George Washington Coon Littell and his wife Amanda came to Hudson from Missouri in 1886. George Littell was born in Illinois and served in the third Illinois Cavalry during the Civil War. They came to Florida hoping the climate would improve the health of their son Weaver. Weaver sadly passed away that same year. The family settled in Aripeka in 1891. He served as Argo postmaster and teacher at the Argo school. The couple had 13 children and lived to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary in 1932.

John's Hopkins University corresponded with the couple as part of a longevity study. According to their great great granddaughter Denise Foote, they attributed their long life to mullet and whiskey. Her mother Hilma Tracey added in that hard work and having many children also contributed to their long years. Amanda passed away in 1932 and George in 1935 at the age of 95.

The ninth child of George and Amanda Littell was Corwin Pearl Littell who was a member of the Florida legislature from 1909 to 1912. Denise Foote who is a great granddaughter explained that he got his votes the old fashioned way "by boat and by foot." He was involved in the formation of Pinellas county which was split from Hillsborough in 1911. He and his wife Hilma Sue Nelson had six sons and five daughters. From there the family expanded to 26 grandchildren and 42 great grandchildren. Corwin Pearl owned and operated Littell Sons Mercantile Store near Hudson Spring. During the political season, Hilma Sue's father William helped run the mercantile store. William Nelson came to Hudson from South Carolina around 1905, after the death of his wife. Around 1920 the couple built a home off of Old Dixie Highway, north of Hudson and began farming. Ten years later the family moved into Aripeka where Corwin Pearl worked as a local bus driver, to be closer to Corwin Pearl's parents. He also operated a fish house that supplied the area with fresh fish, mostly mullet.

A sign at the fish camp in front of "The Babe Ruth Cabin" told of Babe Ruth playing poker with Jack Dempsey and Dutch Lynch. While another sign listed the famous men that visited Aripeka and asks, "All the above became well known after being here. Who among you will be next?" The signs are no longer there as they are believed to have been lost in the 1993 No Name Storm.

Corwin and Hilma's son Bartow was the young fishing guide befriended by Babe Ruth. He explained in a 1983 interview that Babe Ruth started coming to Aripeka through Dutch and Josie Lynch who had owned a tavern in the Bronx frequented by Ruth and other Yankees. Dutch and Josie Lynch moved down to Arieka to operate the Osowaw Inn. When Babe Ruth was down for Spring training, Lynch invited Babe Ruth to come fishing. Lynch had earned a reputation for being an excellent saltwater trout fisherman.

The first weekend he came up, he caught 50 bass on Hunter's Lake. So the next weekend he brought with him some of the other players. They needed an extra guide, so they called on Bartow. Bartow went out with the Babe and he didn't want anyone else as a guide from then on.

Bartow explained that Babe Ruth never wanted to talk about baseball, but when he would occasionally ask about a particular player he'd always say that they were pretty good and wouldn't make any critical comments.

Bartow had many fond memories of his friend Babe Ruth. He recalled him cursing in yiddish profusely when some of his teammates teased him. He also recalled Babe Ruth asking him to go catch several small alligators for him, which Bartow did. Apparently Babe Ruth got back at those teammates by hiding the gators in their bunks on the train back to north.

One of his more poignant memories is when he and his friend Billy Connor had come upon some empty whiskey bottles on the porch of the hotel in Aripeka. He decided it wouldn't be a big deal to just take a swig of the last drop in one of the bottles. Well, Babe didn't agree with that. He pulled him up by the hair and threatened to pull every hair out of his head if he ever put a bottle to his lips again. When Bartow asked, "Well you do it don't ya?" Babe Ruth responded that Bartow was just a kid and had his whole life ahead of him, while what he had done in his life was already over with.

Bartow's niece (Hilma Tracey, Denise Foote's mother) stated that as a young adult, Bartow went on to play Polo in Argentina. He then attended the University of Florida and became a civil engineer. He married a schoolteacher and they bought the big "family home" in Aripeka. The "family home" she was referring to is the house built by George Washington Coon and Amanda Littell.

Hilma Tracey, 86, remembers staying in that house one winter with her mother. She remembers it being very cold. She explained that the only time you got warm was when you stood right in front of the fireplace or potbelly stove. They had chickens and plenty of fish to eat.

That winter Hilma went to school in Aripeka just past Norfleet's Store, in a little one room schoolhouse. She was the only one in first grade. Grades 1-6 were taught in the schoolhouse. There was one teacher and a few kids in each grade.

They used to go up to the creek, where the water was fresh, in a rowboat to do laundry and collect drinking water once a week. Her mother would bring big bails to collect the fresh water and a scrub board to wash the clothes.

