Patti and Elwood "Buster" Webb celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary on June 24, 2016 with a gathering of family and friends at Papa Joe's, a popular local restaurant. The couple met as sophomores in Hernando High School in October of 1952. Patti and Buster said they were extremely pleased with the hard work their daughters did to put the event together. They were also happy to see good friends they hadn't seen for years.

Together they always supported each other and always worked hard to achieve their goals. Together they built a life full of love and happiness.

Patti moved up from St. Petersburg with her sister to live with her grandparents in Spring Lake. Her mother was ailing and couldn't care for the girls. Patti is related to the Mountain family that settled here in Hernando County.

She came to Hernando High School in her sophomore year. Buster's parents operated the Gulf gas station off of 41 and Crystal River Road. Patti explained that the Webb family was so generous while they operated the store and that generosity and kindness was apparent in the young man she met in homeroom.

"Everyone knew and heard about the Webbs and how gracious they were with the community," Patti explained. People would come there and knew they could buy what they needed even if they didn't have the money to pay at that time. There were also some that took advantage and the Webbs.

"But most of the people were country people and very good about paying back, maybe it took them a month… That's unheard of nowadays, you don't do that," said Patti.

"When they'd get paid, 99% of them would come in (and pay their bill). It was just a little community store. If we took care of them, they would take care of us," stated Buster Webb.
They were such an asset to the community, The Webb family," she emphasized. The Webb's closed the station in 1975.

"And I married this guy. I was in school and …. I remember being in homeroom, this guy sitting there, he was just so friendly and outgoing. I told my sister, I said, 'I like this guy here, I like him,' because I never saw another fellow that I liked. Buster was so warm and friendly and outgoing, just very courteous," Patti explained.

In 1954, after graduation, the sisters went back to St. Pete to help take care of their mother. Buster went to St. Pete to go to Junior College and they were married two years later. The couple made St. Pete their home for 36 years where they raised their two daughters, Theresa Lynn and Mary Anne.

"We've been very blessed with our daughters. When Mary Anne came along, Theresa Lynn was like a mother to Mary Anne. I never heard a cross word between these two girls. Theresa just loved Mary Anne to pieces and Mary Anne grew old enough to show her love back. "

Theresa Lynn followed in her father's footsteps to pursue a career with Publix. Mary Anne who is 8 years younger to the day, teaches graphic arts at Challenger. They have four grandchildren and a great granddaughter, "Miss Rose" who is two and a half years old.

While in school in St. Pete, Buster took a part time job with Publix bagging and stocking. Then he had an opportunity to go full time as the produce manager. Eventually he worked up to the store manager position which he held for 16 years.

The School Bus Arrangement
Patti and her sister rode the school bus in everyday to Hernando High School. Patti explained that Buster had a model A which he was known for at Hernando High School.

"Grandaddy was strict," said Buster. "He noticed that I was bringing Patti home sometimes (in the model A). I went out there to visit one Sunday and he says 'Buster, I need to talk to you.' He says, 'Let's go on the porch.' So we went out there and he says, 'I'm living in Hernando County now and I pay taxes in Hernando County.' And he says, 'Part of my taxes go to the school system.' And he says, 'Part of the school system is the school bus.' And he says, 'When I pay taxes in the school system, for the school bus, I wanna see my granddaughter on the school bus.' I said, 'Okay, I don't have a problem with that at all.' So we figured out what we would do is that we would either follow the bus until the bus stop before the house or either beat the bus there and wait for the bus to get there, she would get on the bus and she got off at the house. And that was fine with Granddaddy and Grandmama thought it was hilarious. And the school bus driver thought it was so funny."

"I bought that model A in October of 1952 and I met her within a month after I bought it and I still have it," explained Buster.

He restored it in January of 2004 and they still ride around in it. It stayed locked up at his mother and father's place for 38 years from 1968 to 2003.

Mother and Father's Place
Mother and Father's place was the Webb's Gulf Service Station, where Old Crystal River Road runs into Highway 41. Mother and Father were Elwood Webb Sr. and Mary Ida Webb, Buster Webb's parents.

Today what's left of the station is owned by the mobile home park behind it who purchased it 3 years ago.

Buster moved there at the age of 3 and was raised there.

"Daddy was working with Gulf Oil Distributor and that was a Gulf Station. It became vacant. It was built in 1930. And it was either '39 or '40 when we moved out there. And it was just a community store. [Highway] 41 at that time was the only main artery north or south. If there was a 301, it was a dirt road. There was no 19. There was certainly no 75… We got a lot of tourists coming in there to that little station. And one thing I can remember, Of course growing up I played in the back yard a lot. We had chickens, coop, had a couple of hogs for FFA projects. But one of the things I can remember traffic wise is that during the war, Kraft food company, their main distributor for the southeast is in Atlanta. But they had a distribution place in Tampa. And I don't know how it got started, but they started stopping at the station on the way back from Tampa and they'd fill those 50 gallon tanks up on each side of that truck. It got to be an every week thing. We got to know the guys real well. The station part in the front was for the display area and the kitchen was right through the door. And it got to the point where they'd come in go sit back in the kitchen and have coffee. We got to be a family. In fact one weekend, I went up with one of the drivers and came back with another one the next week. That's how friendly we got. You wouldn't do that nowadays."

It was basically a community store, that served Lake Lindsey and the surrounding area. They carried bread, milk, soft drinks, snacks and some canned goods. Much of the responsibility fell on Buster's mom to keep up the store.

"Daddy had to go into service so mother took care of the station and was raising the kids." Buster's grandmother had a stroke and his mother had to care for her as well. After about a year of service, his father returned working in the station and worked part time on the crash trucks at Brooksville air field.

"So mother was still operating the store, " explained Buster. "When I got big enough I serviced the cars when they came in. Pumped the gas for the customers, checked their oil, washed their windshield, and checked the air in the tires. You didn't ask, that was part of the service."

Through thick and thin
Buster is the oldest of three children. His parents worked to put his younger siblings through college. His brother Eddie and sister Maryleen both graduated from Florida State. Maryleen went on to become an artist and studied overseas for a period of time. Eddie went to the University of Tennessee and was studying to become an optometrist when he fell ill at the age of 23. The doctors were treating him for the flu and he passed away overnight. Eddie was planning on going into practice with Dr. Coppedge who practices in Brooksville.

A Big Oak Tree
Today, the Webbs live on a 20 acre piece of property which is full of family history. The property was once part of a 200 acre tract owned by Buster's Great Grandaddy, Eugene Studemeyer. Originally from Alabama, his great grandfather moved to the area when Buster's mother was seven years old. The family settled on top of the hill on North Ave. Buster thinks that his Great Grandfather Studemayer purchased the 200 acre tract off of Croom Road in the early teens. His great grandfather operated an orange grove on a majority of the property.

Buster helped his Grandfather Hardy maintain the grove when he was in high school since all of the Hardy men were in the service. "So I'd come over after school and help grandaddy with the grove, disc it or mow, whatever needed to be done. I was old enough to operate the tractor. So I got a lot of memories in this property," said Buster.

The grove froze out during the freezes of 1983 and 1985. They replanted 40 acres back on top of the hill. At the time, Buster's Uncle Roy was in charge of the estate and kept the grove going. Since it is a family estate, the entire family would come out to pick oranges when they were ready to harvest.

Eventually, the trees got too high to pick without ladders and the expenses were too great to keep the grove producing so they decided to break the property up into 10 acre lots to sell.

Buster told his Uncle Roy, "I'd like to have some of that property." Buster was able to purchase two 10 acre lots in 1999.

A giant oak sits atop the highest point of the original 200 acre tract. Buster believes it to be the largest oak in the county.

The family spent many days picnicking beneath the great oak. "That's what we did years and years ago," explained Patti. Everyone would bring a dish and we'd just all sit under the oak tree and eat our lunch."

So we wanted to be out in the country and we just love it… It's just peaceful and quiet… It's like heaven to me," she said.

The oak now overlooks their home, which they finished building in 2009. Their home is a gathering place for relatives and friends coming from the fast paced city life.

The county is applying for a maximum grant amount of $500,000 to restore the historic Hernando County Courthouse. The grant is the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources special category grant funding. If awarded there is a 50% match requirement. The maximum matching will be 25% in kind services and 25% cash out of the general funds. Cash matching will be due in FY 2018.

The county states, "The Courthouse will be under the direction of the Hernando County Tourism Development Manager and will be open for public use to provide lectures, rotating exhibits, gift shop, tours, operas, musicians, educational classes, weddings, meeting, etc.

The collaboration between Hernando County, Historic Hernando Preservation Society, Hernando Historical Museum Association and the Hernando Arts Council proposes Phase I to include but not limited to:

1. ADA Inclined Platform Lift on the north side. Two lifts will be needed, one for the outside and one for the inside.
2. Re-painting the north side parking lot for ADA parking to include signs.
3. ADA signs in front of the courthouse to direct to ADA accessibility.
4. Doors on each floor located in the annex just past the elevators to secure the courthouse during non-government hours.
5. Remove drop down ceiling on floors 2 and 3. Restore ceilings to original state.
6. Restore/repair terrazzo flooring throughout the courthouse."

Aripeka is a fishing village that straddles north western Pasco and south western Hernando counties. Over the years it has been a favorite hangout of well known figures including Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and James Rosenquist.

