Page 8 - a-history-of-columbia-county-florida-(1996)-edward-f-keuchel

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

FOREWORD

Although Columbia County is now recognized as one of
Florida’s early communities, it has been one of the last to be
written about or photographed. When the footpaths to Miami and
Tampa were just being hacked through the tall grasses of south
Florida, Columbia County’s people were here. They were living in
well-built homes with books and candles and wearing well-fitted
clothes, when St. Petersburg was not a flicker in the night. Fire
destroyed the county’s records not once, not twice but three times
in its first hundred years. Sifting through the ashes has not been
an easy task.
The artist steps back to view his work. The road builder takes
time to walk back to see how his road progresses. The farmer stops
and looks over his shoulder to check his rows, then looks ahead as
he plows on. And so, too, with Columbia County’s history. Its
citizens have felt a need to look where they have been, to learn how
they got there, and to know more about their past before they leap
into the future. Knowing where we have been helps us know where
we want to go and how we want to get there. Looking at what we
had helps us know what we want to keep and what we want to let
go.
This is not the full story. This is not a genealogy of all the
families of Columbia County, and these are not all the people that
made the story. Rather this book is a recognition of their presence,
then and now.
This volume represents a search of our homes, our memories
and our libraries, and most significantly, a search of the archives
of our hearts. Who can know the whole truth? All is not beautiful;
all is not ugly. With this history we wish to commemorate our

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