Fire It Up…

Posted on May 6, 2013 by Adam

May is National Barbecue Month. Some etymologists believe the word barbecue comes from the Timucuan Indian word “baribicu” meaning “sacred fire.”

“Mode of Drying Fish, Wild Animals, and other Provisions,” from an engraving by Theodor de Bry

There is no doubt that barbecue and barbecuing is sacred to many Floridians today and was certainly enjoyed by the Timucuans of yesterday. From the meat lover to the vegan, Florida’s beautiful spring weather demands that we come together for a barbecue!

Barbecue at the Koreshan Unity, Estero, ca. 1945

Barbeque at the annual cattle round-up, Big Cypress Reservation, 1949

Barbecuing ribs at the Mathews Bridge barbecue, Jacksonville, 1953

Barbecuing at the boat-a-cade, Kissimmee, 1955

Barbecued corn on the cob, Tallahassee, 1961

Family picnic at Lake Talquin, Leon County, 1963

Tallahassee Fire Department Lt. Tommy E. Roberts grilling with his daughters, Tallahassee, 1968

Barbecuing at the Florida Folk Festival, White Springs, 1983

Rosalie Pitts (L) and Rovenia Certain barbecuing at the Zora Neale Hurston Festival, Eatonville, 1991

National Poetry Month

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Adam

April is National Poetry Month. Florida, called “[t]he State with the most beautiful name…” by poet Elizabeth Bishop, has been the home and inspiration for many famous and not so famous poets over the centuries.

James Weldon Johnson, ca. 1920

Robert Frost with two Florida State College for Women students, Tallahassee, ca. 1940

Renowned poets such as Donald Justice, Nathaniel Mackey, and James Weldon Johnson were born in Florida. Others, such as Wallace Stevens, Elizabeth Bishop, and Robert Frost chose Florida as a haven for inspiration.

Poet, publisher, and playwright Kirby Congdon, Key West, ca. 1968

Allen Ginsberg with protesters at the Republican National Convention, Miami Beach, 1972

Poet and dancer Lucille Ranger-Brown performing on Jamaican Independence Day, Miami, 1985

Cowboy poet Carl Sharp, Kenansville, 2006

Graf Zeppelin

Posted on October 23, 2012 by Adam

May 6, 2012, was the 75th anniversary of the Hindenburg disaster. The Hindenburg’s sister ships Graf Zeppelin (LZ-127) and USS Los Angeles (originally LZ-129) were also built by the German Zeppelin company. On October 23, 1933, Miami welcomed the Graf Zeppelin. The Graf Zeppelin also shared several German crew members with the Hindenburg, one of whom died in the Hindenburg disaster.

Arrival of Graf Zeppelin: Miami (October 23, 1933)

Mayor E.G. Sewell welcomes the crew of Graf Zeppelin (October 23, 1933)

Airship Los Angeles over Miami (1925)

Women’s Basketball

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Adam

With the annual hoopla surrounding the beginning of March Madness and the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, many forget that the NCAA women’s tournament occurs simultaneously. The inventor of basketball, Dr. James George Naismith, envisioned basketball as a sport for men and women. In fact, women’s high school and college basketball teams played an important role in promoting the game and coincided with the earliest men’s basketball teams at the beginning of the 20th century. So with this, Florida Memory highlights women’s basketball in Florida from its earliest days.