In one of the earliest records, the area was was deeded to Major John Parsons and Nannie Yulee in 1859. Major John Parsons was a major landowner and one of the founders of Bayport. Nannie Yulee was the daughter of David Levy Yulee who owned the sugar mill in Homosassa and is widely known as a member of the United States Senate.

The area was known as Gulf Key when it was originally settled in 1886. Many of the buildings were built with lumber from the Aripeka Saw Mill Company. Aripeka adopted the mill's name for the town. Aripeka received electric service in the 1940s and this helped the town to grow.

The name Aripeka is most likely derived from a Miccosukee chief named Sam Jones who also went by Abiaca, Ar-pi-uck-i, Opoica, Arpeika, Aripeka, and Aripeika. During the Seminole Wars when most of the Seminole chiefs had surrendered and agreed to be relocated to the West, Sam Jones and Osceola with a band of followers attacked Fort Brooks and freed a large number of Seminoles. Sam Jones was vehemently opposed to being relocated from Florida. He continued to fight and evade the searches for him, eventually settling to South Florida, in an area inland from Ft. Lauderdale.

The Littell Fish Camp was built in 1898. There were small fishing shacks for visitors to stay in. According to historical accounts Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth were frequent visitors at the fish camp. They are said to have enjoyed the area's fishing, especially nearby Hunter Lake and the telling of fish stories.

A popular place in Aripeka was the Osowaw Inn. It is said that Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey were frequent guests at the Inn. The Inn even used the drawing card of "The Babe slept here." The Yankee's Spring Training Facility was located in St. Petersburg at the time, so it was just a short trip up to Aripeka for Babe and his teammates.

On October 15, 1931, the Tampa Morning Tribune stated that, “Government prohibition men yesterday reported a raid on the Osa-Wa Inn at Aripeka Tuesday morning at 3 o’clock and that Louis Neeld was held for investigation.” The Osowaw Inn served as a local landmark until the 1960s when it was destroyed in a fire.

In 1976, James Rosenquist moved to Aripeka and the area received some reknown as an artist community. Over the following years a number of artists moved to the area. In the aftermath of the No Name Storm of 1993 many of the artists moved away. Mr. Rosenquist relocated to South Florida following a 2009 fire that burned his home and studio. Mr. Rosenquist initially planned to rebuild, but rebuilding to the new required standards was cost prohibitive. There are still several artists living in the area.

The great fish and beautiful views that lured many to Aripeka are still there.

When we spoke with Melba Peters Ward, Istachatta Historian, in 2015, she expressed a desire to change the name Lake Townsen to reflect its historical namesake Francis M. Townsend and original name Lake Townsend. This would require re-adding a "d" to Townsen. Mrs. Ward expressed a desire to hand draw a D on the Lake Townsen to correct the historical mistake. As a tribute to Mrs. Ward after her passing a group of people set out to correct the name of Lake Townsen.

Part of the process of changing the name is to make a request to the USGS, approved by the local government. Assistant County Administrator Ron Pianta helped to shepherd this through the process. On January 12th, the USGS Lake Townsen name change to Lake Townsend was approved through the consent agenda at the County Commission meeting.

A representative of the group meet with Mr. Pianta to fill out and submit the USGS application. Last week, the county received a response to the name change request. The state of Florida does not have any issues with the renaming of Lake Townsen to Lake Townsend, but the Florida Department of Environmental Protection requests "proper recognition" of the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program on new signage created.

The U.S. Board on Geographic Names have informed the Seminole Tribe of Florida and The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, both of which have interests in Hernando County. They are awaiting input from the tribes on the potential name change.

If it is accepted, then the name change will be reflected on search engines and online maps such as google when the receive the updated name. As signs need to be replaced, Lake Townsend will be used on new signs. This process will most likely take several years, but eventually we hope Mrs. Melba Peters Ward will get her wish and the d will be returned to Lake Townsend.

On September 29, 1877 the original Hernando County courthouse burned down. According to the Oct. 6, 1877 edition of the Sunland Tribune it was not an accident "From the rapidity with which the flames spread there is little doubt but that the incendiary made free use of kerosene oil. The floors had just been carpeted with a layer of sawdust in preparation of the expected term of court, and it is surmised that this offered a good medium next the walls and partitions for saturation with the inflammable fluid."

The burning of the courthouse highlighted a time of turmoil for the county. The probable reason for the 1877 arson of the courthouse and the following arson of the building storing the records in 1879 was to stop a grand jury investigation into the murders of Arthur St. Clair an African American Republican candidate for the Florida House of Representatives and Henry Lloyd a man who had come to his aid. Several notable public figures were murdered as they looked into these events including Sheriff David L. Hedick and County Judge William Center.

The years following the Civil War was a time of lawlessness throughout the south. During the civil war both sides used raiders who seized supplies needed for the war effort and destroyed what was left behind. Some of the raiders continued this activity after the war.

In the south, the Civil War left behind a destroyed infrastructure. One of the tactics that led to winning the war was to destroy train tracks, crops, and bridges, which left the south unable to supply their troops. After the war this lack of infrastructure left hobbled the south's ability to rebuild.

According to the 1860 census Florida's population was approximately 140,000 people. Of the 15,000 Floridians who fought in the Civil War a third never returned home; many more carried injuries, both mental and physical for the rest of their lives. The injured Confederate soldiers were not given disability benefits and had to take care of themselves and their family as best they could or starve trying.
There was a fight between moderate Republicans and Democrats and the Radical Republicans over whether they should punish the south or work to reintegrate them. The Radical Republicans wanted to see the south punished for their succession.

For several years after the Civil War the south was under military rule. Many soldiers were stationed throughout the south to maintain order. Under the Radical Republicans, Congress passed a number of Reconstruction Acts. These acts required that the southern states rewrite their constitutions. There were laws that prevented Confederate officers and officials from holding office and in some cases voting. For a while, many of the elected officials were former slaves and northerners. During Reconstruction fifty-two of the sixty individuals who served in the Congress from the south were ex-Union soldiers. Lands were seized and redistributed. Florida was readmitted to the Union in 1868.

This was the climate of lawlessness during the Civil War. Many in the south felt that the United States had treated them unfairly and they resented it. This contributed to a lack of faith in government and the law.

The bloody civil war had also changed many of the people. They had seen plenty of death and were no longer shocked by it. There were also lots of diseases that swept through the area, killing many people. This is the background that needs to be kept in mind when trying to understand the bloody 1860's and 1870's.

Take for example a well known Brooksvillian Frank Saxon. He returned from the Civil War limping from a wound and married a widow Marena May, whose husband John had passed away from tuberculosis. Frank and Marena had a boy Frank who passed away as an infant. They then had another child, a daughter Jessie May. Marena passed away in childbirth and Jessie May only lived to three years old.

It's important to examine the actions of the people of this time period within the context of the hardships they were experiencing. Comforts that we have today did not exist. There was no mosquito spraying, air conditioning, or indoor plumbing. The illnesses of the day claimed many lives influenza, malaria, typhoid, dysentery, cholera, and tuberculosis among others.

In 1968, the United States was in the throes of the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon was elected President, and Spring Hill was established. It is hard to imagine how the mega land developer, Deltona Corporation, would choose to develop this unspoiled piece of Florida.

The Mackle Brothers created the Deltona Corporation to build their Florida communities. They created the name Deltona by combining Daytona and Delray. It was through Deltona Corporation that Spring Hill, an unincorporated area of Hernando County between Clearwater and Brooksville, was planned and built.

Frank Mackle, III, explained Spring Hill’s location, “Between Clearwater and Brooksville were miles and miles of raw land: gently rolling, oak tree covered and lake dotted.” So the western portion of Hernando County was converted to the unincorporated census tract we know today. It was the Mackles’ third Deltona Corporation community.

The Mackles began building Florida homes in 1938. By 1954, they had built over 10,000 houses in the Miami-Dade area. They were pioneers in selling Florida land through General Development Corporation, advertising that “for $10 down and $10/month, you could own a piece of the Florida dream.” It was to this end that they began developing planned communities after WWII.

The Mackle brothers, Frank Jr., Robert and Elliott, purchased 21,440 acres of land for their newest community. In typical Deltona fashion, they master-planned for 15,000 acres and left the rest as “inventory.”

At the time of the opening, Deltona Corp. had built 5 miles of roads, 15 model homes, an administrative building, a sales office and a water and sewage system and not much more.
In the master plan for Spring Hill were seven school sites, 23 church sites, 500 acres of commercial-business property, and 165 acres for future industrial development. Two golf courses and two housing cores were included.

At the entrance to this grand community, Deltona Corporation constructed a park that featured a beautiful waterfall fountain with 3 large flagpoles to welcome prospective buyers.

Spring Hill opened to huge crowds in May of 1967. Sales of home sites went at a record pace and the 28,500 platted lots were essentially sold out in three years!

Today, there isn’t much left of the “glory days” of Spring Hill’s development. The Deltona Corp’s sales office has been converted into smaller offices and the brick pillars which once bordered the park are still there, but they look out of place along the easement of US 19. I would guess that the ropes or boards that once made a quaint fence have long rotted away in Florida’s hot sun and wicked rainstorms.

