tailed it up to Georgia as fast as he could get the first train

out, knowing that others would be after Melton! And, he did arrive there first. SheriffHand got his man, which was even a more important arrest for him since he wasthe one who had been taken by Dr. Clay-Melton! Sheriff Hand brought him back toSanford to face the charges of forgery. The doctors wife and young son returned toSanford the next day to join her husband and await his trial for forgery. He was con-victed.

As a side-note, since Sheriff Hand was the first to arrive in Georgia and hadthe privilege of being the first to take the doctor into custody and bring him back toOrange County for trial, he also was eligible for the Pinkerton reward money, alongwith the other reward monies that were offered by the individual Florida counties.That crook should have picked anyone, but a sheriff, to forge a check!

Sanford Scandals, Scalawags, Scoundrels,& Mellon-villains

By: Christine Kinlaw-Best

Charlie Morgans new book From the

Ditchbank to Bookertown is now available

at the Sanford Museum. The price is $6.00.

It makes a nice companion volume to

Bookertown: Journey to the Past andA His-

tory ofMonroe.

New Book Available


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PAGE 3S AN FO R D HI S TO RI C A L S O C IE T Y

MAY JU NE 20 06

Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie

Robinson, visited the Sanford Museum on

March 18 as part of a city tour conducted by

the Tajiri School. Ms. Robinson was in townto give the keynote speech at a Tajiri fund-

raiser. Her visit was brief, but she did get to

see the Museums sports exhibit. She was

very gracious and seemed to enjoy her visit.

Ms. Robinson is an educator with Major

League Baseball.

Sharon Robinson visits Sanford

Before playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Jackie Robinson played for

the minor league Montreal Royals. During spring training in 1946 he prac-

ticed with the team at Sanfords old ballpark on the corner of Mellonville and

Celery avenues. Shortly after breaking the color barrier in Daytona, Robin-

son took the field in Sanford on April 7, 1946 to play the second integrated

game in professional baseball. This was an exhibition game with the Royals

and the St. Paul Saints. At the end of the second inning, Robinson was or-

dered off the field by Sanfords police chief due to a complaint from a man in

the stands.

In 1997, the mayor of Sanford, Larry Dale, issued a proclamation for-

mally apologizing to Robinsons family for this incident. If you would like to

read more about Jackie Robinson in Sanford, the Museum now has an extensive file on the sub-

ject thanks to biographer Chris Lamb and local historian Christine Kinlaw-Best.

only three radios in Sanford.

Red Barber graduated from high school in 1926, drove to Gainesville with Andrew Car-

raway and enrolled at the University of Florida. It was there that his radio broadcasting career

began. He left college to work for the Cincinnati Reds. During a long career, he covered games

for the Cincinnati Reds, the Brooklyn Dodgers, and the New York Yankees.

Red Barber was broadcasting for the Dodgers when Jackie Robinson broke the color bar-

rier in 1947. This event inspired Barbers first book 1947 When Hell Broke Loose in Baseball.

For many years his voice could be heard on the Morning Edition radio show with Bob Ed-

wards, who later wrote a book about these chats.

Jackie Robinson in Sanford

Red Barber in SanfordContinued from Page 1


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The guest speaker at the March

24 Sanford Historical Society meeting

was Frederic Hitt, author of the bookWekiva Winter.

In his informative talk, Hitt ex-

plained how he became interested in

Florida history and he gave highlights of

the historical research he did for his

book.

While growing up in Texas, he

read extensively about the St. Johns

River. He was later stationed in Florida

in the service, attended University of

Florida and Miami Law School. He was

a Seminole County judge for 16 years.Hitt and his wife, the former

Linda Silsby, built a home on the St.

Johns. While it was being built, there

was an archaeology dig nearby. It fasci-

nated him that people had lived there in

6000 BC. He also learned of an owl carved by the Timucua that had been found in the St. Johns River.

This inspired his research. The cover of Wekiva Winter has the owl in a landscape painted by his wife.

Linda also had a 170 pound copy of the owl made for him which stands in his home and she made a

smaller version for his presentations.

Wekiva Winter is historical fiction but the characters were inspired by real people. The book is set

in the 1500s during the period of the first Spanish contact with the Timucua.

During the business meeting, presided over by Jim Robison, it was announced that the Society

now has 148 members including five new members since the January meeting. A membership directory

will be out in April.

The publication committee is working on several books which will be published soon. These in-

clude the diary of Joseph Henschen (an early Swedish settler), Carola Sanford Dows memoirs, and two

short stories by mystery writer DeLoris Stanton Forbes. Also Christine Kinlaw Best is updating, with ad-

ditional pictures and text, The Swedish History of Seminole County.

New additions to the Museum include a microfilm reader donated by the Saunders Foundation, acopier donated by Valada Flewellyn and a dishwasher donated by Donald Jones. The seventh grade geog-

raphy class at Greenwood Lakes Middle School donated a scrapbook and tapes of interviews with local

people.

The president asked for volunteers for Springfest 2006 to be held at the Student Museum on April

22. A gift was presented to Jay Jacobs in appreciation of his work as the Societys webmaster and also as

copy editor/designer of the newsletter.

Refreshments provided by Donald Jones, Connie Williams, and Mary Anna Rockey were enjoyed

by all.

Local author, Fredric Hitt, Speaks to Society

March Meeting


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MAY JU NE 20 06

Were a bit disappointed that no one called about the monkey featured in our last

newsletter. The monkey was donated to the Sanford Museum by Fred Gaines, who said

it came from the old Sanford Zoo. Christine Kinlaw-Best thinks she remembers it sitting

at the concession stand in the 1960s. Come by the Museum and visit the monkey. Hes

sitting in the lobby greeting visitors.

