STOP #11 FLORIDA: WALTON COUNTY

Here we are fellow postcard "all US counties" travelers:
STATE: Florida
COUNTY SEAT: DeFuniak Springs
1824
Formed from Escambia and Jackson counties.

*** This county is where the highest natural point in Florida is..Britton Hill @ 345 feet.

***This county  was named for George Walton the Secretary of the Florida Territory from 1821 - 1826.

*** Interesting settlements...Scots migrating down from the Carolinas and an indian named Sam Story...Dominickers...  Check out this link for more interesting details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walton_County,_Florida

*** Here was established one of the first Presbyterian Churches in NW Florida and it is still a functioning parish!

*** Hilly terrain different from a lot of Florida ...As you can see on the map... borders Gulf of Mexico and Alabama.

*** The county seat was founded by railroad officers and was named after vice   president of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad: Frederick R. DeFuniak.
It was settled as a final destination location.

*** And here the Florida Teachers Education Association was formed in 1886!

*** The Walton -DeFuniak Library built in 1886-87 is the oldest structure in Florida built as a library and still serving as one.
    

Ok...after checking out the library we will meet to take off to stop #12 of the 3007 counties left to see! Better bring a sweater.

STOP 10 FLORIDA Postcards Orange County

SWOOSH.!!!!!...HERE WE ARE! STOP #10 OF OUR ALL U.S. 3007 COUNTIES IS:

FLORIDA: ORANGE COUNTY.
ORANGE COUNTY...USED TO BE CALLED MOSQUITO COUNTY TIL 1845.

ITS COUNTY SEAT IS ORLANDO.
IT WAS FORMED IN 1824 OUT OF ST. JOHNS COUNTY.
THE AREA TO THE SOUTH OF  ST JOHNS BECAME MOSQUITO COUNTY IN 1824 AND ENTERPRISE BECAME ITS COUNTY SEAT.
IT WAS RENAMED ORANGE COUNTY IN 1845.

AMERICAN ADVENTURE

EPCOT CENTER

*** Named for its main product : oranges...but severe cold in recent winters  and diseases have destroyed a majority of orange groves . Orlando population growth has moved into a lot of what was orange groves.

*** This county is located along the Interstate 4 corridor which is the "swing part of the state" in elections.

*** Orlando was nicknamed "The City Beautiful"

*** Tourism...Tourism...Tourism:
Disney, Universal, Sea World, Gatorland, Wet'n Wild, ...conferences...conventions to name a few.

*** Orlando is the 7th of 10 most visited theme parks in North America.

*** Many notable athletes and famous other people were born here or have lived here during their lives: Shaquille O'Neal, Wayne Brady , Warren Sapp to mention a few.

*** Metro Orlando has 19 or now maybe more skyscrapers.

*** The University of Central Florida  is here. It was the 2nd largest university campus in 2012 in terms of enrollment according to Internet statistics.

Postcard Traveler All US Counties Postcard Trip Stop 10C

Contemporary Resort

Orlando Orange County

Florida

Ebay: Sandy's Cove

OK...Laziboy.tourists...time to buckle up and swoosh on off to our next  county Stop 11...of our 3,007 United States counties we are visiting.

STOP 10D

UNIVERSITY OF ENERGY

EPCOT CENTER

ORANGE COUNTY

FLORIDA

1982 WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS POSTCARD

HOLIDAY INN 

COLONIAL DRIVE

ORLANDO 

POLYNESIAN VILLAGE

WALT DISNEY WORLD

STOP 9: FLORIDA: NASSAU COUNTY: SOMALI WILD ASSES, OGEECHEE MOUNTS AND MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV

Yes, these three have here our next stop of "Postcards Journey through all 3007 counties in the United States " connections!

Which is our Stop 9: Nassau County in the state of Florida. Fernandina Beach is the County Seat. This county was established in 1824 out of Duval County.

*** It was name for the Duchy of Nassau in Germany.

*** There is lots of tree farming, trucking and pulp production in this county.

*** Lots of interesting topography info here. Ogeechee Mounts which are very large earthwork mounds have been discovered here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nassau_County,_Florida

*** Fernandina Beach is known as the "Isle of 8 Flags" because it is the only municipality in the U.S. that has flown 8 different national flags.