When Hilma's family was not in Aripeka, she lived with her parents in Tarpon Springs, where her father built sponge diving boats. Her father first began sponge diving in Hudson, but sponges were more plentiful in Tarpon Springs so they moved there.
When she went to visit her grandparents in Aripeka (Corwin and Hilma) , Hilma would catch a ride with the postman Mr. Mitchell. "He was the happiest jolliest fellow, I don't know how he put up with us, but he did," said Hilma. They would stop in New Port Richey to deliver mail and pick up her cousins, then head up to Aripeka. "We had a bag lunch and ate along the way. We had such a good time." Her grandmother would meet them at the post office.

Her grandmother would take in northern houseguests in the winter and Hilma recalls the square dances every evening. In those days, Hilma explained that fishing wasn't the entertainment, "it was a way to get food."

Hilma's cousin Bill Smith lived in Aripeka with his wife Myrtle. A cousin of Myrtle was Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind. She used to visit Bill and Myrtle from Atlanta. She recalls her sitting on the porch, reading and writing.
"Back in those days no one thought anything of it," explained Hilma.

Hilma recalled the summers she spent in Aripeka with great fondness. "In the summertime we'd pile up in the car and go to Aripeka. It was the greatest time in the whole world." Hilma loved to stay in the cabin they built over the water near the first bridge. She explained that her favorite thing was to look through the cracks in the floor and see the water underneath the cabin. They would tell jokes and laugh and have a great time. "I thought we were rich," she said. A lot of other people didn't have a place to go to in the summertime near the water, she explained.

Still today the connection between Brooksville and Aripeka remains deep, explained Denise Foote. Denise stated that the Brooksville - Hudson Railroad opened May 26, 1904. The train made two stops before heading to Brooksville: the Hudson Telegraph office and Corwin Pearl Littell's Fish House where they would fill barrels with mullet to furnish fresh fish for the nearby communities. Although the railroad no longer runs, after 111 years the Littell family remains connected by means of a little hair salon Denise Foote owns called Capt D's Haircuts Express.

At Denise's salon in Brooksville, the memories of Aripeka are kept alive through her customers. One of her customers, Roberta King, age 96, of the Ayers family tells of the early days when they had the barn dances in downtown Brooksville. The Littell boys would come from Aripeka. She smiled and said, "They sure were handsome and caught the eye of the ladies." In those days folks would come from surrounding areas and it was the gathering place for music and dancing. Another customer is her cousin Dorothy Fitzgerald Smith who resides in Brooksville. She is the granddaughter of Aaron Littell, Corwin Pearl Littell's brother. Dorothy was one of Weeki Wachee's first mermaids (1947).

At the salon, Denise has a counter set aside for historical books and photos about Hudson and Aripeka. And if you stop by for a haircut, she'd be glad to give you a history lesson as well.

"I love Brooksville," says Denise Foote, "but I really love Aripeka. It's such a small fishing village with a lot of history and stories to share.

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Denise Foote can be reached at Capt. D's Haircut Express at (352) 754-2400

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.

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.

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

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.

Don't be shy!
Do you have memories in
Hernando County to share?
Send your memories to editor@hernandosun.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.” 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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Send your memories to editor@hernandosun.com

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.

George Washington Coon Littell and his wife Amanda came to Hudson from Missouri in 1886. George Littell was born in Illinois and served in the third Illinois Cavalry during the Civil War. They came to Florida hoping the climate would improve the health of their son Weaver. Weaver sadly passed away that same year. The family settled in Aripeka in 1891. He served as Argo postmaster and teacher at the Argo school. The couple had 13 children and lived to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary in 1932.

John's Hopkins University corresponded with the couple as part of a longevity study. According to their great great granddaughter Denise Foote, they attributed their long life to mullet and whiskey. Her mother Hilma Tracey added in that hard work and having many children also contributed to their long years. Amanda passed away in 1932 and George in 1935 at the age of 95.

The ninth child of George and Amanda Littell was Corwin Pearl Littell who was a member of the Florida legislature from 1909 to 1912. Denise Foote who is a great granddaughter explained that he got his votes the old fashioned way "by boat and by foot." He was involved in the formation of Pinellas county which was split from Hillsborough in 1911. He and his wife Hilma Sue Nelson had six sons and five daughters. From there the family expanded to 26 grandchildren and 42 great grandchildren. Corwin Pearl owned and operated Littell Sons Mercantile Store near Hudson Spring. During the political season, Hilma Sue's father William helped run the mercantile store. William Nelson came to Hudson from South Carolina around 1905, after the death of his wife. Around 1920 the couple built a home off of Old Dixie Highway, north of Hudson and began farming. Ten years later the family moved into Aripeka where Corwin Pearl worked as a local bus driver, to be closer to Corwin Pearl's parents. He also operated a fish house that supplied the area with fresh fish, mostly mullet.