Now to our new question. Does anyone remember seeing a billboard on 17-92

along the lakefront on the way to the zoo? There is a large concrete structure still stand-

ing in the weeds by the road. Charlie Carlson says it was built in the 1950s. What did it

advertise?

The Monkey in the Lobby

Our last newsletter included a story about Zora Neale Hurston and the

Sanford people who helped her begin her writing career with the publication of

her first novel Jonahs Gourd Vine. Astonishingly, this article led to an unex-

pected and very important interview. Mary Virginia (Robinson) Brown came to

the Museum during her 50th high school reunion on April 7. While here, her hus-

band, Jimmie, discovered the article about Hurston and announced that his aunt,

Mildred Knight Walton, was the secretary who typed Jonahs Gourd Vine. After

much excitement and scurrying around, an interview was arranged for the next

Monday. Society members Valada and Tom Flewellyn brought a professional cam-

era to the Museum and interviewed Mrs. Walton about her life and memories of

Zora. This charming and interesting lady had no idea she was mentioned by name

in Hurstons autobiographyDust Tracks on a Road, but she remembered Zora as

a friend. The biggest surprise of the day was when she told us she had also typed

Mules and Men, Zoras first published non-fiction book.

In 1935, Mildred Knight was working as a secretary for Judge S.A. Wil-

kinson in the Meisch Building. One day she was asked if she could assist a local

writer by typing hermanuscript for sub-

mission to a pub-

lisher. Miss Knight,

who typed 95 accurate words per minute on a L.C.

Smith and Corona manual typewriter, agreed to ac-

cept the job on credit since Zora had no ready cash.

Zora brought the manuscript to the Knight home on

Park Avenue. When it was typed, she shipped it to

New York from the American Railway Express office

on First Street. Soon she received word that the

book would be published and her writing career was

launched.

The literary world owes a great debt to MildredKnight Walton. She is an unsung hero who not only

typed two books but also offered words of encourage-

ment to a new writer at the beginning of her career.

Many thanks to Mrs. Walton for taking the

time to speak with us, to the Browns for arranging

the interview, and to Valada, Tom and Toya Fle-

wellyn of EYESEEIMAGES for filming the inter-

view.

Mildred Knight and Zora Neale Hurston

Mildred Knight

C. 1935

Mildred Knight Walton


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Admiral Jean Ribault, second

in command Rene De Laudonniere,and crew, explored Florida in 1562.

On May 1, the east coast was sighted

and they entered the mouth of a ma-

jestic river Ribault called the River of

May (Riviere de Mai) later named St.

Johns by the Spanish.

A stone column was erected on

a high bluff south of the river to com-

memorate the first landing of Protes-

tants on this soil, and to claim theland for France.

To learn more about the French

in Florida you can visit Fort Caroline,

originally built in 1564 by Rene de

Laudonniere (reconstructed in 1964),

and the Ribault Monument on his-

toric St. Johns Bluff, both 10 miles

east of Jacksonville.

The following websites offer di-

rections to the attractions, informa-tion on hours of operation, cost of ad-

mission and handicapped access:

w w w . c r . r p s . g o v / n r / t r a v e l /

g e o . f l o r / 2 2 . h t o n a n d

www.tripadvisor.com/attraction

Did You Know.

It is no longer necessary to hand wash

punch cups during social functions at the Mu-

seum. A beautiful Kenmore dishwasher has

been installed thanks to the generosity of Soci-

ety member Donald Jones. So, dont let the fear

of dish pan hands keep you from hesitating to

volunteer to help with refreshments.

Thanks to our March

newsletter assemblers: Doug

& Gladys Stenstrom, Myra

Platel, Paul Hodgins, Pauline

Routh and Grace Marie Sti-

necipher.

Many Thanks

Hand Wash

No Longer!


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MAY JU NE 20 06

SANFORD HISTORICAL SOCIETY

2006 MEMBERSHIP APPLICATIONDate:____________________________

Yes, I want to become a member____ or renew____ my membership in the Sanford Historical Society.

Check one:

_____ Family $ 25.00 ______ Patron $100.00

_____ Individual $ 15.00 ______ Corporation $500.00

Name: ____________________________________________________________

Address:__________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

Phone: __________________________________________ E-mail:_____________________________________

I would like to receive the Newsletter and other correspondence via my e-mail: ___Yes ___No

Please contact Alicia at 407-302-1000 or [email protected] if you can help with any of

these topics.

The Big Billboard. Does anyone remember the large concrete billboard on 17-92 on the way to the

Zoo? The structure is still there. It was built in the late 1940s or early 1950s to advertise a tourist

attraction. Does anyone remember what was advertised here?

Old Trees. Do you know of any stories connected to old trees in Sanford? Have you been told a tree

on your property is really old? Of particular interest are old trees growing along Mellonville Ave. and

south of the airport.

Henry Sanfords Cannons. In 1861, Henry Sanford presented a battery of cannon to the 1st Minne-

sota Regiment to honor their valor at Bull Run. He always had a special interest in the progress of

Minnesota because he had traveled there as a young man in the 1840s. The 1st Minnesota went on tofight at Gettysburg. The Museum would like to know what became of the Minnesota cannons.

Ferns. A local researcher is seeking information about ferneries in Fern Park and Altamonte

Springs.

American Railway Express. Does anyone remember the American Railway Express Office on First

Street?

Kit Houses. Several local homeowners believe they are living in a home purchased from Sears in the

early 20th century. At that time a wide variety of home styles could have been purchased and shipped

in pieces to Sanford by train. Can anyone positively identify a Sears house in Sanford?

Research in Progress

Check _______

Cash _______

admiral jean ribault owl of mayport

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