Most of the Spring Hill homes that Deltona Corporation built are 2 bedroom, 1 ½ bath structures with a single car garage, targeting the limited-income retiree. In the 1980s, many of these homes were remarketed to Pinellas County dwellers – again, as a low-cost alternative.

The intersection of Spring Hill Drive and US19 is still marked by the same beautiful waterfall today, but by 2011, it had fallen into disrepair. No longer did the letters sparkle or the water flow.

Hernando County Parks Department had cared for the landmark off and on since the 1980s. 2011 was a horrific budget year for Parks and Rec and the decision was made to cease its maintenance. There was concern over the Waterfall sitting idle and its working parts ceasing up.

Hernando County tried to get Withlacoochee River Electric Coop to step in and repair the electric, but they were turned down. There was public outcry that Spring Hill would lose its main landmark. But what to do?

The Spring Hill Garden Club took on the project of restoring and maintaining the Waterfall. It was costly and labor-intensive. The Club’s members began with a “Save the Waterfall” rally in January 2011.

In response, the community came together with donation drives and fundraisers to ensure necessary repairs would be made and operation of the waterfall continue. Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative came out and repaired the electric, installing lights to illuminate the flagpoles at night with some of the proceeds. Area businesses, as well as individual residents, worked together, raising money for this community cause.Within a few months, the Waterfall was refurbished and operating! In 2014, the Garden Club returned the maintenance of the Waterfall back to Hernando County.

The landscaping is still under the willing hands of the Spring Hill Garden Club, which operates out of the Nature Coast Botanical Gardens, 1489 Parker Avenue, Spring Hill. There are 21 themed gardens which the Garden Club maintains.

If you would like to help with maintaining the waterfall landscaping, please gather with the members on location Saturday mornings. Everyone is welcome, no experience necessary!

Hernando Beach is a misnomer, it is actually a canal home community with a channel leading out to the Gulf of Mexico. This is a great spot for someone who has a boat or loves fishing. There are also a number of shrimpers and fishermen who work out of the area. Life in Hernando Beach revolves around the water.

Linda Pedersen Park at 6300 Shoal Line Blvd. in Hernando Beach offers the closest thing to a beach you will find. It has a sandy recreational area and allows swimming in places. The park also offers fishing, an observation tower, picnicking and amenities such as showers, playground, grills, a community building and restrooms. Many enjoy watching the manatees in Jenkins Creek.
Minnow Creek is the northern boundary of Hernando Beach. It has lured fishermen to the area for many years.

South of Minnow Creek, the fingerlike outcroppings of Hernando Beach were created using the earth dug out of mining operations along the coast, as well as dredging. Environmental laws put into place in the 70's prevent this type of development today. Hernando Beach, prior to the 1950's was wetlands and the restrictions on wetland development in 1971 stopped further growth of Hernando Beach.

Developer, Charlie Sasser purchased the area now known as Hernando Beach in 1965. A tall pine tree which an eagle nested on each year was used as a landmark to attract potential buyers. Today Eagle's Nest Drive on Hernando Beach commemorates this tree which was struck by lightning and later removed. Sasser also held a fish fry dinner every Sunday featuring fresh catch from the Gulf.
The first buyers were northerners who built vacation homes, Florida residents who built second homes and retirees.

In 1973, while the roads were still privately owned by Charles Sasser, residents complained about potholes, lack of curbs and collapsed spillways. The development was constructed before the county created any subdivision standards so they could not force any improvements. The county refused to acquire the roads until roads were brought up to current standards. In 1976 the county accepted the maintenance of roads in units 1-12.

There were ongoing lawsuits between Sasser and state and federal agencies on ownership of submerged property to be included in the development.
In 1979, there were 700 homes in Hernando Beach; 2100 lots with Gulf access and an additional 520 that were landlocked.

The Hernando Beach Yacht Club has provided various events and boating oriented recreation throughout the years. In 1983 Hernando Beach Yacht Club started an annual seafood festival fundraiser. The Yacht club offers its members a variety of activities including sailing regattas, off shore fishing expeditions, a weekly dinner on Wednesday night, as well a Christmas boat parade. There is also a Hernando Beach Club directly on the Gulf which offers similar social activities.

US Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 15-8 has served the area for 43 years. Coast guard auxiliary flotillas provide boater safety education, safety patrols and search and rescue operations among many other functions. Members are all volunteers. The coast guard auxiliary program itself was created in 1939.

VFW Post #9236 is also located in Hernando Beach. They hold monthly fish fries, beach breakfasts and spaghetti dinners.

In 1993 the "no name storm" also known as the "storm of the century" hit the area at high tide. The storm surge was recorded as high as 12 feet in Hernando County. This flooded many of the homes that had a ground floor.

The Hernando County Channel runs into the northern end of Hernando Beach. In 2012, the Hernando County channel was dredged with a controlling depth of 6 feet and a 60 foot minimum width. The channel was built in 1960 with similar dimensions and last had dredging work done in 1985. Since 1985, the channel had filled in significantly putting boaters at risk. A concern for seagrasses caused the Army Corp of Engineers to back out of the project in 2004. Then in 2011, county engineers downsized the scope of the project and eliminated rerouting parts of the channel, so that the work could be done through county maintenance permitting.

Although Hernando Beach does not have a beach on the Gulf of Mexico, it is a great place for people who love the water.

June 18, 2016 – Brooksville, FL – Sixty people arrived at Chinsegut Hill Manor House, gathering on the magnificent wrap-around porch for the evening’s festivities to benefit one of Brooksville’s historic treasures.

The sky was ominous, but Sherry Pedonesi, Friends of Chinsegut Hill’s President, lit up the area with her welcoming smile as she served chilled lemon-infused water to guests. Hors d’ovres, including marinated olives, spicy feta, hummus, mushroom pate and crackers were generously laid out for the first course of this five-course dinner event.

At 6:10 p.m., the skies opened to shower the Hill’s guests as they walked from the Manor House to the Dining Hall under cover of umbrellas. Inside the air conditioned hall, the next four courses and our interactive history lesson were served family-style.

The meal quality was gourmet. Soup, salad, rice, stuffed pork loin and berry compote dessert were consumed while participants learned about Raymond Robins: his activities, loves and his political prowess. Each table was instructed to come up with a scenario explaining what happened to Raymond Robins after he disappeared September 3, 1932, from the City Club in Manhattan. He was supposed to be enroute to talk with President Hoover in Washington, D.C. but he never arrived.

Table teams were given newspaper clippings from the time, providing details as to what may have happened to Raymond Robins that fateful night. Twelve theories were shared with each of the teams, including being killed by mobsters for his pro-prohibition activities, being kidnapped by Russian imperialists, problems with Brooksville bankers, and amnesia. Each table was instructed to come up with their own theory of what happened to the famous Chinsegut resident, political activist and economist.

Several fun prizes were awarded for the most unusual, best thought out and most creative stories submitted by the table teams. Laughter rang through the Dining Hall, as each table’s story was shared.

Finally, Jason Kahler shared with attendees what actually happened to Raymond Robins, who had succumbed to an amnesia episode and gone to Whittier, North Carolina. After declaring himself to be Raymond Rogers, a mining student from Kentucky, Raymond Robins settled into the small town for over months before he was identified by one of the town’s residents and pointed out to Federal Agents. It took three visits from his wife, Margaret Drier, for Raymond to recognize her. He was taken to a sanitarium for a short visit until he declared himself healthy again and then returned to Chinsegut to spend his remaining years.

Another fun-filled 5 course dinner event is scheduled for September 24 and features historical information about JC Penney and his visits to Chinsegut. Luncheon on the Hill, featuring a $10 luncheon is held the first Wednesday of each month and includes information about Chinsegut Hill life and its residents.

They Raymonds are buried under the Altar Oak on the Chinsegut property, where visitors can enjoy tours of the Manor House for only $5 Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm, Saturday, 10am – 5pm, or Sunday, 12pm – 6pm, walk the grounds at no charge, spend the night at the Chinsegut Retreat Center’s cabins or rent the Manor House for weddings and events. For more information, please contact 352-799-5400.

The painting above by John Lewis Krimmel depicts celebrations in Philadelphia in 1819. Here in Hernando County in the year 2016, much of our celebrations will be similar, with music, jubilation, flags flying high, marches, children playing, political discussions accompanied by food and beverage as well as vendors selling their wares.

While the 1819 celebration lacked food trucks and demolition derbies the camaraderie of the gathering is apparent and all seem to be enjoying themselves. Organizations in Hernando County are offering a variety of celebrations that will hopefully evoke such fellowship and enjoyment for community residents.

The Masaryktown Community Center is hosting the Freedom Fest on July 3rd 11AM to 6PM, featuring a car show, music, vendors and a food truck rally. It is free and open to the public. The Masaryktown Community Center is located at 539 Lincoln Ave. For more information about the event call 352-345-4818.

The much anticipated Firecracker Smash 'm Up will be held at the Hernando County fairgrounds starting at 4PM on July 4th. There will be a variety of live music and a demolition derby that starts at 7PM. Fireworks will start after the derby. The cost is $10 to park. If you'd like to see the derby, adults cost $10 and children cost $5. They recommend bringing chairs or blankets to watch the fireworks. The Hernando County fairgrounds is located at 6436 Broad St, Brooksville, FL 34601.
If you can't live without a traditional Fourth of July parade, do not fret. You'll be able to catch the High Point parade featuring fire rescue vehicles, decorated golf carts, horses, antique cars and Scout troops. The parade lines up at the High Point bus stop near Cortez Blvd, and makes it way up High Point Blvd to Club House Road. At the conclusion of the parade, there will be a Posting of the Colors ceremony at the community center, followed by refreshments. The parade is free and open to the public. The address for the High Point Community is 12249 Clubhouse Road Brooksville, FL 34613. For more information contact Sylvia at 352-596-6006.

