The Bronson-Mulholland House

01/15/2025

06/11/2022

June 2022 Membership Meeting

“The St. Johns River: An overview and what the Bartrams observed”

The June 2022 membership meeting of the Putnam County Historical Society will be held on Saturday June 18th, 2022, at 11:00 AM at the Bronson-Mulholland House, 100 Madison Street, Palatka.
Our presenter will be Rob Mattson, currently serving as the Society’s secretary. Many of you will know Rob from his participation in Civil War living history as a Union Naval officer or sailor and his book “The Civil War Navy in Florida.” When he is not living in the 1860s Rob is a Senior Environmental Scientist with the St. Johns River Water Management District. He has been with the district for almost 17 years and will be retiring later this year. Prior to his current position he was a Biologist with the Suwannee River Water Management District. He has a BA in Biology, and a MS is Zoology from the University of South Florida.
Rob will give a broad overview of the St. Johns River and compare with observations/impressions recorded by William Bartram in his well-known book, “Travels,” along with earlier observations by his father, John Bartram.
We hope you will join us for Rob’s presentation. Please feel free to bring along a friend. Remember, our seating is limited, so early arrival is recommended. Light refreshments will be served following the program. If you are unable to attend in person, we will be sharing a Zoom link prior to event. Covid 19 prevention supplies will be available including hand sanitizer and disposable face masks.

03/14/2022

The March 2022 membership meeting of the Putnam County Historical Society will be held on Saturday March 19th, 2022, at 11:00 AM at the Bronson-Mulholland House, 100 Madison Street, Palatka. The presenter will be the Society’s Historian, Larry Beaton. Mr. Beaton is a fifth generation Palatka resident and became a charter member of the Society at age 14. He has served as a Society director, secretary, vice president, and president.

He has been collecting Palatka and Putnam County postcards, photographs, and documents for over 40 years. Sharing his research of our local history through lectures and presentations throughout northeast Florida, he was designated as honorary historian of the City of Palatka in 2018 by the Palatka City Commission.

Larry will present a PowerPoint program on the history of the Conant-Wilson house located at 603 Emmett Street in the South Historic District of Palatka, currently the Grand Gables Inn bed & breakfast. Described as “the finest Queen Anne style home in Palatka,” it was built for Major Sherman Conant, general manager of the Florida Southern Railroad in 1886. After his death, the home was sold to A. E. Wilson, general manager, and later president of Wilson Cypress Company.
We hope you will be able to join us for this interesting presentation. Please bring along a friend. We suggest early arrival because of limited seating. Current Covid-19 precautions are recommended to attendees.

Mischa Johns, President

01/13/2022

We hope you will be able to join us for our membership program this Saturday, January 15th, 2022 at 11:00 AM at the Bronson-Mulholland House, 100 Madison Street, Palatka. Our meeting notice is attached to this email.

If you're unable to attend in person, you can join us by the Zoom links below, or by navigating to our page at https://www.facebook.com/PutnamCountyHistoricalSociety where it will be live streamed as well. We will be opening the Zoom and Facebook livestream at 10:55 AM.

The Zoom link can be found here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6244553514?pwd=RGZmZFBQWHk3OHF0eFIrUlNFWFJDdz09
If for some reason it asks for passcodes, they are:
Meeting ID: 624 455 3514
Passcode: x0mwHH

Thank you for your continuing support of the Society,

Mischa Johns, President
Putnam County Historical Society

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01/09/2022

January 2022 Membership Meeting
Putnam County Historical Society

The Putnam County Community Band and
a glimpse at Palatka’s community bands
100 years ago

The January 2022 membership meeting of the Putnam County Historical Society will be held on Saturday, January 15th 2022 at 11:00 AM at the Bronson-Mulholland House, 100 Madison Street, Palatka.

Society Historian Larry Beaton will give us a brief look back at Palatka’s community bands one hundred years ago. Larry’s presentation will be followed by the Putnam County Community Band in concert.

In 2003 some graduates of Palatka High School had the idea to form an alumni band for the school reunion. The group went on to become the Putnam County Community Band, Inc. that same year with the primary purpose of promoting the enjoyment of music, engaging in playing and performing instrumental music, providing an opportunity for its members to further their musical education, and performing publicly for the community to promote music appreciation.

