Page 279 - a-history-of-columbia-county-florida-(1996)-edward-f-keuchel

A History of Columbia County Florida (1996) Edward F. Keuchel 268/340

A History of Columbia County, Florida
articles on the early history of Columbia County written by Mrs.
Perkins, and published in the Lake City Reporter, still stand as an
important source of information.
Neal Dukes, the county agent, had a good grounding in the
agricultural history of the county. Colonel Robert B. Harkness had
an interest in sports in the county, and a knowledge of military
matters. Mrs. Black was knowledgeable on many of the early
families in addition to her experience as a home demonstration
agent. Mayor Murray Hagan possessed good insight into the
political past of the county as well as of his own experiences. Other
members of the committee possessed their own expertise, and
together with other knowledgeable individuals such as Miss Jessie
Gleason, the Rev. E. F. Montgomery and others, the committee put
together a work providing an interesting narrative and photo­
graphic background of Lake City and Columbia County. They
assembled a useful coverage of many of the agencies which were
contributing to the area’s present and future. The bulk of the
publication dealt with contemporary institutions and activities,
and the book was dedicated to “the celebrants of the next century
in the sun.”
More important from the historical standpoint was the cen­
tennial edition (December 13,1974) of the Lake City Reporter. This
centennial edition was put together by the staff of the Reporter in
cooperation with Nettie Black Ozaki and members of the Colum­
bia County Historical Society. Their handiwork emerged as a
remarkable document to the county’s past, and serves as an
excellent guide to establishing the county’s “sense of identity” in
the mid 1970’s. What emerges is a mosaic of a county which took
pride in its pioneer families and its past, coupled with a self­
confidence and trust in the present and future.
The first major article in the centennial edition was an account
of Sheriff Ralph Witt, the “high sheriff of Columbia County,”
written by reporter Fran Hesser. Sheriff Witt was symbolic of
204

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