The Hernando County Sportsmans Club is offering a prelude of sorts to the excitement and blasts of the July 4th fireworks and demolition derby. They are having a July 4th Machine Gun Shoot starting at 9:30AM. Participants can bring their own machine gun or rent one from a vendor. Several cars, trucks and assorted targets will be destroyed. No tracers or incendiary ammo. Must be 18 years old to shoot. Please bring your own eye and ear protection, even if you are a spectator and especially for small children. Food and soft drinks will be available for purchase in the clubhouse. For additional information call (352) 597-9931. Hernando Sportsmans Club is located at 16121 Commercial Way, Brooksville, FL 34614.

Hernando County July 4th Celebrations from Years Past:

• In 1938, the Brooksville Townsend Club celebrated with a picnic featuring addresses by prominent citizens along with music and games at Wayside Park

• In 1958, Clark Cagle organized a "Persons born on July 4th" picnic in Brooksville

• In 1960, the streets of Brooksville were lined with flags. Twenty beauty contestants participated in a talent contest and parade at the fairgrounds. A ceremony at the bandshell at city park included speeches by Senator James E. Connor and Representative John Law Ayers in addition to the performance of local choirs. Festivities continued after the morning ceremony at the fairgrounds. The fairgrounds festivities included fireworks at 8pm and the announcing of the beauty contest winners. There was also a dance held at the Masaryktown Community Center on July 2nd.

• In 1975, celebrations featured Go Kart races at the track off of Mondon Hill Road sponsored by the Lions Club. Special races included a powder puff race of beauticians from a local beauty shop and a celebrities race.

• On July 2nd, 1977, rain ruined the three day Brookville Civil Air patrol fair where they were planning to put on a mock World War II attack. The organizer of the event was happy that at least the rain brought an end to a drought.

Colonel Raymond Robins had fond memories of his first years in Hernando County. Raymond was sent to live with relatives here after his father lost his inheritance and his mother was committed to an insane asylum. Raymond Robins spent seven years in Brooksville with his first cousin, Mrs. McKay. McKay acted as a foster mother to Robins. The family lived in Bodine Grove, a 100 acre orange grove started by McKay's father Dr. Bodine. As a child he visited the Snow family several times at their home on the top of what is now called Chinsegut Hill. He returned in later life to buy the Chinsegut estate with the help of his sister.

Raymond's sister was the famous actress Elizabeth Robins. She moved to England as a young lady and became known as "Ibsen's High Priestess" for her performances in Henrik Ibsen's plays. She socialized with the likes of H. G. Wells, Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw.

Although Raymond had only one year of formal schooling before attending college, he graduated in 1896 from George Washington University (then Columbian College) where he studied law. He worked a diverse array of jobs as a lawyer, miner, in mining relations, and as a labor activist.

Raymond married Margaret Dreier in 1905, an independently wealth labor activist. Margaret was president of the Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) for fifteen years starting in 1907. Under Margaret's leadership the WTUL led the push to unionize woman workers.

Raymond worked with a number of Presidents. He campaigned for Presidential Candidate William Jennings Bryan the cousin of the Florida Governor William Sherman Jennings from Brooksville. He was a close friend of Theodore Roosevelt and was considered for a cabinet position in President Calvin Coolidge’s administration. He was an advisor to Herbert Hoover and worked closely with Franklin Delano Roosevelt urging him to establish diplomatic relations with Russia.

Chinsegut was a gathering spot for the rich and famous of the time. Robins would entertain the dignitaries on the Hill or at his house on Bimini Isle on the Gulf of Mexico. Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, and James Cash (J.C.) Penney were a few of the leaders of business, science, and politics that stayed with Robins.

In 1929, the stock market crash wiped out much of Margaret's fortune. Raymond had been involved with the First National Bank since moving to Florida in 1923 and became the chairman of the bank.

Perhaps one of the most significant impacts the Robins had on this area was their backing of the First National Bank in Brooksville during the Depression. The majority of small country banks were folding during this time. The savings of farmers and townspeople disappeared with the downfall of the bank.

The Robins, realizing the seriousness of the situation backed the First National Bank with what was left of their fortune, preventing its failure. The Robins did this at great personal financial loss. In a statement following First National's merger with Hernando State Bank, the Robins explained, "We are not bankers, and we acquired the majority control of the First National bank to save depositors from loss and to prevent other unhappy conditions in our community in the after boom and subsequent depression years. To achieve these results, including the safety of deposits and integrity of the First National bank, we took personally a heavy financial loss."

In September of 1932, after a tour of hundreds of cities campaigning in favor of prohibition he disappeared. He checked out of the City Club of New York and headed on his way to a White House Council with President Hoover. He never arrived at his destination. The press at the time assumed that the mob or other pro-alcohol elements had kidnapped or killed him.

Colonel Robins' whereabouts were unknown for two months. He was found in the mountains of North Carolina in the town of Whitaker with a population of 500. He was described as suffering from amnesia. Residents of the North Carolina town said he came to the area in early September "tramping the mountains and looking for minerals." While living in the North Carolina town, he went by the name of Raymond Rogers and also gave speeches supporting re-election of his friend Herbert Hoover. He wore overalls and grew a beard. He built a tree stand or "look out" on a mountain behind the hotel he was staying.

Prohibition agents were in Whitaker, NC on separate business, when a barber named Frank Redmond told them about the resemblance of "Raymond Rogers" to a newspaper clipping he had of Raymond Robins. Robins may have actually suffered from an amnesia type episode or he may have had a mental breakdown. Robins was under a tremendous amount of pressure financially after backing the First National Bank. He put Chinsegut up for sale, but was unable to find a buyer.

First National was merged with Hernando State Bank in February of 1939 in order to create a single stronger institution. The Robins explained within the same statement, "The merger of the First National bank of Brooksville with the Hernando State Bank should make the latter one of the strongest and most prosperous country town banks in Florida. There has never been sufficient business to support two prosperous banks in Brooksville."

Three years before the merger, Colonel Robins fell from a tree in 1935 resulting in permanent paralysis from the waist down. The Robins cited this injury as a reason why they desired "to be relieved from the responsibility of a bank."

Raymond was an invalid for the last years of his life. During his life he traveled a long way from his birth in Staten Island, New York on September 17, 1873 to his death on September 26, 1954 at the age of 81 and burial at Chinsegut. From Finding gold in Alaska to heading the expedition for the American Red Cross in Russia, Colonel Raymond Robins certainly saw the world.

The mysterious disappearance of Raymond Robins is a small part of a life dotted with many intriguing elements. We hope to discover more about Colonel Raymond Robins in articles to come.

Patti and Elwood "Buster" Webb celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary on June 24, 2016 with a gathering of family and friends at Papa Joe's, a popular local restaurant. The couple met as sophomores in Hernando High School in October of 1952. Patti and Buster said they were extremely pleased with the hard work their daughters did to put the event together. They were also happy to see good friends they hadn't seen for years.

Together they always supported each other and always worked hard to achieve their goals. Together they built a life full of love and happiness.

Patti moved up from St. Petersburg with her sister to live with her grandparents in Spring Lake. Her mother was ailing and couldn't care for the girls. Patti is related to the Mountain family that settled here in Hernando County.

She came to Hernando High School in her sophomore year. Buster's parents operated the Gulf gas station off of 41 and Crystal River Road. Patti explained that the Webb family was so generous while they operated the store and that generosity and kindness was apparent in the young man she met in homeroom.

"Everyone knew and heard about the Webbs and how gracious they were with the community," Patti explained. People would come there and knew they could buy what they needed even if they didn't have the money to pay at that time. There were also some that took advantage and the Webbs.

"But most of the people were country people and very good about paying back, maybe it took them a month… That's unheard of nowadays, you don't do that," said Patti.

"When they'd get paid, 99% of them would come in (and pay their bill). It was just a little community store. If we took care of them, they would take care of us," stated Buster Webb.
They were such an asset to the community, The Webb family," she emphasized. The Webb's closed the station in 1975.

"And I married this guy. I was in school and …. I remember being in homeroom, this guy sitting there, he was just so friendly and outgoing. I told my sister, I said, 'I like this guy here, I like him,' because I never saw another fellow that I liked. Buster was so warm and friendly and outgoing, just very courteous," Patti explained.

In 1954, after graduation, the sisters went back to St. Pete to help take care of their mother. Buster went to St. Pete to go to Junior College and they were married two years later. The couple made St. Pete their home for 36 years where they raised their two daughters, Theresa Lynn and Mary Anne.

"We've been very blessed with our daughters. When Mary Anne came along, Theresa Lynn was like a mother to Mary Anne. I never heard a cross word between these two girls. Theresa just loved Mary Anne to pieces and Mary Anne grew old enough to show her love back. "

Theresa Lynn followed in her father's footsteps to pursue a career with Publix. Mary Anne who is 8 years younger to the day, teaches graphic arts at Challenger. They have four grandchildren and a great granddaughter, "Miss Rose" who is two and a half years old.

