State Archives of Florida

06/10/2026

“Forest Capital” Perry, Florida (Taylor County), circa 1910 - 1983

Located 50 miles southeast of Tallahassee in the heart of the Big Bend region, the place now called Perry has been inhabited for thousands of years. According to “Forest Capital: A History of Taylor County, Florida,” most prehistoric sites in Taylor County belong to the Weeden Island culture, which emerged around 250 C.E. Later, Timucua and Muscogee peoples lived in the area. The first European presence in or near Taylor County was an expedition led by Spanish explorer Hernando De Soto in 1539.

The town of Perry was established in 1875 and incorporated in 1903. During that time, the rise of the timber, turpentine and cattle industries, along with railroad construction, made Perry a vital commercial and transportation hub.

Notable residents have included the U.S. Senator Claude Pepper, three-time Super Bowl Champion LeGarrette Montez Blount, World War I Nurse and Florida Women’s Hall of Fame Inductee Victoria Joyce Ely, singer Ethel Cain and “Forest Capital” author Dr. Josh Goodman.

Explore photos, videos and texts documenting rural Florida history on Florida Memory. ✴️

1. Forest Capital Museum State Park, which recounts the history of the forest industry and wildlife of the forest. 1976. (C684013)

2. Brahma cattle, 1947. (C002400)

3. Skylark Motel on U.S. 19, 1950s (top) and The Bambi Motel on U.S. 19, ca. 1970 (bottom). (N036946 & N036944)

4. Railroad tracks and station, ca. 1975 (top) and Engine #5 of Brooks-Scanlon Corporation (originally Carpenter O’Brien #5, built 1914, scrapped 1956), 1948. (C000691 & RCK00094)

5. Children playing Cat’s cradle, 1983. (Folklife Collection. Series S1577, Folk Arts in Rural Education. Images FS84632A & FS84631)

6. First Baptist Church, ca. 1920. (PR08560)

7. Street scene, 1910s. (AD029)

8. Street scene with storefronts, 1974 (top) and Methodist Church, 1940s (bottom). (C000672 & PR08563)

9. Forest Capital Museum State Park, 1976 (top) and New Deal-era post office, ca. 1938 (bottom). (C684012 & PR12519)

10. Stained glass at Forest Capital Museum State Park, 1980s. (COM00255)

11. Lumber yard, date unknown. (PR05054)

06/02/2026

Peace River and surrounding areas, circa 1900 - 1962: Photos taken in (and near) Bartow, Arcadia, Wauchula and Punta Gorda, Fla.

The freshwater Peace River (called “Rio de la Paz” by Spanish explorers) once supported a large population of Calusa Indians with its plentiful fish and drinking water. Today, the gentle river runs through Paynes Creek Historic State Park.

During drier seasons, Peace River’s shallow riverbeds expose fossils ranging from Megalodon teeth and stingray plates to the remains of mammoths, mastodons, alligators and bison that gathered at the river – some over 10,000 to millions of years old.

Explore more photos taken around Peace River and the state’s other significant geological sites on Florida Memory. ✴️

1. Fishing guide Roy Nicely and Mildred Allen trolling for tarpon in Peace River: Punta Gorda, 1948. (C010302)

2. View of the Peace River: Bartow, 1959. (C030041)

3. Boat launching on [edit: Myakka River], 1962 (top) and two boats drifting on Peace River (bottom) (C039172 & C039196)

4. Young white egret, 1948 (top) and yucca flowers on the shore of the Peace River in Charlotte County, 1947 (bottom). (C010264 & C005981)

5. Punta Gorda’s oldest building: Trabue Land Sales Office, built by Punta Gorda founder Isaac Trabue at Cross Street (now US-41 South) – now located at Punta Gorda History Park (top) and canoeing on the Peace River, 1975 (bottom) (PR20733 & PR20571)

6. Scenic view along the Peace River near Wauchula, 1971. (DC769377, cropped)

7. Postcards featuring City Dock in Punta Gorda, ca. 1900 (top) and picnic grounds in Arcadia, 1915 (bottom). (PC17165 and PC17851)

8. Shark teeth from the Florida Geological Survey, ca. 1913. (GE0378)

05/21/2026

Victorian-era Tallahassee, 1885-1910: Glass-plate studio portraits and local scenery through the lens of Tallahassee’s turn-of-the century town photographer, Alvan S. Harper (1847 - May 26, 1911).

