Genaro "Jiggs" Zingarelli
Florida's Forgotten Coast
Florida's Forgotten Coast oral history collection includes twenty-one interviews documenting the seafood industry in Franklin County, Florida, with an emphasis on Apalachicola, plus two interviews relating to tupelo honey. Original Collection Housed at Archives & Special Collections at the University of Mississippi and online at www.southernfoodways.com.
Shelley Chance
Jiggs Zingarelli's grandfather came to Florida from Puglia, Italy, sometime in the late nineteenth century. Jiggs's parents settled in Apalachicola, where he was born in 1915. His nickname references his childhood habit of dancing Irish jigs. He served in the Army during World War II. When Jiggs returned home, he looked to printing as a trade. He went to Nashville to learn the craft of linotype and opened Franklin County Press in 1946. Soon, he began printing the oyster tags for the seafood houses in the area, and he has been printing them ever since. The mammoth Kluge press dominates his shop, and hundreds of political posters he has printed over the years line the walls. Printing has changed, but Jiggs still holds true to the craft he learned so many decades ago. He still prints tags for customers he's had now for two generations. But time stops inside the print shop. A sort of museum of printing history, it is also a meeting place. Old-timers congregate there, reminiscing about the old days. Tall tales are told as the machines crank out these vintage-style tags. Soon, the machines will stop, and the Franklin County Press will close, and there is no one in line to take over the shop when Jiggs finally decides to hang up his ink-stained apron. Genaro "Jiggs" Zingarelli passed away in September of 2008 at the age of 93.
Scope and Content Note
Genaro "Jiggs" Zingarelli, owner of a print shop in Apalachicola, Florida, discusses his background and changes in the area. He grew up hunting, fishing, and working in his father's dry-goods store. After attending a linotype school, he started his print shop in 1946, specializing in oyster tags. Over time, tag regulations changed from paper to waterproof material. Despite industry changes, Zingarelli maintained his shop in the same location. He describes his equipment and family, emphasizing his marriage and four children. The interview focuses on oyster tag production, with Zingarelli cutting the paper himself and conserving scraps. He can produce up to 1,000 tags per run. The conversation touches on the evolving printing industry and the social aspect of his shop. Zingarelli discusses his morning routine, hook supply, and love for seafood and fishing, highlighting his attachment to Apalachicola and its residents.
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