While in school in St. Pete, Buster took a part time job with Publix bagging and stocking. Then he had an opportunity to go full time as the produce manager. Eventually he worked up to the store manager position which he held for 16 years.

The School Bus Arrangement
Patti and her sister rode the school bus in everyday to Hernando High School. Patti explained that Buster had a model A which he was known for at Hernando High School.

"Grandaddy was strict," said Buster. "He noticed that I was bringing Patti home sometimes (in the model A). I went out there to visit one Sunday and he says 'Buster, I need to talk to you.' He says, 'Let's go on the porch.' So we went out there and he says, 'I'm living in Hernando County now and I pay taxes in Hernando County.' And he says, 'Part of my taxes go to the school system.' And he says, 'Part of the school system is the school bus.' And he says, 'When I pay taxes in the school system, for the school bus, I wanna see my granddaughter on the school bus.' I said, 'Okay, I don't have a problem with that at all.' So we figured out what we would do is that we would either follow the bus until the bus stop before the house or either beat the bus there and wait for the bus to get there, she would get on the bus and she got off at the house. And that was fine with Granddaddy and Grandmama thought it was hilarious. And the school bus driver thought it was so funny."

"I bought that model A in October of 1952 and I met her within a month after I bought it and I still have it," explained Buster.

He restored it in January of 2004 and they still ride around in it. It stayed locked up at his mother and father's place for 38 years from 1968 to 2003.

Mother and Father's Place
Mother and Father's place was the Webb's Gulf Service Station, where Old Crystal River Road runs into Highway 41. Mother and Father were Elwood Webb Sr. and Mary Ida Webb, Buster Webb's parents.

Today what's left of the station is owned by the mobile home park behind it who purchased it 3 years ago.

Buster moved there at the age of 3 and was raised there.

"Daddy was working with Gulf Oil Distributor and that was a Gulf Station. It became vacant. It was built in 1930. And it was either '39 or '40 when we moved out there. And it was just a community store. [Highway] 41 at that time was the only main artery north or south. If there was a 301, it was a dirt road. There was no 19. There was certainly no 75… We got a lot of tourists coming in there to that little station. And one thing I can remember, Of course growing up I played in the back yard a lot. We had chickens, coop, had a couple of hogs for FFA projects. But one of the things I can remember traffic wise is that during the war, Kraft food company, their main distributor for the southeast is in Atlanta. But they had a distribution place in Tampa. And I don't know how it got started, but they started stopping at the station on the way back from Tampa and they'd fill those 50 gallon tanks up on each side of that truck. It got to be an every week thing. We got to know the guys real well. The station part in the front was for the display area and the kitchen was right through the door. And it got to the point where they'd come in go sit back in the kitchen and have coffee. We got to be a family. In fact one weekend, I went up with one of the drivers and came back with another one the next week. That's how friendly we got. You wouldn't do that nowadays."

It was basically a community store, that served Lake Lindsey and the surrounding area. They carried bread, milk, soft drinks, snacks and some canned goods. Much of the responsibility fell on Buster's mom to keep up the store.

"Daddy had to go into service so mother took care of the station and was raising the kids." Buster's grandmother had a stroke and his mother had to care for her as well. After about a year of service, his father returned working in the station and worked part time on the crash trucks at Brooksville air field.

"So mother was still operating the store, " explained Buster. "When I got big enough I serviced the cars when they came in. Pumped the gas for the customers, checked their oil, washed their windshield, and checked the air in the tires. You didn't ask, that was part of the service."

Through thick and thin
Buster is the oldest of three children. His parents worked to put his younger siblings through college. His brother Eddie and sister Maryleen both graduated from Florida State. Maryleen went on to become an artist and studied overseas for a period of time. Eddie went to the University of Tennessee and was studying to become an optometrist when he fell ill at the age of 23. The doctors were treating him for the flu and he passed away overnight. Eddie was planning on going into practice with Dr. Coppedge who practices in Brooksville.

A Big Oak Tree
Today, the Webbs live on a 20 acre piece of property which is full of family history. The property was once part of a 200 acre tract owned by Buster's Great Grandaddy, Eugene Studemeyer. Originally from Alabama, his great grandfather moved to the area when Buster's mother was seven years old. The family settled on top of the hill on North Ave. Buster thinks that his Great Grandfather Studemayer purchased the 200 acre tract off of Croom Road in the early teens. His great grandfather operated an orange grove on a majority of the property.

Buster helped his Grandfather Hardy maintain the grove when he was in high school since all of the Hardy men were in the service. "So I'd come over after school and help grandaddy with the grove, disc it or mow, whatever needed to be done. I was old enough to operate the tractor. So I got a lot of memories in this property," said Buster.

The grove froze out during the freezes of 1983 and 1985. They replanted 40 acres back on top of the hill. At the time, Buster's Uncle Roy was in charge of the estate and kept the grove going. Since it is a family estate, the entire family would come out to pick oranges when they were ready to harvest.

Eventually, the trees got too high to pick without ladders and the expenses were too great to keep the grove producing so they decided to break the property up into 10 acre lots to sell.

Buster told his Uncle Roy, "I'd like to have some of that property." Buster was able to purchase two 10 acre lots in 1999.

A giant oak sits atop the highest point of the original 200 acre tract. Buster believes it to be the largest oak in the county.

The family spent many days picnicking beneath the great oak. "That's what we did years and years ago," explained Patti. Everyone would bring a dish and we'd just all sit under the oak tree and eat our lunch."

So we wanted to be out in the country and we just love it… It's just peaceful and quiet… It's like heaven to me," she said.

The oak now overlooks their home, which they finished building in 2009. Their home is a gathering place for relatives and friends coming from the fast paced city life.

The county is applying for a maximum grant amount of $500,000 to restore the historic Hernando County Courthouse. The grant is the Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources special category grant funding. If awarded there is a 50% match requirement. The maximum matching will be 25% in kind services and 25% cash out of the general funds. Cash matching will be due in FY 2018.

The county states, "The Courthouse will be under the direction of the Hernando County Tourism Development Manager and will be open for public use to provide lectures, rotating exhibits, gift shop, tours, operas, musicians, educational classes, weddings, meeting, etc.

The collaboration between Hernando County, Historic Hernando Preservation Society, Hernando Historical Museum Association and the Hernando Arts Council proposes Phase I to include but not limited to:

1. ADA Inclined Platform Lift on the north side. Two lifts will be needed, one for the outside and one for the inside.
2. Re-painting the north side parking lot for ADA parking to include signs.
3. ADA signs in front of the courthouse to direct to ADA accessibility.
4. Doors on each floor located in the annex just past the elevators to secure the courthouse during non-government hours.
5. Remove drop down ceiling on floors 2 and 3. Restore ceilings to original state.
6. Restore/repair terrazzo flooring throughout the courthouse."

Aripeka is a fishing village that straddles north western Pasco and south western Hernando counties. Over the years it has been a favorite hangout of well known figures including Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, and James Rosenquist.

In one of the earliest records, the area was was deeded to Major John Parsons and Nannie Yulee in 1859. Major John Parsons was a major landowner and one of the founders of Bayport. Nannie Yulee was the daughter of David Levy Yulee who owned the sugar mill in Homosassa and is widely known as a member of the United States Senate.

The area was known as Gulf Key when it was originally settled in 1886. Many of the buildings were built with lumber from the Aripeka Saw Mill Company. Aripeka adopted the mill's name for the town. Aripeka received electric service in the 1940s and this helped the town to grow.

The name Aripeka is most likely derived from a Miccosukee chief named Sam Jones who also went by Abiaca, Ar-pi-uck-i, Opoica, Arpeika, Aripeka, and Aripeika. During the Seminole Wars when most of the Seminole chiefs had surrendered and agreed to be relocated to the West, Sam Jones and Osceola with a band of followers attacked Fort Brooks and freed a large number of Seminoles. Sam Jones was vehemently opposed to being relocated from Florida. He continued to fight and evade the searches for him, eventually settling to South Florida, in an area inland from Ft. Lauderdale.

The Littell Fish Camp was built in 1898. There were small fishing shacks for visitors to stay in. According to historical accounts Jack Dempsey and Babe Ruth were frequent visitors at the fish camp. They are said to have enjoyed the area's fishing, especially nearby Hunter Lake and the telling of fish stories.

A popular place in Aripeka was the Osowaw Inn. It is said that Babe Ruth and Jack Dempsey were frequent guests at the Inn. The Inn even used the drawing card of "The Babe slept here." The Yankee's Spring Training Facility was located in St. Petersburg at the time, so it was just a short trip up to Aripeka for Babe and his teammates.

On October 15, 1931, the Tampa Morning Tribune stated that, “Government prohibition men yesterday reported a raid on the Osa-Wa Inn at Aripeka Tuesday morning at 3 o’clock and that Louis Neeld was held for investigation.” The Osowaw Inn served as a local landmark until the 1960s when it was destroyed in a fire.

In 1976, James Rosenquist moved to Aripeka and the area received some reknown as an artist community. Over the following years a number of artists moved to the area. In the aftermath of the No Name Storm of 1993 many of the artists moved away. Mr. Rosenquist relocated to South Florida following a 2009 fire that burned his home and studio. Mr. Rosenquist initially planned to rebuild, but rebuilding to the new required standards was cost prohibitive. There are still several artists living in the area.