A sign at the fish camp in front of "The Babe Ruth Cabin" told of Babe Ruth playing poker with Jack Dempsey and Dutch Lynch. While another sign listed the famous men that visited Aripeka and asks, "All the above became well known after being here. Who among you will be next?" The signs are no longer there as they are believed to have been lost in the 1993 No Name Storm.

Corwin and Hilma's son Bartow was the young fishing guide befriended by Babe Ruth. He explained in a 1983 interview that Babe Ruth started coming to Aripeka through Dutch and Josie Lynch who had owned a tavern in the Bronx frequented by Ruth and other Yankees. Dutch and Josie Lynch moved down to Arieka to operate the Osowaw Inn. When Babe Ruth was down for Spring training, Lynch invited Babe Ruth to come fishing. Lynch had earned a reputation for being an excellent saltwater trout fisherman.

The first weekend he came up, he caught 50 bass on Hunter's Lake. So the next weekend he brought with him some of the other players. They needed an extra guide, so they called on Bartow. Bartow went out with the Babe and he didn't want anyone else as a guide from then on.

Bartow explained that Babe Ruth never wanted to talk about baseball, but when he would occasionally ask about a particular player he'd always say that they were pretty good and wouldn't make any critical comments.

Bartow had many fond memories of his friend Babe Ruth. He recalled him cursing in yiddish profusely when some of his teammates teased him. He also recalled Babe Ruth asking him to go catch several small alligators for him, which Bartow did. Apparently Babe Ruth got back at those teammates by hiding the gators in their bunks on the train back to north.

One of his more poignant memories is when he and his friend Billy Connor had come upon some empty whiskey bottles on the porch of the hotel in Aripeka. He decided it wouldn't be a big deal to just take a swig of the last drop in one of the bottles. Well, Babe didn't agree with that. He pulled him up by the hair and threatened to pull every hair out of his head if he ever put a bottle to his lips again. When Bartow asked, "Well you do it don't ya?" Babe Ruth responded that Bartow was just a kid and had his whole life ahead of him, while what he had done in his life was already over with.

Bartow's niece (Hilma Tracey, Denise Foote's mother) stated that as a young adult, Bartow went on to play Polo in Argentina. He then attended the University of Florida and became a civil engineer. He married a schoolteacher and they bought the big "family home" in Aripeka. The "family home" she was referring to is the house built by George Washington Coon and Amanda Littell.

Hilma Tracey, 86, remembers staying in that house one winter with her mother. She remembers it being very cold. She explained that the only time you got warm was when you stood right in front of the fireplace or potbelly stove. They had chickens and plenty of fish to eat.

That winter Hilma went to school in Aripeka just past Norfleet's Store, in a little one room schoolhouse. She was the only one in first grade. Grades 1-6 were taught in the schoolhouse. There was one teacher and a few kids in each grade.

They used to go up to the creek, where the water was fresh, in a rowboat to do laundry and collect drinking water once a week. Her mother would bring big bails to collect the fresh water and a scrub board to wash the clothes.

When Hilma's family was not in Aripeka, she lived with her parents in Tarpon Springs, where her father built sponge diving boats. Her father first began sponge diving in Hudson, but sponges were more plentiful in Tarpon Springs so they moved there.
When she went to visit her grandparents in Aripeka (Corwin and Hilma) , Hilma would catch a ride with the postman Mr. Mitchell. "He was the happiest jolliest fellow, I don't know how he put up with us, but he did," said Hilma. They would stop in New Port Richey to deliver mail and pick up her cousins, then head up to Aripeka. "We had a bag lunch and ate along the way. We had such a good time." Her grandmother would meet them at the post office.

Her grandmother would take in northern houseguests in the winter and Hilma recalls the square dances every evening. In those days, Hilma explained that fishing wasn't the entertainment, "it was a way to get food."

Hilma's cousin Bill Smith lived in Aripeka with his wife Myrtle. A cousin of Myrtle was Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind. She used to visit Bill and Myrtle from Atlanta. She recalls her sitting on the porch, reading and writing.
"Back in those days no one thought anything of it," explained Hilma.

Hilma recalled the summers she spent in Aripeka with great fondness. "In the summertime we'd pile up in the car and go to Aripeka. It was the greatest time in the whole world." Hilma loved to stay in the cabin they built over the water near the first bridge. She explained that her favorite thing was to look through the cracks in the floor and see the water underneath the cabin. They would tell jokes and laugh and have a great time. "I thought we were rich," she said. A lot of other people didn't have a place to go to in the summertime near the water, she explained.

