Florida's Forgotten Coast
Interviewee Sort descending | Collection | Description | Interviewer | Date of Interview | Location of Interview | Affiliation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Terry Dean | Florida's Forgotten Coast |
Terry Dean's grandmother, Monette Hicks, came to Eastpoint with her parents in 1916. Terry grew up listening to her grandmother's stories of what Eastpoint was like in the early days, when oysters were shucked in lean-tos on the shore, and there wasn't a thing on St. George Island, not even a bridge to get there. Electricity didn't arrive in Eastpoint until the 1950s. Still, dozens of seafood houses dotted the waterfront. In every family there was an oysterman, a shucker, or a crab picker, probably all three. Today, only a handful of seafood houses line the water's edge through Eastpoint. |
Amy Evans | Eastpoint, FL | Southern Foodways Alliance | |
Tommy Ward | Florida's Forgotten Coast |
Born in 1961, Tommy Ward grew up with an appreciation for the place he still calls home. His parents, Buddy and Martha Pearl Ward, raised Tommy in the business out at their seafood house, 13 Mile. The remote location, thirteen miles west of Apalachicola, gave Tommy a hands-on education in his natural surroundings and life on the bay. As a teenager, Tommy left home and spent some time away at college. He also paid his dues working at some other seafood houses in Apalachicola. Eventually, he returned to the family business. But 13 Mile is not just his business. It's his heritage. |
Amy Evans | Apalachicola, FL | Southern Foodways Alliance | |
Wes Birdsong | Florida's Forgotten Coast |
Oringinally from Atlanta, Wes Birdsong and his wife sailed into Apalachicola in 1996. They docked their boat in town at the Deep Water Marina & Boatyard. It soon it became obvious to Wes that the marina needed some attention, so he took it upon himself to become caretaker of the place and help service the boats. Deep Water Marina, once the only working boatyard in the area, serviced all of the commercial fishing boats in Apalachicola. It was also a place for recreational boats to dry dock for repairs. In 2006 the Deep Water Marina & Boatyard closed. |
Amy Evans | Apalachicola, FL | Southern Foodways Alliance |