We chose the Corps of Engineers Eastbank campground partly because it was close to Tallahassee. A visit today would bring our state capitol visits to a total of eight. Visiting the Museum of Florida History was a bonus that also gave us free, conveniently located parking.
A lot of bones found in a nearby spring were reassembled to create "Herman," below. He was a mastodon that roamed the area more than 12,000 years BP (Before Present - I know, it was the first time I ever saw the term, too). Bill, one of the museum docents, filled us in on a lot of the artifacts and displays. He knew his history and he had quite a few ideas on places we could visit in the area as well. When I told him our next destination, he suggests taking US Hwy 19 - that was a great call - Thanks, Bill!
The museum had several very nice dioramas depicting what life might have been like in prehistoric Florida. I think I can safely say everyone is lucky to be alive in today's Florida, rather than struggling to survive in the world back then.
Not so long ago, oranges were introduced to the area and Florida's most famous industry was launched. Machines, like the one below, were used to sort oranges by size.
Florida oranges were packed and shipped in crates carrying more than 1,000 different labels.
As present-day campers, of course, we found the display on "Tin Can Camping" very interesting. I was not sure if Florida was enthused by the introduction of tourism or disappointed by the camper's frugality, but I think the name leans towards the latter.
We've come a long way, baby.
I was surprised to find there was an electric car before the start of the 20th century. It had nearly the same range as today's electric cars and it certainly had more style than a Prius.
I had no idea there was so much naval activity off the coast of Florida during World War II.
Another surprise was the number of German and Italian POWs who were held in Florida during the war. I guess it makes sense, I just never thought about where the U.S. kept POWs.
Bill told us the Florida capitol building was one of his least favorites and we would have to agree with him. The ultra-modern architecture lacked warmth and a sense of history. We did like the dolphin sculpture and fountains at the building's entrance. Inside, the building seemed more like a high rise hotel than a capitol building. With a little elevator juggling, you could visit the 22nd floor which was an observation floor with a 360-degree view of the Tallahassee area. Two things were immediately obvious - Florida is really flat and Tallahassee is a pretty small and unimpressive city.
When the new Capitol was erected in 1977, the plan was to demolish the old structure. A decision was made to save the core of the sprawling structure and restore it to its former 1845 glory. It was now the capitol museum. During the building's restoration, workers found stained glass stored in the walls that, along with a few pictures, allowed them to rebuild the beautiful dome that had been previously covered for many years.
The fully restored governor's office was pretty impressive. I found out it was equipped with proximity alarms when I leaned over the rail to capture the picture of the governor's desk below. I was lucky there was no SWAT team responding to the alarm - it just reset itself after a minute of obnoxious blaring.
We were halfway back home before we remembered our plan was to include a visit to Costco. It was probably just as well since it meant getting home at least an hour earlier. I'm sure that made Sam happy and it meant we could enjoy yet another colorful sunset over Lake Seminole.
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