The great fish and beautiful views that lured many to Aripeka are still there.

At Weeks Hardware in downtown Brooksville, Otella Weeks, 87, born in Tennessee and one of twelve siblings, has continued the daily operations of the store following the passing of her husband Joseph Weeks two years ago. Joe Weeks ran the store for 65 years.

The bell rings as a customer walks in “I need some filters,” the gentleman requested. As Otella helps her customer they proceed to the back of the store to check what filters the hardware store has on supply. The gentleman was happy to have found a couple of filters he needed and both walked to the front.

“Nancy said to tell you, 'Hello,'” he said as Otella rang up his purchase. “You have a good day. Thanks for coming in,” Otella replied.

Otella Weeks then explained how the store got started one century ago. She stated that it began with Rosie and Mammie, the wives of the Weeks brothers.

When the women ran the store, it was called Miro Hardware and opened in 1913. Joe 's grandfather built the building.

“The women wanted to have something to do, so their husbands opened the store as a hardware store, but they got tired of it. In 1916, John Morgan Weeks, Joe’s grandfather, opened it up as a full-fledged hardware store,” Otella said.

Then Joe's father John and Uncle James Weeks ran the store. (John traded an orange grove for his brother's share of the store in the early 1930's).

Joseph Weeks took over the hardware store back in the 1950’s, and during that time, Joe was building up the family business as well building and securing customer relationships in the Brooksville area.

Meanwhile, Otella and her younger sister, Suzanne, packed up and left Tennessee for Brooksville, Florida to fulfill a dream. See, Otella’s sister wanted to become a mermaid. Otella helped make her little sister's dream come true. However, Otella didn’t know this would also be a great future for her as well.

Suzanne and Otella used to walk to the drug store, passing the Weeks Hardware store along the way. And there was Joe, always standing in the front of the hardware store. Sure enough, Joe and Otella's eyes met and the rest is history.

“We live up the street and used to walk to here and he (Joe) used to always hang out in front,” She giggled.

Married for 57 years, and with four kids, life grew around them and the hardware store. In 1983, Otella opened her boutique upstairs called the Olive Leaf, an upscale women’s shop.

For twenty three years she ran the store, but with the health of her husband in decline, she closed the boutique to help maintain and run the hardware store. Memories still remain upstairs along with the beautiful front door designed in 1983 and its art nouveau glass window etching.

After 100 years, this building still stands strong, once you walk inside your first impression is like stepping back into the early 1900’s. You can’t estimate how many customers walked on those concrete floors since it first opened in 1913. However you can just imagine customers standing around and sharing home improvement stories, laughing and talking about weekend events that will be happening downtown. The beautiful exposed red brick walls and the tin embossed ceiling hold all those memories.

“He was sick for two years, he couldn’t drive and he always wanted to come here. So I would bring him up here every day. But he enjoyed being here, and people used to come and talk to him and spend hours,” Otella said.

So much of the store holds dear memories of Joe. Just to the left behind the front window there is an empty leather bar stool, worn and taped to hold all the tears and rips; a chair Otella bought for her husband. “I bought that for Joe, and he loved it, he wore it out,” Otella laughed.

To commemorate Joe and the long history of Weeks Hardware, the family decided to make the 100th year anniversary a big occasion.

Erica Livengood, granddaughter of Joe and Otella Weeks stated, “This is happening this year and let’s us do something special," referring to the 100th anniversary.

She continued, "We decided to celebrate it on my grandfather’s birthday. We couldn’t track down the exact date that our family took over the hardware store, so we just figured why not do it that day,” said Erica Livengood.

Erica's memories are just as cherished as her grandmother's.

“I feel like when I walk in there even as a kid you kind of you go back in time, because it’s like history has stood still in this building and in my grandmother's clothing store she had; it’s so old. It just takes me back,” Erica expressed.

“It’s really an emotional place to go to. I wish I would have cherished more. I wish I would have taken it in more and really appreciated it when it was in its full running before the big storm came into town and kind of slowed his business down. I wish I was more appreciative of what I really had in my life. And now as an adult; It’s just an awesome thing to have in our family, to (have had the opportunity) watch my grandfather work there.”

“Coming up on Saturday morning with my dad, Sitting up front behind the counter with my grandpa, thinking I was something special because I was behind the counter, watching him make keys, talking with his friends… now I wish I can go back and see my grandpa in that chair again,” Erica said.

Otella and Joe's grandsons Joseph, Nick and David Petrantoni and Connie, daughter of Joe and Otella Weeks shared why establishments like Weeks Hardware are so important to the fabric of our nation,

“As we grew up, having Weeks Hardware as a part of our lives made a significant impact on us. Watching our grandfather’s dedication to the store taught us about the value of a good work ethic. Witnessing the warm exchange he and my grandmother would have with customers every day helped us realize how precious it is to be a part of close knit community. And looking back at all of the memories we have from those days, it makes us understand how much this country needs places like Weeks Hardware in its future, businesses that hold tradition and family values in such high esteem and truly become a piece of a town's shared identity.”

More Family Memories

“He means a lot to me and our family! He always told me how it was with no bs! I have a horrible memory considering (having) been knocked in the head a few times by horses and what not but here is a memory I can remember. On the weekends when I was younger we would come up there and I always wanted to make fishing poles and I would take the small skinny round poles and get the string from in the back and find the plastic key covers as my bait and I would "go fishing" around in the store. I would do that every time I was in there I would make a fake fishing (pole) and pretend I was fishing . We also would always get Coney Island on almost every Saturday. He loved chili dogs!” Alexandra Grace Livengood, Erica's sister and Joseph Weeks granddaughter

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“The hardware store was the first job I ever had. I started working there when I was 12 or 13. I stocked the shelves, waited on customers and swept the floors everyday after school. I remember one day I was sweeping the floors and a man entered the store. He was looking for a certain kind of spring. He said he had been to every store all over the county looking for this spring. I remember him having a nasty attitude when he came into the store. Pop brought him to the drawer of springs on display. Pop did in fact have the spring the man was looking for, which happened regularly. Everyone used to say if you can’t find a piece of hardware anywhere, Mr. Weeks will have it. So my grandpa pulled the spring out for the man. The price for this uniquely designed spring was 3 dollars or so. The man scornfully looked at my grandpa and said, “This is ridiculous! I can get this spring in New York for a nickel!” Pop calmly slid the door closed and said, “Well then you can go to New York and buy it for a nickel.” The man still ornery speaking said he would purchase the spring. My grandpa then proceeded to tell the man that the spring was no longer for sale. The man was so beside himself that he left the store cursing. That was the way it was at the hardware store. If you came in polite you would be waited on hand and foot. As soon as a customer walked in the door they were greeted and after every sale Pop would tell the customers, “Much obliged.”

Another thing I would like to add: The cash register in the store had a program in it like all the registers do today where you ring up a sale, then enter on the keypad the amount of money the customer handed you. Automatically the register told you how much money to give back to the customer. Pop never turned that feature on to the register. He said it was lazy. He wanted you to think and do the math in your head. Then, verbally count back the change as you put it in the customer's hand to the penny, the old school way.”

Thank you for letting me share these stories with you. Sincerely, David Eppley (Grandson of Joe and Otella Weeks).

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My memory of Weeks Hardware is of Otella Irons Weeks, a hardworking, steadfast, feisty, opinionated (unusual for her generation) woman, who raised a family, served her community, and was an integral part in building a successful, hometown business.

My mom is a role model and a successful career woman. She balanced her family, career, community involvement and her superior athletic prowess harmoniously throughout her life. No matter what she attempted she rose to the top and became a leader, not an easy task in a male dominated, small town, society.

She still gets up every week Monday through Saturday to open the hardware store. Mom is an amazing women still thriving to keep a 100 year old business alive!

--Patricia Eppley, Daughter of Joe and Otella Weeks

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There is so much to say it was hard to narrow it down !

Weeks Hardware was more than a hardware store, it was a place for Social gatherings , it was a place where young and old worked and learned the importance of Communications, helping customers solve their problems or projects. Taking the time to listen and form relationships that often lasted for years. That relationship with customers often spurred the social gatherings , they would come for a shovel or a broom and ending staying for over an talking about anything from their aching medical condition to politics which often became very interesting. Even first time shoppers felt comfortable as Joe and Otella would greet them at the door and before you knew it they were telling them their life story whether they wanted to or not , Ha! How could have written a book with all of the stories he heard , he was a patient kind man and that attributed to the success of his family and the store and forever locked it's place in the Community .

The three words that describe the 100 year anniversary;

Joy-Joyful that my Mom made is celebrating the 100 year anniversary and is still working.

Sorrow-sorry that my dad did not make it to see this historic accomplishment.

Proud-This is such a monumental feat,our entire family is so proud. There aren't many businesses that have reached the 100 year mark.

-Cile and Jeff Livengood, Cile; Daughter of Joe and Otella Weeks

On August 8 from 12pm to 2pm anyone that wants to come share memories and celebrate this milestone for Hernando County, Brooksville and Weeks Hardware is more than welcome.

