January 10, 2008:
Our speaker was Carl Sharp, Florida's Cowboy poet laureate
and Cracker Cowboy Historian.
February 14, 2008:
Historical Society’s Black History Month Program - Retired
Educator Mrs. Verlene Stebbins Hickson and friends will
present a Black History Month program for the DeSoto County
Historical Society at noon to 1 p.m. on Thursday, February
14, at the Family Service Center Annex (old West
Elementary School cafeteria) on North Orange Avenue. The
meeting is free and open to the public. Starting at 11:30 a.m.,
lunch is available for $5. At noon, Society President
Mitzie McGavic will conduct a short business meeting.
Afterwards, Program Director John Reynolds will introduce
Mrs. Hickson. Her program will be based on Black History
Month, Dr. Carter G. Woodson, and the history of
multiculturalism. Dr. Woodson is known as the “Father of Black
History.” In 1926, he began the celebration of Negro
History Week spanning the birthdays of Frederick Douglass
and Abraham Lincoln. Fifty years later, it was expanded to
include the month, and during February, the focus on
Black History by groups such as the Historical Society is
one of Dr. Woodson’s legacies. Resplendent in their African
costumes, head gear, and jewelry, Mrs.
Hickson and 27
friends will sing a medley of Negro spirituals, and
she will talk about DeSoto County’s African-American
history, including the communities in Nocatee, Fort Ogden,
and Hull. Mrs. Hickson said, “It is a day to be thankful for the
African-
American contribution to DeSoto County. . . . My
family is part of this heritage, and I am very proud of
it.” Mrs. Hickson is currently working to write down her
extensive knowledge of DeSoto County’s “Black History.”
Much of that history she
learned in the traditional
way by listening to stories told to her by friends and
family. She said, “My people talked and that’s how
I learned.”
March 13, 2008:
Planning meeting for our 4th Annual Pioneer Day.
April 10, 2008:
Our speaker was Guy Labree, "The Barefoot Artist". Mr. Labree
is an expert on Seminole lore, and spoke on the life, legends
and history of the Seminoles. We also had a report on the Grant
Committee trip to Tallahassee.
May 15, 2008:
Our speaker was Larry Luckey, Glades County Property
Appraiser, who spoke about pioneers and settlements in the area
of Glades County which was part of DeSoto County before
1921.
June 12, 2008:
Our speaker will be Jeff Moates, archaeologist and historian
of the Florida Public Archaeological Network University of South
Florida. He will speak on The Archaeological Resources in
DeSoto County: Evidence of settlements by Native Americans
as well as early pioneers, especially the phosphate mine near
the historic town of Liverpool.