We hope you will be able to join us either in person or on Zoom. The Zoom link will be provided in a separate email. We will have Covid 19 prevention supplies available including hand sanitizer and disposable face masks. Please consider joining us via Zoom if you are not feeling well.

03/25/2021

Congratulations Miss Hannah!

Congratulations to the 2021 Junior Miss Putnam County Fair Queen Hannah Antonio. She is involved with Putnam County Council 4-H, Bucks and Does 4-H Club, Keep Putnam Beautiful and Junior Docent with the The Bronson-Mulholland House.

04/13/2020

We will be doing Virtual Tours of the Bronson-Mulholland House in the upcoming days. Stay tuned for more information!

01/22/2020

The Putnam County Historical Society, the Putnam County Genealogical Society, and the Putnam County Library System have collaborated to bring together representatives from the various Putnam County organizations, societies, and groups that focus on our local history and heritage. They will be available to help you learn more about Putnam County’s rich history, assist you in beginning or continuing your genealogy research, observe living history demonstrations, meet local authors, enjoy music, and much more. Whether you are a newcomer to Putnam County or a long-time local history enthusiast, we believe you will find something of interest at the 2020 Putnam County Genealogy and History Expo.

The event takes place on Saturday, February 15th, 2020 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM at the Bronson-Mulholland House, 100 Madison Street, Palatka.

Discover more about your ancestors, increase your knowledge of local history, and have a fun day interacting with others from our community that will share their knowledge, research techniques, and experience.

This event is open to the public at no charge.

01/09/2020

January, 2020 Membership Meeting
A History of the Florahome Community

Florahome is at once unique and typical of history in our nation. It is the result of dreamers and doers striving for something better. While geography played a part in its creation, it was the work of people who made it, and make it, what it is.

Florahome’s story reveals the interplay of forces that shape history everywhere. Through images and discussion, this presentation provides insight into a 19th century planned community that is still with us today, responding to changes wrought by time and shaped by human hands. The story does not end with the presentation. It continues and will continue to grow as its people embrace the community that is and will be.

Please join us on Saturday, January 18th, 2020 at 11:00 AM at the Bronson-Mulholland House, 100 Madison Street, Palatka for this interesting and informative presentation on the history of Florahome by Walter G. Dinkla.

Mr. Dinkla was born in Grandin, grew up in Florahome, and went to school in Palatka, graduating from Palatka Central High School in 1970. He received his Associate of Arts from St. Johns River Junior College, a Bachelor of Arts in Education with a minor in History in 1974, and a Master of Science in Government from Florida State University in 1976. He did post graduate work at Arizona State University and then entered active duty in the U.S. Navy. Mr. Dinkla taught history and government at Palatka High School until his retirement in 2018.

This presentation is open to the public at no charge. We recommend early arrival as seating is limited. Florahome history books and DVDs will be available for purchase and information provided on the Florahome Club House restoration project.

(photo of Walter G. Dinkla holding DVD of the history of Florahome)

01/08/2020

It's a beautiful evening!

11/03/2019

10/10/2019

Putnam County Historical Society
October, 2019 Membership Meeting

"Historic Shipwreck on the St. Johns River --
the Dylan C. Kelch Discovery"

During the 2018 field season, archaeologists from the St. Augustine Lighthouse Archaeology Maritime Program (LAMP) encountered a historic wreck in the St. Johns River north of Palatka. For a week, a team explored and researched the wreck. This presentation discusses the finding and places a broader context to the wreck and the river's history.

Please join us on Saturday, October 19th, 2019 at 11:00 AM when Brendan Burke will share this previously untold story of the exploration and recording of this shipwreck site. The presentation will take place at the Bronson-Mulholland House, 100 Madison Street, Palatka.

Brendan Burke is a maritime archaeologist who has lived and researched in northeast Florida since 2007. His primary research interests include the history of sh*****ng and the shrimp trawler industry. In 2013 he co-authored the book Shrimp Boat City. Brendan has an avid interest in wood use throughout the history of boat and shipbuilding and collaborated with Dr. Lee Newsom of Flagler College to examine historic shipwrecks based on their timbers.
When not in the lab, Brendan can be found aboard the research vessel Empire Defender, exploring Florida's waters for historic shipwrecks. He holds a bachelor's degree in history and anthropology from Longwood University and a master's degree in anthropology from The College of William and Mary.

This presentation is open to the public at no charge. Seating is limited, so early arrival is recommended.