Harper, “a first class artist proposing to do only first class work,” moved to the small Florida state capital from Philadelphia in 1884 and took up residence in a home/studio on the east side of Monroe St., between Gaines and Madison streets (pictured in second-to-last slide).

In 1946, Harper’s glass plate negatives were found in the attic of one of his former downtown homes, just before it was slated for demolition. The plates were then turned over to State Archivist Dorothy Dodd and stored by the State Library. When the Florida Photographic Archives (later the State Archives of Florida) was established in 1952, Dodd transferred the negatives to founder Allen Morris, helping form the foundation of the Archives collections.

Explore more photography documenting life in Harper’s Tallahassee on Florida Memory. ✴️

1. Woman with a fan made of feathers. (HA00288)
2. Woman holding a wilting rose. (HA00854)
3. Child wearing a necklace. (HA00506)
4. Woman wearing a lace-up bodice. (HA00888)
5. Man in a satin-faced coat, holding a cane. (HA00969)
6. Queen Anne/Stick-style home of Fred T. Myers (President of the Florida Bar Association) at Monroe and Lafayette streets (top) and San Luis Vineyards by the old Mission (bottom). (HA00094 & HA00097)
7. “Kentucky Club” posing around a fallen tree (may include Jenny Wilson, Miss M.B. Randolph, J.J. Chaires and C.R. Chaires) (top) and the second Leon Hotel at 110 E Park Ave. ca. May 1888 (built 1885, burned down in 1925) (bottom). (HA00004 & RC00984)
8. Girl standing in a print dress. (HA01182)
9. Man with bushy mutton chops. (HA00983)
10. Mary Merritt. (HA00846)
11. Stereoview of a dock leading to a pond or lake. (HA00065)
12. Fannie Gibbens wearing a straw hat with ostrich plumes. (HA00836)
13. Girls wearing dark dresses. (HA00573)
14. Harper’s house on the east side of Monroe St. between Gaines and Madison. (HA00036)
15. Picture frame with flora and fauna reading “Many happy returns of the Day.” (HA00893)

05/20/2026

Come chat with archivists Adam Watson and Chelsea Joslin this weekend at the 74th Annual Florida Folk Festival. Find them at the Florida Folklife Tent!

Be sure to stop by and see archivists Adam Watson and Chelsea Joslin, who assist patrons with research requests at the State Archives of Florida. In addition, they present a sampling of Florida Folklife records. These include film footage clips from previous Florida Folk Festivals and segments from documentaries created by Florida folklorists, as well as photographs and music selections from the Florida Folklife Collection that are held by the State Archives and accessible on FloridaMemory.com.

05/20/2026

Rainbow Springs ca. 1972: A leaf-shaped gondola from the Forest Flight monorail glides over a scenic waterfall at the old roadside attraction near Dunnellon – now a Florida State Park.

The monorail opened to the public in 1968. Florida’s then-governor, Claude Kirk, delivered a dedication speech to the assembled riders on opening day and then tried a gondola for himself. While Rainbow Springs’ glass-bottom submarine boats had provided water-level views of the springs since the 1930s, the new Forest Flight ride gave visitors a “tree level” experience of the surrounding area and aviary.

The Rainbow Springs attraction closed in 1974 but reopened as Rainbow Springs State Park in 1995, with a focus on historical interpretation, conservation and quiet recreation like kayaking and tubing.

Explore more photos of Florida’s historic aerial rides at the State Archives of Florida. ✴️

📷Department of Commerce collection. State Archives of Florida, Image DC725918.

05/13/2026

Images of Florida through the lens of the Florida Development Commission and Florida News Bureau, circa 1955-1969

In the middle of the 20th century, agency photos like these were used in advertising ephemera to attract tourists and homebuyers to Florida. Central Florida citrus groves, Everglades wetlands, modern amenities and historic coastal sites found their way onto brochures, postcards, Florida Welcome station decor and national press releases. Photographers such as Charles Lee Barron, Richard Parks Ferry, Francis Johnson, Karl Holland and Miami-based contractor Ozzie Sweet frequently appeared in credits.