Weeks Hardware | 115 N Main St, Brooksville, FL 34601 | Photo provided by Mrs. Weeks

Frank W. Springstead High School has served Hernando County since 1975. This leads to the question of who was Frank W. Springstead and why was the High School named after him.

Frank was born in 1918 in Brooksville and his father was J. D. Springstead. The Springstead family was a prominent early family of the area. When Frank W. Springstead married Ann Eichelberger, they were prominent enough to have their wedding carried on the society page of The Evening Independent on Wednesday, June 22, 1938. The article is quite detailed in the dresses that were worn at the wedding.

Frank graduated from Hernando High School and went to a Tampa Business College before going into business with his father.

His wife Ann Springstead was born in Oxford, Alabama. She moved to Brooksville after graduation and lived with her aunt and uncle. She quickly became a fixture of the local social scene. Following the wedding ceremony, the new couple left by car on their honeymoon, which was a tour of southern states.

Frank was elected to the School Board and became chairman. He found the historical records from previous school boards illuminating and read them to the board to provide contrast with the way that the current school board was operating. According to the St. Petersburg Times from December 21, 1972, Springstead describing the Howell school era said, "between 1918-1920, Hernando County was divided into 10 school districts with 25 schools. Each district had three trustees and every school had a citizen supervisor."

Springstead was also involved in the creation of Pasco Hernando Community College in his capacity as Hernando County school board chairman. There were questions of whether it was better to have one of the existing Community Colleges from the Tampa area open branches in the area or create a new community college.

In 1974 School Board member H. E. "Curly" Coburn suggested naming the proposed $2.3 million dollar Junior-Senior High school after Frank W. Springstead in a meeting on the construction of the school. He cited Frank's 24 years of service on the board, with more than half of that time spent as chairman. The 36 acre tract of land on which the school was built was donated by the Deltona Corporation, the original developers of Spring Hill.

Frank W. Springstead Junior-Senior High School opened in 1975 with John Donato as principal. The school started with around 600 students from the sixth through ninth grade. Sixth grade students from Westside were sent to Springstead. This along with the addition of portables enabled Westside Elementary to return to a single session. Westside Elementary had been operating with double sessions since it was built in 1972. Superintendent James K. Austin said he did not want to send high school students to Springstead until comparable facilities for athletic, band, and other extracurricular were built.

Springstead passed away April 1,1988 at the age of 69. Although Frank Springstead was a successful businessman, he is remembered in history for the influential role he played on the school board.

Nick Ruggiero oversaw the growth of the Spring Hill Fire Department from "meager beginnings" to the establishment of three fire stations with paid staff, dispatchers, EMTs and up to date fire engines and ambulances.

Looking at the statement above in the year 2016, without prior knowledge of those meager beginnings, it is difficult to understand the progress that was made between the time Ruggiero started as a volunteer with the Department in 1968 and when he resigned as Fire Chief in 1985.

A hearse for an ambulance, an air raid siren to call hands to the firehouse, a 27 year old Air Force crash truck for a fire engine were just some of the makeshift items that got the job done in the department's earliest days. Not to mention, the nearest hospital was in Brooksville.

Ruggiero and his wife Ethel, originally from Long Island, were first generation Deltona Corp. recruits. Ethel saw an ad in the paper for a free ticket down to Florida to check out the Deltona development. So they brought their family down in 1968 to settle in Spring Hill. While their house was built, the family of 5 stayed in a tiny hotel room.

To put food on the table, Ruggiero worked as a diesel mechanic at Chatman's Buick/Oldsmobile on 41. While he worked at Chatman's he befriended Jim Adkins, currently a county commissioner, formerly a firefighter and Brooksville Fire Chief.

Ruggiero's daughter Tina Kycynka, who was a Weeki Wachee mermaid from 1980 to 1983, recalls a childhood that not too many have the privilege of these days. She and her siblings played outdoors. They went to school (bused to Brooksville) and spent most of their time with the family.

After Ruggiero resigned from the Spring Hill Fire Department amidst political turmoil in 1985, he entered the Brooksville Fire Department as a Captain. He became Deputy Fire Chief in Brooksville and developed the Emergency Management System for Hernando County, as well as surrounding counties.

He retired from the Brooksville Fire Department in 1996. In an interview with the St. Pete Times, Ruggiero reflected on the differences in service between the two departments. In the Spring Hill department, he said that he did not experience very many intense fires. There were more rescues, since the population was older and the houses were newer. Although he did recount pulling a fellow firefighter from a burning house in Hernando Beach and the time liquid propane leaked from a line break along US 19, forming a cloud of gas. Ruggiero fought more fires in Brooksville. In 1989, he found himself in a scary situation on the second story porch of a burning historic home on South Brooksville Avenue when the porch started to give way.

Ruggiero was dedicated to serving his community in addition to his work in fire rescue. He ran a kids club in Spring Hill, ensuring that there were activities for local kids at a time when there were just around 100 residents. He always helped to bring food and needed items to those less fortunate.

It would be remiss not to mention Ruggiero's service to our country. He served in the Air Force in the Korean War. He was wounded in an air raid and spent over a year in multiple hospitals. He was a Purple Heart recipient.

Ruggiero was a role model for his children and grandchildren. His son, Jim Ruggiero, followed in his footsteps, becoming a Lieutenant in the Spring Hill department and then moved on to the Clearwater Department in 1983 where he worked his way up to Fire Lieutenant after many years as a driver. Jim retired in 2009. Nick Ruggiero's granddaughter Christina Bonczek Schoenmetz is an EMT/ Paramedic who will graduate with a nursing degree in December. She currently works in the ER at Oak Hill.

After retirement, Nick Ruggiero spent time with his wife at the log home he built off of Powell Road in Brooksville.

Jim Adkins has helped to organize a proper send off for his friend and colleague Nick Ruggiero. Representatives from all fire departments in the state of Florida have been invited to formally honor Ruggiero and his service to community, nation and family on August 10th.

The church memorial service will take place at 10 am on Wednesday August 10th at the New Beginnings Life Center Church. Donations can be made to Hospice House. Flowers can be sent to New Beginnings Life Center or to Nick Ruggiero's wife Ethel. Nick Ruggiero's inurnment will follow at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell with military honors.

In remembering Ruggiero's life, we remember an important part of our history here in Hernando County.

New Beginnings Life Center is located at: 3350 Commercial Way, Spring Hill, FL 34606

While some artists hope to infuse their art with some form of historical significance, Craig Quirolo has done that and more. Each of his Chinsegut pieces are literally part of the history of Brooksville and Hernando County as a whole.

Over the past few years, a number of renovations at Chinsegut Hill have been carried out. “I discovered the, ‘wood pile,’ at Chinsegut Hill Manor,” Quirolo says. “Dead, dying, and diseased trees were felled at the Manor when the county took control of the property a few years ago.”

The wood that has been cut down from the Chinsegut property includes red gum, longleaf pine, and camphor trees, each with their own story to tell. According to Quirolo, Chinsegut had such detailed record keeping, that you can find out when many of those felled trees were planted, why they were planted, and who planted them. The red gum trees that were at the property, were planted by Raymond Robins as a windbreak, as the house had been all but destroyed due to wind damage a few years prior. While the red gum is very difficult to work with, Quirolo admits that it’s beautiful at the same time.

“The historical significance of Chinsegut Hill Manor, the Robins family and their contribution to mankind makes the wood kind of sacred to me,” explained Quirolo.
Because much of the wood is so diseased and damaged, Quirolo often incorporates that into his work, by letting those spots influence the shape of the finished product.

“I try to give my pieces of turned wood a sense of movement and expression accenting the organic nature of the wood. I also do abrasive blasting on some of the wood in order to exaggerate or raise the grain, creating a lot of visual movement.”
However, working with these damaged materials is also very time consuming and incredibly difficult, requiring a number of specialized tools and techniques. The wood that he uses has to be soaked in a glycerin resin for several days and then baked in an industrial microwave oven, in order to stop the process of the wood rotting, kill bugs, and make the wood a bit easier to work with. This process can take anywhere between about a week to eight months.

Quirolo explained the piece he created called the Suffragette Bowl, "Elizabeth Robins was a suffragette although she claimed not to be because of her journalistic career. She wrote the first play about the movement Votes for Women... a three act play she later turned into a book The Convert. She purchased the Chinsegut Hill Manor for her brother Raymond in 1905. So in a sense she is responsible for the red gum trees being planted. My idea was to have drips coming out of the natural cracks in the bowl which later I thought might represent sweat for all of the hard work in the Suffragette movement or blood for those women who lost their lives demanding equal rights."

Quirolo added that in a 1980s freeze the red gum trees standing about 100 feet tall all died. They had been aging on the trunk for about 36 years before they were cut down. Quirolo expressed that "natural aged wood, red gum, planted by the Robins," was just an irresistible combination.

In order to take advantage of all of the wood from Chinsegut Hill, and not waste anything, Quirolo has been using pieces that would generally be unsuitable for carving, to create stands that complement his work.

Quirolo hopes to find other artists and collaborate with them in setting up a tent at the Saturday Market in Brooksville on Main Street, and would like to see the Hernando Art Council and Nature Coast Art League set up tents in order to display local artists’ work too.