Still today the connection between Brooksville and Aripeka remains deep, explained Denise Foote. Denise stated that the Brooksville - Hudson Railroad opened May 26, 1904. The train made two stops before heading to Brooksville: the Hudson Telegraph office and Corwin Pearl Littell's Fish House where they would fill barrels with mullet to furnish fresh fish for the nearby communities. Although the railroad no longer runs, after 111 years the Littell family remains connected by means of a little hair salon Denise Foote owns called Capt D's Haircuts Express.

At Denise's salon in Brooksville, the memories of Aripeka are kept alive through her customers. One of her customers, Roberta King, age 96, of the Ayers family tells of the early days when they had the barn dances in downtown Brooksville. The Littell boys would come from Aripeka. She smiled and said, "They sure were handsome and caught the eye of the ladies." In those days folks would come from surrounding areas and it was the gathering place for music and dancing. Another customer is her cousin Dorothy Fitzgerald Smith who resides in Brooksville. She is the granddaughter of Aaron Littell, Corwin Pearl Littell's brother. Dorothy was one of Weeki Wachee's first mermaids (1947).

At the salon, Denise has a counter set aside for historical books and photos about Hudson and Aripeka. And if you stop by for a haircut, she'd be glad to give you a history lesson as well.

"I love Brooksville," says Denise Foote, "but I really love Aripeka. It's such a small fishing village with a lot of history and stories to share.

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Denise Foote can be reached at Capt. D's Haircut Express at (352) 754-2400

Issue of Thurs. January 14, 1926

A community of 60 families all of which have been assembled since last February is the record set by Harry Nobles, developer of Nobleton, it was announced this week.

Since Mr. Nobles began work last February on his project, which is ten miles northeast of Brooksvillle on the Withlacoochee River, more than ninety houses have been erected, streets have been graded, a water system installed and electricity will be available within the next few days. There are also a grocery store, hardware store and lumber yard at the town all of which are now open for business.

Mr. Nobles stated that his purpose in developing in Nobleton was first to build houses and have residences available for occupancy at all times.

"I am reversing the usual proceedings in the building of a new community," Mr. Nobles said. "Houses are the first and principal issue with me. I want to have places for people to live. There are too many subdivisions in Florida with excellent streets and sidewalks but no residents. They would have people in them if more attention had been devoted to building houses and less to landscape gardening."

"At Nobleton I may not make as big a profit as some of the other developers would, but I shall have a substantial community. I am keeping prices reasonable for I believe we can get more permanent residents for Florida by giving them lower prices and better values."

Mr. Nobles said he conceived the plan for his development after visiting numerous tourist camps throughout the state. He said he found that there he found thousands of substantial people who did not feel they were justified in paying high rentals in the larger cities and at the same time felt that they could not afford to place $8000 or $10,000 in a home.

"The class that comes down to enjoy the outdoors, just the same as northern vacationists do in summer are the ones for whom I am working," Mr. Nobles declared. "They want to play and hunt and fish. They are not interested in society but… (illegible)"

Roque and tennis courts are being built for the use of residents while row boats and a motor boat are available now for the use of anglers at Nobleton.

Mr. Nobles said that before spring there will be 120 families more either living at Nobleton or planning to make their residences there next season. Ground was staked last week for six more houses and plans are under way whereby the building program of last winter calling for 15 houses a month will be continued through the present season.

A force of carpenters, electricians and masons are employed continuously at Nobleton. A plant has been installed for manufacturing brick, while the lumber yards are equipped for turning out complete patterns for houses.

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Editor's note: Nobleton is a small community that lies on the Withlacoochee River in Northeastern Hernando County.

One of the more interesting characters we have run across is Al Zaebst. He was brought to our attention when we found photos of him capturing an alligator in the Weeki Wachee River. His method was to stand up in the canoe and launch himself on to the back of the alligator (all while wearing loafers). I am sure it was quite a surprise for the alligator because once it reaches a decent size there is nothing in the river that would want to tangle with it.

In the late 1940s, Mr. Zaebst was capturing animals to place along the river in fenced habitats for his Aquatic Zoo at the Weeki Wachee park. He would take visitors on boat trips down the river from the springs where they could view the wildlife. He had captured a number of local wildlife including alligators and black bears along with exotic animals he had brought back from Africa. He would take trips to Africa and fund them by capturing animals and selling them to zoos and circuses.

He loved animals and was constantly around them. He had a pet baboon named Fanny that was often his companion. It was said that he was as comfortable around animals as he was around people.

His river safari attraction came to rival the mermaids in popularity. This led to a falling out with the owners of the park and Al Zaebst losing his Aquatic Zoo.

