Category: Historic Sites

Winter Wonder Wagon Rides

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Panama City is hosting a Winter Wonder Wagon ride for all ages! Enjoy the beauty and picturesque holiday charm of Historic Downtown Panama City. Many of the small businesses have decorated their storefronts and the streets have been decorated with lights. Tomorrow, December 29th, is the LAST day to enjoy this charming experience. Tickets are required and are going fast. Click HERE to get your tickets now; each ticket is $5. Children 3 and under may ride, for free, on an adult’s lap. Please arrive at least 10 minutes early to check in; meet in front of the fountain at Gateway Park. 

Lighthouse Illumination Tour

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From now until January 13th, take part in a special Lighthouse Illumination tour. On select dates, visit the St. Augustine lighthouse rotunda AND enjoy a special holiday light display along the grounds. Visitors can explore the Keeper’s house and grounds illuminated by holiday lights and decor before their trip up the 219 steps of the lighthouse. The trip to the top of the lighthouse will reveal a bird’s eye view of the city’s Night of Lights display. Additionally, there will be 20 decorated Christmas trees for visitors to view.

Visit their website to book your tour now! Reservations are required as dates fill up quickly; click HERE to visit the booking page now. 

Fort Clinch Candlelight Tour

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Amelia Island’s historic Fort Clinch is hosting candlelight tours this August. Fort Clinch has unique architecture that features narrow ‘underground’ passages, spiral staircases, and old bunkhouses. The tour will be led by nothing but candles so you can experience a more accurate, historical atmosphere as you tour the fort with an expert guide. The candlelight tour begins 30mins after sunset; reservations are required. Come early to enjoy a gorgeous sunset on the Atlantic coastline. Learn more or reserve your spot by clicking here. 

Moss Hill Methodist Church

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The Moss Hill Methodist Church is a historic site located near Vernon in Washington County, Florida. It is a wooden church built in 1857 using slave labor. Services are held in the church to this day, although modern conveniences such as electricity are still missing from the structure. Moss Hill was founded as a Methodist Misson soon after Florida joined the USA. The church was a centerpiece for life in the surrounding communities during the Civil War. Some of the congregation died in the war and were memorialized by markers in the Moss Hill Cemetary. The cemetery and church grounds are open to the public daily; visit to view the historic marker on the grounds that provides a brief history of the historic structure. 

Florida’s First Commercial Oil Well

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Did you know that Washington County is home to one of the first commercial oil wells ever drilled in Florida? In 1919, a string of wells was dug in eastern Washington County by independent oil seekers following a rumor of oil beneath the hills. One such well was dug at what is now Falling Waters State Park. It was a remarkable achievement, reaching a depth of 3,900 feet – an astonishing feat given the technology of the time and the location of the hole. While there was a brief moment of hope when the drillers found a pocket of natural gas, the well ultimately failed to produce anything of use and was capped. 

A few decades after drilling had ended, a cow fell into one of the sludge pits. The event was covered by multiple newspapers, leading to an outcry of public concerns about the “dangers” of the site. International Paper, then-owners of the land the well was on, ended up passing the deed to the land to Washington County. This land is at the center of the now-established Falling Waters State Park. While the well was unproductive for commercial oil quantities, it did eventually lead to a wonderful treasure for the people of Washington County and the wildlife of the area. 

Visit Falling Waters today to see the old oil well along the park’s nature trail, just around the bend after Florida’s tallest waterfall! 

Abe Springs

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Abe Springs was the seat of government for Calhoun County from 1849 to 1880. It was the location of a nationally infamous jail that was used so rarely that the county rented it out as a corn crib (a granary used to dry and store corn). Abe Springs is now an unincorporated community in Calhoun County. The seat of government was moved to Blountstown in 1880 after the courthouse at Abe Springs Bluff burned down. The historical marker for the old courthouse was erected in 1993 by The Florida Department of State. Learn more about Calhoun County’s history by visiting this blog about the genealogy and history of the county. 

Historical Russ House

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Jackson County is home to numerous historic sites, one of which is the Historical Russ House. Built in the 1890s, it underwent significant remodeling in 1910. Russ House is one of the most beautiful Classical Revival/Queen Anne homes in the U.S.A. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the home is available for rent for meetings, showers, weddings, and more. The house also functions as Jackson County’s official Visitor Center. Interested in renting or scheduling a tour of the Historical Russ House? Contact the home at (850) 482 – 8061. The House is open to the general public Monday-Friday. 

Greenwood: A Great Place to Live!

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Greenwood is a small, close-knit community in Jackson County, Florida. The town is home to a number of historic sites such as the Historic Erwin House and the Great Oaks/Bryan Plantation. Additionally, Greenwood is home to the oldest running hardware store, Pender’s Store. Pender’s was opened in 1869 under the name of N. B. Long and Bros. The store maintains the original shelves and heart pine floors. 

The small town is nestled among a growing community, has a lovely public park, and is within a day of a number of amazing cities, state parks, and family-friendly activities. Considering moving to Greenwood? Click on the photos of the beautiful homes below to visit their listing and schedule a viewing!

Great Oaks Historic Site

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Great Oaks is a Greenwood Historical Site. It’s an Antebellum style mansion built in 1860 for Hamilton Bryan’s mother. The house was originally erected on the 5,200 acre plantation owned by Elijah Bryan, Hamilton’s father. The home slowly fell into disrepair until Bryan desendants eventually sold the home to the Claude-Reese family. The family restored the home between 1961 and 1965; the home is built almost entirely out of heart yellow pine. It stands as a tribute to the era is was built in and is supported by the Jackson County Historical Commission.