Quirolo also carves glass, but is primarily focused on working with the Chinsegut wood at this time. To purchase some of Quirolo’s artwork, you can head over to Chinsegut Hill Manor House where he has a few pieces for sale. You can also look forward to an Etsy shop that should be up and running by September. To view Quirolo’s private gallery, you have make an appointment by calling 352-277-3330 as gallery viewing is by appointment only.

Be sure to take a look at his website and online gallery at http://www.studioquirolo.com/ and https://studioquirolo.culturalspot.org/home where you can find a great deal of information about the materials Quirolo uses and Chinsegut Hill. You can also follow Studio Quirolo on Facebook for the latest updates and announcements.

If you’re an artist, art related business, or have an interesting lead for an art-related story, be sure to contact Elizabeth Dentato at edentato1@gmail.com.

This is a continuation of Mr. Bartko’s memories of Masaryktown, FL during the 1940s and 50s, before “the demise of the mom and pop farms.” His parents (Otec and Matka) at one point had about 4000 chickens on their farm.

Before the Wagon Wheel, on Saturday nights, people gathered at Blaha’s store. They sat around tables and talked, drank and ate. I remember a particular poster on the wall. It was Tropical Beer I think, it showed fishermen at a very picturesque place, having caught a turtle and the excitement it generated. There was also a poster for Sunken Gardens. The store sold a small number of grocery items. Mr. Blaha would go to Tampa a certain day of the week to buy special supplies. I remember in particular Matka buying poppy seed and lekvar. The other hub of social activity was the Masaryk Hotel where folks gathered to drink and dance.

Thomas Hafner Jr. built the Wagon Wheel gas station, beer place and small restaurant. That also became a regular Saturday night gathering place. Men would play cards, a Slovak card game call Marijash (I think). Tommy and Ned Hafner, Tom Jr's sons, were boys then. Tommy had a horse which they kept in the back of the Wagon Wheel. The restaurant had wagon wheels serving as light fixtures. Mr. Hafner also erected advertising signs for the Wagon Wheel along the highways at various locations. Tommy Hafner would do the painting and the lettering. They were done in red with white lettering. I tried to help with the lettering once but Mr. Hafner did not like my work. I don’t remember what the signs said but I don’t think that they were along the model of Burma Shave signs. They drove a woodies Ford station wagon with the Wagon Wheel logo-sign painted on the sides. Woodies are real collector items now. Elaine Tokos came to Masaryktown in 1948 and Ivan Placko came down in the early 50s. Ivan was two grades behind me and Elaine one grade ahead.

Some summers I worked in the watermelon fields. Someone would select and cut the melons from the vine, we would have to carry them to the truck roads, which were cut into the fields at various intervals and then when the truck came by “toss” them up to someone in the truck for packing. It was hot, dirty work. Bobby Durko also worked in the watermelon fields. He was in my high school class and part of our Beseda group. I particularly remember that we worked in Harrington's watermelon field putting paper plates on the vines to shield them from the sun during a very dry spell. Bobby and I also assembled chicken cages when people began moving to caged birds rather than open ranges. We did this for Lou Chorvat.

In the evening someone would ring the Catholic church bell. The church was near the Cimbora (Masaryk) Hotel but across HWY 41 about 100 yards away. It was a pretty brick building.

There were funerals of course. We had a pendulum clock on the farm which came from an estate sale of a WWI veteran who was buried in his Czechoslovakian army uniform. He was the first dead person I ever saw. I have the clock. There was a suicide in Masaryktown, a man hanged himself. This was the little house across from Blaha's store. The name may have been Ric?

There were many weddings in Masaryktown. The celebrations (after the respective church services) were held in the community hall. There was always lots and lots of wonderful food and pastries. There were no invitations, people just came. Of course there was lots of dancing too, especially the Polka.

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This is a continuation of Mr. Bartko’s memories of Masaryktown, FL during the 1940s and 50s, before “the demise of the mom and pop farms.” We last published his memoirs of chicken farming in our May 6, 2016 issue. His parents (Otec and Matka) at one point had about 4000 chickens on their farm.

There were many weddings in Masaryktown. The celebrations (after the respective church services) were held in the community hall. There was always lots and lots of wonderful food and pastries. There were no invitations, people just came. Of course there was lots of dancing too, especially the Polka.

We spoke Slovak, had Slovak dances, performed the Beseda, a four-couple folk dance where the girls wore krojs and the guys homemade shirts sewn by our Moms as well as white pants. I don’t remember when we first started learning the Beseda but we danced for a number of years at the Community Hall on the October celebration day. We once appeared on a St. Petersburg television station when TV was very young and early for Masaryktown. Town people went to Blaha's or the Hotel to watch us because those were the only tvs in town. We were sponsored by ‘Friends Beans’ which we thought was funny. The biggest Beseda event was traveling to White Springs, staying in a big wooden hotel for several nights and performing at the statewide folk festival. I think we went twice.

It was Mrs. Lykes of the prominent shipping family that financed us leasing a Greyhound bus. She rode along with us. We also sang in Slovak at these events, My partner was always Janice Mazourek, Elaine Tokos danced with Bobby Durko, Ivan Placko danced with Mildred Seles and Lee Kasan danced with Sidney Sirucka. Jerry Psenka accompanied us with his accordian. We also had our Beseda photos in newspapers several times and at least one magazine, a Girl Scout magazine.

Mr. Buchtan and Mr. Stanik helped work on our windmill for greasing, repair and maintenance.

Otec gave me haircuts. He exchanged hair cutting with Mr. Stanik and Mr. Prachar. Otec cut mine for years and also did my shoe cobbling which I also learned to do. Sometimes Elaine cut Matka's hair.

The only air conditioning I can remember was a window unit that we got in the late 50's perhaps. Going to Tampa to the stores or the Brooksville movie was a double treat for the air conditioning. Publix was at one time, the only air conditioned store in Brooksville. Ceiling fans served to move air around in other shops. In the late 40s and early 50s I would go to the Saturday afternoon movies with Ronnie Kerna. We would stand at the Prachar’s driveway and look for a ride to Brooksville with usually someone we knew. I don’t remember how we got home.

It was a lot of fun to travel with Matka to downtown Tampa for shopping. There were vibrant downtown department stores, such as Mass Brothers. I remember, I think it was a Penny’s store that there were no cash registers for each clerk but they put a bill and money into a small sealed tube, put that into a pneumatic tube and it would travel up to a group that only handled money. Change would come back to the customer the same way. Often when Matka went shopping I would go to the movies. There were some wonderful movie houses in Tampa then.

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The following is an obituary published on the front page of the Brooksville Star, July 11, 1913

Captain James F. Tucker passed away Wednesday afternoon at 5:30 o'clock at his home in Espiritu Springs in his 73rd year. This comes as a great shock to his hosts of friends in Hernando County and throughout the State.

The deceased was born in Miami but moved to Florida with his parents Capt. and Mrs. James Tucker in early childhood. They settled at Fernandina and he lived there until early manhood when he enlisted at the beginning of the Civil War with the Florida troops and served throughout the entire four years of struggle. For his valiant services, he was made Captain under Gen. Finnegan.

In the year 1864, he was married to Miss Virginia Bailey, daughter of General William Bailey of Monticello. They settled in Jefferson County, but in 1882, they removed to Hernando County where they owned valuable property in the Annuttalaga Hammock and he became interested in the culture of citrus fruits. In 1905, he with his wife and daughters, moved to Espiritu Santo Springs, being the owner of these famous Springs. He devoted much time and means to the development of these valuable holdings. Since that time, both Brooksville and Espiritu Santo Spings have been claimed as their home, as their has been divided between these two places.

The deceased has held for twenty years, a most responsible position with the Labor Department of the United States Government, but on account of ill health, was granted an indefinate leave of absence until his health should permit the resumption of his duties. Though having been in feeble health for over a year, his condition was not though to be alarming until Tuesday when his children were called to his bedside, all of who to suffer with him at the at the time of his death.

The deceased was a member of the Episcopal Church and was a gentleman possessing those rare traits of character which radiate kindness, sympathy, .love and loyalty to his fellow man. ... but his is a deeply personal loss to those who were so fortunate as to feel the influence of his noble life.

Left surviving him are his widow, a son, W.P. Tucker, of this place, and five daughters, Mrs. E.S. Mackenzie, of Leesburg, Mrs. O.M. Goodrich, Misses Virginia, Rosalie, and Susie Tucker, all of Espiritu Springs, and grand children, Mr. James Mackenzie, of Birmingham, Ala., Misses Sara, Virginia, Christine, Julia, and Master Ed Mackenzie. Four sisters also survive him; Mrs. Talmadge, Jersey Island, off the coast of England, Mrs. Livingston, of Fernandina, Mrs. M.M. Clay, Miss Annie Tucker, and Mrs. John Rhodes, all of Tampa.

The sympathy of the whole community goes out to the bereaved family in this their great sorrow.

Editor's Note: Espiritu Santo Springs is said to be named by Hernando De Soto in 1539 and is now a historic landmark in Safety Harbor, FL. A popular resort was established at the spot in 1925. Espiritu Santo means "of the Holy Spirit." Tucker's father, also Capt. James Felix Tucker (d. 1880), was a steamship captain. The steamship Madison captained by a James Felix Tucker during the Civil War can be found at the bottom of Troy Springs in Branford, FL off of US 27. The steamship was scuttled to prevent it from falling into Union possession.