If you go to the Weeki Wachee Springs Park you can take a boat ride down river. Imagine how it looked with animals lining the banks in the days of Al Zaebst.

photography: floridamemory.com

Bimini's Isle is an island on the coast of Hernando County and has the perfect name. Named for one of the owners, Margaret Robins' nickname was Bimini and Bimini's Isle was actually made of two islands connected by a causeway. The word Bimini means "two islands" in Lucayan.

Raymond Robins and Margaret Dreier Robins main residence was a mansion on Chinsegut Hill, but when guests wanted to fish, go to the beach, or view the shore birds they headed to Bimini's Isle. Many leaders of business, science, and politics stayed with the Robins including Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, James Cash (J.C.), and the Russian Ambassador Alexander Troyanovsky. Their house was a popular stopping place for influential people on their visits to Florida.

The Evening Independent reported on Mary Dreier (Margaret's sister) and her companion Frances Kellor staying at Bimini while visiting the Robins. It is said that in ten days time Miss Kellor caught 147 fish, mainly redfish.

The fish was not the main attraction of Bimini's Isle. The Robins had dykes built to create a freshwater reservoir on the island to attract shorebirds. The dykes also became a popular nesting spot for birds.

This wide variety of birds at Bimini's Isle led to it being selected for the first meeting of the Hernando Audubon Society, a chapter of the Florida Audubon Society in June 1940. According to the June 28, 1940 edition of the Evening Independent which recorded the first meeting, "The island has been a bird sanctuary for years giving refuge to herons, seagulls, sandpipers and other shore birds, as well as mockingbirds, bluebirds, king fishers, thrashers, flycatchers, and woodpeckers. At feeding time flocks of 50 or more red-winged blackbirds descend onto the tables provided with grain."

Some of the prominent founding members of the Hernando Audubon Society were Chairman Miss Lisa Von Borowsky (personal secretary of the Robins), Secretary-Treasurer John J. Bell, Mrs. Jimmie Jennings, and Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Beville.

The Evening Independent on September 25, 1940 recounts another meeting of the Hernando Audubon Society at Bimini's Isle. The wildlife conservationist reported seeing a bald-eagle, marsh hens, a red winged blackbird, and many other birds.

Bimini's Isle is evidence of Hernando County's long history of conservation. At present around a third of the lands in the county are off the tax rolls with a majority of that being conservation lands.

Frasier Mountain was a great American. Frasier's close friend Steve Cason described him as a "teacher, mentor, historian, father, husband and bomber pilot." Frasier played many roles and he did all of them well.

His family took first billing. Frasier Mountain spoke often about the successful career of his daughter Diane who works in education as well as his granddaughter Ashley who followed in her mother's footsteps. If you ever took a walk with Frasier in Tom Varn Park, he may have pointed out the spot where he would sit with his young granddaughter in the afternoon and talk about how the day had gone.

Family photos line the walls of his office as well as medals that he earned and those of his son Duane who passed away in 2009. He spoke proudly of Duane and his many achievements over a long career in the Air Force where he spent 26 years in Special Operations earning 30,000 hours of flight time. He would talk about his wife Nancy who also recently passed away and how they had been happily married for 67 years. Despite these losses that so clearly tore at his heart, he continued to pursue his passion.

Frasier was a lover of knowledge, so much so that he collected and categorized it on an elaborate computer system. A large flat screen hooked up to his computers took a prominent place in his office. This he used to display the historical information that he had collected over the years, from mining, electricity, ghost towns, old newspapers and cemeteries throughout Hernando County. He accumulated over a terabyte of information. Frasier kept regular meetings with like minded individuals to talk about history and genealogy.

When a genealogy colleague had suffered a stroke and had to move up north to be closer to family, she left behind her genealogy library that consisted of perhaps 200 books. Frasier worried about his dear friend's lifelong collection and saw to its preservation when the movers were about to throw the entire library in the trash. Frasier took the records home and began the tedious task of organizing them. Frasier also helped a friend acquire her father's military service records. His goal was the preservation of history and he was not shy about voicing his opinions when history was in jeopardy of being lost.

I had the fortunate opportunity to get to know Frasier. I was referred to him by Suzanne at the Train Depot Museum in Brooksville in order to get additional information about a piece of property in the vicinity of the Centralia ghost town. She did warn me that Frasier enjoyed talking, but that was okay because I enjoy listening. And so I listened to Frasier on many occasions. He provided information on Centralia, the neighboring communities and so much more.

In November of 2014, The Hernando Today ceased operations. My husband Rocco and I felt that our community would ultimately become a suburb of Tampa if there was no local newspaper. This would be a tragedy, as Hernando County is such a unique place and deserves a newspaper that captures the county's unique identity. I discussed the idea of starting a newspaper with Frasier one day in his study. His mind immediately lit up.