*** David Levy Yulee was the first U.S. Senator when it became a state.

*** Amelia Island  was used to film the Pippi Longstocking movie in 1988.

*** The White Oak Plantation has a long interesting history of animal conservation/preservation. There are 200+ animals and 20+ species.The Somali wild ass is only one of MANY animals at this location. This location is private. It was purchased by Mark and Kindra Walter a billionaire and wife  who own the LA Dodgers  in March 2013. It continues to operate as a wildlife preserve. Mikhail Baryshnikov has a home here. President Clinton has visited here.

OK ...animal lovers....as soon as you see it all ...let's head out to Stop #10!

STOP #47: CHARLOTTE COUNTY: PORT CHARLOTTE CULTURE CENTER FLORIDA

Port Charlotte Culture Center

Charlotte County

Florida

Long Ago

Stop #47 of the Postcard Traveler Blog postcard trip to all 3007 US counties.

Ebay: tomantique2002

STOP 8: FLORIDA: LEON COUNTY: COTTON KINGDOM, JUAN PONCE DE LEON AND BRAD DAVIS

U.S.A. Every County Postcard Traveler Trip... Join Us!

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

STOP 8: FLORIDA: LEON COUNTY: COTTON KINGDOM, JUAN PONCE DE LEON AND BRAD DAVIS

And here we are at
STOP 8 on our United States 3,007 counties postcard journey:

STATE: Florida
COUNTY: Leon
COUNTY SEAT: Tallahassee
ESTABLISHED: 1824
Formed out of Escambia and later Gadsden Counties.

*** This county was named for the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon.

*** Tallahassee is the county seat and state capital.

*** Two of Florida's major universities are here: Florida A & M University and Florida State University.

*** Residents have the highest average level of education among Florida's 67 counties.

*** In the 1850s - 1860s this area was a cotton kingdom.

*** Lots of interesting Geology factoids here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leon_County,_Florida

*** In 1989 a White Christmas occured.

*** Brad Davis from the movie Midnight Express was born here.

"zip1out" has this nice postcard of the Leon County Court House for sale on Ebay. Check it out:
 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Leon-County-Court-House-Tallahassee-FL-Postcard-/270378835630?pt=Postcards_US&hash=item3ef3d59eae

STOP 6: FLORIDA: MONROE COUNTY: CONCHS, CONCH CATS AND THE CONCH REPUBLIC

U.S.A. Every County Postcard Traveler Trip... Join Us!

Saturday, August 9, 2014

STOP 6: MONROE COUNTY FLORIDA : CONCHS, CONCH CATS AND THE CONCH REPUBLIC

Here we are:
Stop #6 on our United States 3,007 counties postcard journey ....

STATE: Florida
COUNTY: Monroe
COUNTY SEAT: Key West
ESTABLISHED: 1823
Formed from St. Johns County
Included in it are the islands of the Florida Keys.

*** 87% of the county land area is on the mainland and is part of the Everglades and is virtually uninhabited.

*** 99% of the county's population lives in the Florida Keys!

*** This county was named for the 5th President of the United States.

*** The Monroe County Public Library was South Florida's first public library.

*** Key West is the southern most city in the continental U.S.

*** Immigrants from the Bahamas were called Conchs.
Check this interesting page out on Conchs, Conch cats and the Conch Republic:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Key_West,_Florida

*** Key West was called the Winter White House. Truman, Eisenhower, F.D. Roosevelt, Kennedy and Carter visited during or after their presidencies.

*** Ernest Hemingway worked on/ wrote many of his works while living here.

*** So did Tennessee Williams.

*** Jimmy Buffet made here famous with his music like Margaritaville.Who can think of Key West without hearing that song in their head!

*** 6 or 7 polydactyl cats descended from Hemingway's cat Snowball still live there on the grounds of the house where he resided.

Here is one of my  county postcards. This one is  of the Audubon House still standing as it did in the 1830s:

Ok Parrotheads, time to go to Stop #7. Buckle up!