This is
the last installment from our visit to Apalachicola Florida. We took so many photos of this historic town
that I couldn’t let them go to waste…
This time, our primary focus was on historic buildings other than homes.
In 1836 - 1837
the Apalachicola Land Company built 43 identical brick and granite cotton
warehouses along the waterfront. This is
one of only two that remain in town. It
has been repurposed and it now serves as the Apalachicola City Hall.
FYI…
What is now Apalachicola was originally
named Cottonton. In 1828, it was
incorporated as West Point. It was renamed
Apalachicola in 1831. The town on the
other side of the Apalachicola River is still named East Point.
This is
the second of those two surviving cotton warehouses that was built along the
waterfront. This one was originally
built as the Harrison-Raney Cotton Exchange in 1836.
Today, the
Center for History, Culture and Art is an important venue in Apalachicola’s
historic downtown district. The gallery
space presents the work of local, regional and nationally recognized artists to
both locals and tourists. The building
is home to the Apalachicola School of Art. The restored historic space also serves as a
venue for meetings, receptions, lectures, and the national recognized Forgotten
Coast “Plein Air” Art event. See the
following link for this major painting event: https://forgottencoastculturalcoalition.wildapricot.org/.
FYI…“plein
air,” is a French expression meaning “open air” (and used colloquially by the
French for camping and outdoor sports) that refers to creating a work of art
outside.
The
Center for History, Culture and Art is open to the public. To learn more go to: https://www.facebook.com/pg/Apalachicola-Center-for-History-Culture-and-Art-187320127961141/about/?ref=page_internal.
The
Dixie Theatre was constructed in 1912.
It served as the entertainment center for Franklin County, with live
shows and movies too. In the 1950s a
drive-in theater opened west of town.
That and competition from television lead to the demise of the Dixie in
1967.
The
two-story brick structure featured a screen for showing movies and a stage for
live performances. The balcony was
reserved for blacks and smokers. After closing in 1967 the theater sat empty
and deteriorating. In the late 1990s a
couple 'found' the old theater. Since their
daughter was also named Dixie, they took the name as a good omen and purchased
the building. They had to completely reconstruct the
building. The only original portions of
the structure are the side and rear walls.
The Dixie reopened on July 31, 1998 and live entertainment is regularly
offered. Check out upcoming event at http://www.dixietheatre.com/.
St.
Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church was originally organized in 1845...although I
saw another reference that dated its beginning date as 1833. The first church was replaced with an ornate
wooden structure just before the Civil War. It was seriously damaged by a fire in 1928 and
a decision was made to move it and use it as a fellowship hall. This stucco over brick Early Italian-Romanesque Style church replaced
the fire damaged structure.
I
thought that we’d end the tour with one more fabulous refurbished home in
Apalachicola’s Historic District. This
one isn’t listed separately but it is spectacular… The effort to restore this
home was completed in the last year or so.
We just loved that huge front porch!
That’s
all for Apalachicola…for this trip anyway!
Just
click on any of the photos to enlarge them…
Thanks
for stopping by for a tour and a bit of history!
Take
Care, Big Daddy Dave
Interesting history of that church... Isn't it amazing to read about so many wonderful structures getting destroyed by fire all through the years... Kinda sad --but tis history!!!
ReplyDeleteI love that last picture of that beautiful old home... As I told you before, homes like that remind me of my Great Aunt's home in Bristol, VA... My Mom had 7 Aunts that I remember... Three of them were on her mother's side of the family and the other four were on her Dad's side of the family... Very few of them ever married --and many were school teachers (called 'old maid teachers' back then).. ha
Have a great week and month.
Hugs,
Betsy
The architecture in Apalachicola is great! And the palm trees complement them all. I'm kind of curious as to who built that gorgeous home, maybe someone to do with cotton or the busy port. It would be a treat to see the inside of it. And great that the Dixie is still operating. Small towns have much to offer and this one certainly is deep in history! Have a good day and thanks for the journey!
ReplyDeleteFascinating history and post, Dave, and I love all the buildings in your photos! And the Dixie is delightful! Thank you so much for sharing, and I hope you have a great week.
ReplyDeleteLove this St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church David, look like many churchs from here. xoxox
ReplyDelete