Frasier lamented the state of the newspaper industry in the county and the country in general. He recalled the days when his friends Jim and Carolyn Talley operated the Brooksville Sun Journal which printed over 17 local newspapers throughout the region.

He wrote to me about beginning a community newspaper,

"It is a great idea to me for a new venture, but the economics I think would be difficult, but the community deserves something besides these little flyers and books which are nothing more than superlative ad chasers. They offer no news or local gossip or happenings. Of course, in today's society we do not communicate or gossip in the same manner we used to, the internet and TV has done away with the family chatter, the neighborhood climate and the community spirit, all of which I deem to be very important for the well being, mannerly, honest, organized community spirit.....and the newspaper has always been at the heart of all that........from the personal delivery boy (where I started) to the editorial leadership where we should be headed with down to earth comments of what is going on from the mouths of those in charge and the wannabees...Everybody needs a voice! At this time we have none of the above....even the big time newspapers with their satellite editions do not fill that void left by the old Brooksville Sun-Journal of years ago."

With Frasier's enthusiasm and support, Rocco and I ventured into the newspaper business, not fully aware of the difficulties to come. Anytime we approached a roadblock, Frasier was there with an encouraging word. And of course he was there with his vast historical resources.

Frasier, born in 1923, did not merely preserve and collect history. He experienced it.

The Mountain family originally came to Hernando County in the 1880's, crossing the Withlacoochee River at Pemberton Ferry. The family had a contact in Oriole and they were going to work there. Oriole was a small town situated beside Oriole Lake a little over a mile from the Withlacoochee River. Frasier's father was born in Oriole in 1891. His siblings were all born in either Georgia or Alabama. Frasier's father had at one point worked at the Spector Store in Oriole.






Frasier's father became Superintendent of the Camp Castle mine in the 1920's. Frasier grew up there. He was passionate about the importance of mining to the county's economy and was a walking encyclopedia about the industry. He explained how his father took on the project of reinforcing the originally wooden "castle" which functioned as the hard rock processing plant with poured cement. The remains of the castle still stand on the property.

Frasier attended Hernando High School, graduating in 1940. In that year, an editorial he wrote was published in The Hilltop, the school newspaper. The editorial aptly captured the climate of a country about to enter WWII. He warned his classmates to be prepared for the struggle ahead.

So Goes The Battle

AN EDITORIAL
Published in the Hernando High School Hill Top, May 1940

We have been told many times that we are going out of school as a charging army to meet a belligerent world. Our battlefield is the world in general. Many of our valiant soldiers will be donned with medal of honor and accomplishment, while others will be among those crushed even when the smoke of battle is cleared. The latter of these were defeated because they were unprepared. In the training camp they attended, they paid little heed to the fact that they were training for preparedness when at last the battle should come.

This scene exemplifies clearly the status of the present Senior Class of Hernando High School and every other high school. Many of the people in this Senior Class will take advantage of the training which we are so fortunate to have in this country. These are the ones which will later gather the medals of honor and accomplishment, while on the other hand those that were pessimists, or the "I don't care" type will be downtrodden groups whose deeds and accomplishments never amount to very much.

So, Seniors, which Corps will you serve in- the officers or the doughboys? Remember it makes little difference who you are- it's what you are.

-By Frasier Mountain

Frasier was prepared for the struggle. Three years later, he graduated from the Army Air Corp and flight training, which put him into the cockpit of B-26 bombers. He trained in various places around the country, including Syracuse, NY where he met his wife Nancy who was studying at Syracuse University.

Frasier's unit was trained by the Flying Tigers, who famously rallied America's spirits with a series of victories over Japan following Pearl Harbor. The Flying Tigers flew the iconic P-40's emblazoned with a shark's toothy grimace.

After the training, Frasier earned 800 hours of combat flight time during campaigns in India, Burma and China. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross twice among four Air Medals and three Battle Stars.

Following the War, Frasier and Nancy moved back to Brooksville and started a heating and air conditioning company. During that time Frasier served five years active duty in the Air Force and then 35 years of reserve duty.

Frasier, a major in the Air Force at the time, played an integral role in developing the Brooksville Airport, serving as Treasurer of the first Aviation Authority.

He was actively involved in the community in so many ways, from the development of Brooksville's One Room Schoolhouse to Chinsegut Hill projects and the refurbishment of the Hernando Co. Mining Assoc. Enrichment Center, formerly the Brooksville Quarry processing plant.

Many of us knew Frasier and will miss him dearly.

