FLORIDA P&R PROJECTS
PONCE DE LEON #183 – Opened in 1976, Heritage Village is a lovely “town” consisting of 24 19th c. homes, school, barn, church, sponge warehouse, country store and soon, a Boat House. Several Quester chapters have volunteered hundreds of hours with Ponce de Leon perhaps the most active due to proximity of members. They’ve served on the Collections and Conservation Committees and as Receptionists and Docents. Items donated by Questers include dining room furniture, nursery furniture, dolls, cut glass Baroque-style lamps, dishes and many other items.
NAUTILUS #909 – When we discovered that the Peter O. Knight House (c. 1890), in Tampa’s Hyde Park, needed to have its historical marker restored, our chapter applied for and received grant funds from Florida Questers. The Knight House is a superlative example of vernacular Victorian residential style with many notable features including gingerbread, wooden shutters, ten-foot ceilings, double-hung sash windows and heart pine construction. It was a charming and modest “starter home” for the Knights, people of good taste and barely adequate means. In 2005, the Tampa recognized the house’s importance and designated the Peter O. Knight House a Historic Landmark. It currently serves as the Tampa Historical Society’s headquarters.
DON TRISTAN DE LUNA #1315 – St. Johns Cemetery is one of the oldest in Florida. The children’s section had fallen into disrepair so eight years ago, our chapter adopted this section and made new markers for 82 graves. An angel was placed in the center of the 40×45′ plot. A white fence was constructed around the perimeter of the plot and we continue to maintain it, decorating it at Christmas time. We continue to maintain it to keep it clean and respectable and have done a lot of research to identify many of the sites.
We also adopted the Pensacola lighthouse – one of the few working lighthouses in Florida. We received a $500.00 grant from Florida Questers for our female mannequin, Lilly, who oversees the kitchen. We’ve helped furnish the keeper’s quarters, donating many items (c.1880-90) from our personal collections such as shaving mugs, kerosene lamps, slates, toys for the children’s room and pen/ink set for the parlor desk. We’ve even made realistic-looking faux pies for the pie safe!
LOVIE PRITCHARD #561 – Erected in 1891 by Capt. James Pritchard, a Civil War infantry commander, this 2-story Queen Anne-styled home has had a bedroom furnished by members of Lovie Pritchard. One of the chapter members has invested thousands of hours researching paint and wallpaper details, fixtures, etc… The Chapter is currently creating a memorial garden with bench, arbor and more.
TREASURED MEMORIES #1096. The Pinellas Pioneer Settlement located on the west side of Lake Maggorie in St. Petersburg is the project of Treasured Memories #1096. Its purpose is to authentically recreate the life styles of our pioneers from 1880 to 1920. Treasured Memories has been instrumental in obtaining a 1920’s antique brass cash register, a pie safe, purchasing items for the General Store and Blacksmith Shop and donating items for the other buildings. This was done thru P & R Grants and auctions with members. Members volunteer at the Autumn Harvest, Family Festivals and the Christmas Jamboree to help raise money for the Settlement.
TURNBULL CHAPTER #1486, located on the east coast of central Florida in New Smyrna Beach, adopted the Mary S. Harrell Black History Museum in the heart of the historic westside community. The Museum’s exhibition building called “The Heritage House” a shotgun house, which serves as an example of how rural families lived at the turn of the century was in serious need of exterior preservation. Thanks to a Florida State Questers Grant a community wide all volunteer Turnbull preservation project has restored and preserved this fine example of a restored shotgun house for generations to come.
FLORIDA STATE QUESTERS – We replaced the South wall of the “Old Country Store” in the Barberville Pioneer Settlement in Barberville, Florida. It was originally a commissary built in the early 1900’s for the Turpentine workers in camp. Turpentine was a major industry in Florida in Hernando and Pasco Counties. Our total cost was $2000.00. It took 6 months to find the “Dutch Lap” siding. We had to replace the siding as close to the original as possible. The building is presently used as a country store in the Pioneer Settlement with items for guests and school children to purchase when on tour. The top shelves are used for display of some of the original items used at the Turpentine Still and camp 100 years ago.