Explore more large-format Florida slide photography in the Department of Commerce collection at the State Archives of Florida. ✴️

1. Couple in a canoe with a basket of fresh picked oranges from a Florida grove, ca. 1967. (DC073149)

2. Seminole cowboys with cattle, between 1955 and 1969. (DC030535)

3. Portrait of a group dressed in traditional clothing for the Greek Epiphany ceremony in Tarpon Springs, ca. 1965. (DC050072)

4. Rear view of Plymouth Barracuda showing a Florida 400th Anniversary license plate, 1965. (DC050956)

5. Visitors on the Anhinga Trail in the Everglades National Park, 1961. (DC010839)

6. Dania Reservation (now Hollywood Reservation), ca. 1962. Identified center background cooking is Agnes Huff Jumper, and combing the child’s hair at right is Ada Tiger (mother of Betty Mae Jumper). (DC000170)

7. Interior view showing 1,000-watt bulbs and “Bulls Eye” lens in the Pensacola Lighthouse, ca. 1962. (DC020028)

8. Molten metal being poured from the furnace into a ladle at the Florida Machine & Foundry Company in Jacksonville’s LaVilla neighborhood, ca. 1965. (DC051624)

9. Unidentified man casting his fish net at Pensacola, ca. 1962. (DC031188)

10. Mercer Plastics Company in Eustis, 1963. (DC021173)

11. WFSU-TV studio on Florida State University campus in Tallahassee, 1960s. (DC020430)

12. Mr. and Mrs. Ralph H. Nichols reading in their trailer at the Guernsey City mobile home retirement community in Tampa, ca. 1965. (DC021193A)

05/06/2026

Weeki Wachee Springs park photography from 1969-1977

Florida’s Weeki Wachee Springs was created in 1947 by ex-Navy frogman Newton “Newt” Perry. In 1959, ABC/Paramount purchased the park and commissioned Florida architect Robert E. Collins to design its clamshell-shaped Underwater Theatre, allowing visitors to view the spectacular mermaid performances 16 feet below the surface. Weeki Wachee Springs became a Florida state park in 2008.

These photos from the collection of park photographer Bruce Mozert were recently cataloged by the State Archives of Florida. Explore more photography from Weeki Wachee Springs in the Bruce Mozert collection. ✴️

1. Welcome to Weeki Wachee sign, 1975. (MOZ04157)

2. Mermaid Rhonda underwater, in tail costume, with a camera at Weeki Wachee, 1975. (MOZ04164)

3. “Pussycats on tightrope” scene from “The Best of Everything” featuring Marti Monaldi and Nibsie Towne, 1973. (MOZ02644)

4. Mermaids swimming in an interlocked circle during this scene from “Mermaids on the Moon,” 1970. (MOZ02304)

5. Mice eating celery from the underwater garden of the Weeki Wachee Witch during Halloween. (MOZ02324)

6. Wild hog in the river next to the Congo Belle II jungle cruise adventure tour boat in Weeki Wachee, 1973. (MOZ02614)

7. Trainer Connie with fawn at Weeki Wachee, 1974. Her button reads: “Don’t miss Florida’s Silver Springs.” (MOZ04198)

8. Moon Maiden Sheryl with robots Holly and Dolly from the underwater show “Mermaids on the Moon, 1969. The Underwater Theatre can be seen in the background. This photo was taken the same year humans landed on the Moon for the first time during the Apollo 11 mission. (MOZ04528)

9. Old shell castle prop being lifted onto trailer after removal from the spring, 1974. The theatrical prop (used in 1967 as home for the Wizard of Oz) was replaced by a new one. The prop also served as an underwater airlock for the mermaids. (MOZ04210)

10. Picnic buffet table at the Weeki Wachee employee party, 1977. (MOZ02587)

11. GAF Corporation products on display in the gift shop, 1974. (MOZ04232)

12. Mullet fish at Weeki Wachee, 1971. (MOZ02731)

05/06/2026

05/01/2026

Beach Boulevard, Jacksonville Beach, 1964: Couples at Beach Marine Service (today just Beach Marine, across from where Adventure Landing used to be) admire rose bushes along the Intracoastal.

Why plant a rose garden next to a boat ramp?

A 1970 Jacksonville Journal article explains: co-owner Margaret Woolverton moved them from her Ponte Vedra home, where sea spray kept killing the blooms. So naturally, she tried… the marina!

📸 Francis P. Johnson. State Archives of Florida, Image DC031026.

Find more historical photos of Florida gardens & marinas in the Florida Photographic Collection. ✴️