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Frasier Mountain's Memorial will be held at Saxon Manor 103 South Saxon Avenue, Brooksville, Florida 34601 Thursday Oct. 13th from 5 to 7pm.

I will miss Frasier. He was a great friend. In many ways, I regarded Frasier as a surrogate father. He seemed to be always there when I needed to share thoughts and ideas, or if I was in a quandary about handling certain situations.

I mostly will miss our field trips as we called them. Frasier’s idea of sharing local history was to show you where history happened. When we arrived at one of those sites, he would spill his memories. He then vividly described who did what or who influenced whom, and what that event did to spur other events. His stories were rich and first-hand narratives. When you heard him, you felt that you were there when whatever it was happened. I especially remembered sitting in Tom
Varn Park eating a picnic lunch on one of those field trips. We always stopped and bought a sandwich to split, and as we munched, Frasier explained how a quarry mine worked, and then after lunch we visited a local out-of-way cemetery, and he would provide descriptive biographies of the folks he once knew. On another field trip we took a driving tour of Croom Road. There was so much information and history there, we had to do that trip twice. Each time Fraiser focused on different aspects of the rich history found on or near that Road.

His photo collection was a vast source for all in our community. Fraiser loved to share his photos of the people and places in and around Brooksville and Hernando County with everyone who was interested. What made that collection so amazing was he could share the history and significance of each photo. Frasier knew Brooksville and Hernando County. He was a first-hand expert of the people and events of this area. He lived and experienced life right here from the late 1920s, through the Great Depression, during mid-twentieth century to our most recent events. He witnessed when the City of Brooksville flourished. He was a proponent of its restoration as the “Center” of Hernando County as a cultural place to share its past and to promote new ideas. Fraser Mountain was “living history.” He both experienced it, and was extremely generous in sharing those experiences.

I will miss Frasier, and I know many others in Brooksville and Hernando County will also miss him. He was a mentor and friend to many folks here. If there was a problem that he thought he could help solve, he jumped right in and advocated for you or promoted whatever you did that he supported.

Fraiser was known throughout the area as the local history expert. He was a friend to just about all of the historical and genealogy groups in the County. Frasier Mountain loved history. He loved to talk about history, to share his memories with others about our local history, and he loved to take people on his “field trips.”

I will really miss Frasier, as my mentor, as my local historical resource, and especially as my wonderful friend.

- Virginia Benson

Frasier Mountain "Our Papa" was a man of integrity who possessed old fashioned down to earth values. He was a family man and was very proud of his daughter and granddaughter for their accomplishments. History was his passion and especially the history of of Brooksville area. He was especially pleased to receive the 'Father of Brooksville ' award from the city! Frasier was a great teacher as he shared his knowledge of history with so many. He will be sorely missed by all at the one from school but especially by me.

- Gretchen Countryman, Director of the Countryman One Room schoolhouse.

Growing up, I didnt realize the importance of appreciating and knowing my family's history. As I got older, I began to realize the importance of it, and I soon began to research it. I began to try and put the pieces of the puzzle together. Through the many hours at the library, courthouse, and walking downtown and talking to different people, I was soon and often told about a man by the name of Frasier Mountain.

My grandparents are no longer here on Earth, so I dont have many living resources to talk to about the knowledge of the old brooksville. As I would soon learn, Mr. Mountain would be the man to talk to if you wanted to know anything about Hernando county. I kept telling myself that one day, I wanted to meet Mr. Mountain. I came across a DVD at the library that they made with the help of Mr. Mountain. As I watched it, I thought that that was going to be as close as I was gonna get to meeting him. But I was wrong.

As a 7th generation "Brooksvilllian", I am extremely proud of where my family and I have come from. So when I heard about the Hernando County Preservation Society, I decided to join them. Unbeknownst to me at a meeting one night, I had no idea who was about to walk through the door as we were waiting for the meeting to begin. I saw someone, and had to take a double look....I couldnt believe my eyes....after almost 10 years of wishing I could meet the man who was the center of so much history and information, that there he was just a few seats away from me...it was Mr. Mountain. I gasped with excitement....I couldnt believe that my wish had came true.

My mom happened to come with me to the meeting that night. And at the end of it, as everyone was saying their goodbyes, and conversating, she snuck away....I had no idea where she was going, and didn't pay any mind to it. A few minutes later, she called me to come over to where she was, and after I meandered my way through the group of people, I couldnt believe my eyes as to who was just a few feet in front of my face....it was the person who I had always looked so foward to meeting. My mother said to me "Nichole, I'd like you to meet Frasier Mountain." I felt like I was the happiest girl in the room. As I shook his hand, and said hello, I felt as though I was meeting a celebrity. We talked about numerous things within our conversation we had that night...about his life growing up, his job as a pilot, his children. I soon discovered that his family once owned property within walking distance of where I live, and that he was friends with my Uncle Henry Jackson. He welcomed me to come and look through his pages and pages of pictures and information about brooksville and such. When he told me that, I felt like I had just won the brooksville heritage and history lottery! For the rest of the evening, nothing could wipe the smile off of my face after I met Mr. Mountain. That will be a memory that I will cherish forever.

