Page 10 - a-history-of-columbia-county-florida-(1996)-edward-f-keuchel

A History of Columbia County Florida (1996) Edward F. Keuchel

PREFACE

In the fall of 1975 when I agreed to write a bicentennial
history of Columbia County I only had a general awareness of the
area. As my research progressed I became increasingly aware of
the duality which exists in the population of modern Florida—a
state which has a large segment of its population having recently
arrived in the state, and a core of the population which traces
long linkages to the state’s past. I set as my goal a study which
would be of interest to both groups in Columbia County: to assist
the “newcomers” in establishing an identity with the past, and to
reinforce the heritage of the longterm residents. It is hoped that
the reader will gain an appreciation, as I have, of the role that the
people and the area of Columbia County have played in the history
of the state and nation.
I wish to express my appreciation to the people of Columbia
County who have assisted in the preparation of this work. Special
mention should be made of the 1975 officers and board of directors
of the Columbia County Historical Society who made the decision
to produce a county history as a bicentennial project. They were
Nettie Black Ozaki, Chairman; Dr. H. Donald Kirkland, Vice-
Chairman; Jessie Cole Gleason, Secretary; and Gary Shields,
Treasurer. Members of the board of directors were Mrs. Virlyn
Willis, Mrs. Cecil Register, Gertrude Peterson, and Captain James
Ingham Cone. Special mention should also be made of the present
officers who have seen the work through to its completion. They
are James Ingham Cone, Chairman; Grace Register, Vice-Chair­
man; Esther Moore, Secretary; and Gary Shields, Treasurer. I
also wish to thank the various city, state, and county officials for
their cooperation. The research grant for the project was provided
by the Columbia County Historical Society, the Fort White City

xi

www.LakeCityHistory.com LCH-UUID: 02905885-C4E0-4A35-9DAE-804ED8349EC9