Brooksville lost a great man this week. My deepest, and sincerest condolences go to his family and friends. Those who got the blessing to have met him will be forever lucky. I will miss my friend. Rest in Peace Mr. Mountain. Sincerely, Nichole Chapman

FRASIER MOUNTAIN came into my life when he would stop into one of his best friend's office where I worked after he would drop off his granddaughter Ashley at Charlene’s Dance Studio and we would talk about everything under the sun until it was time to pick up Ashley from dance. I really looked forward to his visits. Our grandchildren went to the Methodist Church School Center also and we had a lot in common concerning the love of our town and the history behind it. We also would find ourselves at the same meetings because our interest was the same. He became a great friend and mentor and I discovered his vast collection and knowledge of the people and historical background of all the old time families and how the city became what it is today. He never mind sharing all of this with anyone who asked.

When people moved on or passed, the families would always contact Frasier to be the keeper of their history because they knew he would treasure and keep that information for generations to come.

The love of Genealogy was one of the interests we shared, and when it was time for me to get serious about mine he was the first one I thought of to help me with it. We started with my Father who happened to be 3 years older than Frasier and was also a fighter pilot in WW2, so there lives were parallel. Frasier was generous with his time for people like me who had a need of his knowledge.

Frasier and I spent around 3 to 4 hours a week for about a year sorting out my Father's military records and we went thru my mother’s family history in Hawaii and realized it’s a small world after all. Frasier took the time in entering every page of my Dad’s military records and all of my family’s documents on the computer. What he did for me was priceless and my family and I will be forever grateful for what he did.

We would also talk endlessly of our love for our families, his precious wife Nancy, his daughter Diane, his son Duane and his wonderful granddaughter Ashley. By helping me with my family’s genealogy he felt like he knew all of them, even though he had only met a few.

We have always been friends, even though we didn’t always agree with each other and respected one another always. His warmth, wit, humor, knowledge and love of people and history will live in the lives of people like me for generations to come. I am only one person in thousands that were so blessed to have known him. I love you Frasier and miss you with all my heart.

YOUR BELOVED FRIEND ALWAYS JAN KNOWLES

Frasier was an invaluable source of historical stories, facts and information regarding Old Brooksville In Photos & Stories. His mind was amazingly sharp up to the end and could remember the slightest details pertaining to Brooksville history, as far back as the 1920's. We were soul mates and I will miss him greatly. He would often pop up to my house with old pixs, news clippings or just to chit chat. He was indeed a remarkable man. God bless him.

- Robert Martinez, publisher Old Brooksville In Photos & Stories.

Brooksville Star May 18, 1906

Was Former Resident of Hernando County
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Died at the age of 59
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For Many Years Was Acknowledged Cattle King of this Section of the State
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Dr. Howell T. Lykes, one of the best known and most respected citizens of South Florida at 11am yesterday, died at his home near Ballast Point, death resulting from a general breakdown brought about by a (illegible) stroke of several weeks ago.

Dr. Lykes had not been in the best health for some time. For the past few weeks he has been very ill, and for a week had only been able to recognise immediate members of his family.

He was a native of South Carolina. Florida, however, was his adopted state and it was in South Florida that Dr. Lykes (illegible) the success in life that made him known throughout the length and breadth of the commonwealth.

He moved to Hernando county a number of years ago, living at Spring Hill, near Brooksville. For many years he has been the acknowledged cattle king of this section, bringing in stock to Tampa and shipping them to Cuba from Ballast Point, where he maintained large cattle docks.

Dr. Lykes was a very successful financier and through the cattle business accumulated a great deal of money, which he reinvested in stock. Other moneys he devoted to purchase of real estate. Other moneys he devoted to the pleasure and comfort of his family and education of his children. He owned considerable valuable property… (illegible).

The deceased had been a citizen of this county about 15 years, moving from Hernando County. His life here has always been an exemplary one, both in public and in private.

He survived by a widow; a daughter (illegible), and the following sons: Fred, Lipscomb, Tom, John, Joe, Howell and James Lykes. Fred and Lipscomb Lykes are in Cuba. Tom Lykes is in Raleigh. Joe Lykes is in Atlanta. John Lykes is attending school at Lake (illegible).

Dr. Lykes died at the age of 59.

-Tampa Tribune