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On a hill just west of the Village of Bagdad, Florida in Northwest Florida, in the middle of mighty live oaks, rest the people who created, with their own bare hands, notably the largest economic concerns in the State of Florida at the turn of the 20th Century.
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The gravemarker is a typical style of the "Woodmen of the World". Joseph Cullen Root founded the Woodman of the World life insurance and fraternal organization. It was reported that Root's idea for "Woodmen" came from a speech he heard about woodsmen clearing away forests to provide shelter for their families. Others speculated that Root visualized himself as the root that would grow into a shelter, protecting members from financial disaster.
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The home is centrally placed on a hill.
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The headquarters of the sand and gravel business is located off Highway 4 in the town of Century.
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Trucks are checked-in near the office.
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The quarry lakes are crystal clear.
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The series of lakes wind around hills. Each lake is approximately 15 acres.
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Stands of pines and firs comprise most of the groves adjacent to the lakes.
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Sand is one of the by-products of the gravel mining process.
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The lakes are irregulaly formed.
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The cemetery is on the east side of the station.
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Ms. Lily Townsend presents the story of her ancestor, MaryAnn Brown. In the 1800's Ms. Brown was a French woman who came from New Orleans and married a slave. Her husband was recruited into the Confederate Army during the Civil War but later served the Union forces as a cook. Descendants of the Browns still live in Pensacola.
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Ms. Dolores Mary Charbonier (1855 - 1939) is portrayed by Jennifer Batchelder. Dolores ran the family estate after the deaths of her father and brother, and left an estate of $5,000 in gold to her sister, Pauline, upon her death. Pauline was left at the alter by a sailor and never married. The sisters lived together in their Pensacola home their entire lives until Dolores death in 1939. The family home still stands at 335 East Intendencia Street.
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Miss Laurie Biggs portrays a member of the Gonzales family. She is holding a baby in the photo above. Celestino Gonzales (1797 - 1844), in the early part of his career, was in charge of building the section of road between Pensacola and Choctawhachie. He later worked at the Pensacola Navy Yard as a consulting engineer and served Pensacola as alderman in 1841. The Gonzales home once stood at 137 West Romana St, but has since been torn down. Another Gonales home was relocated to the Historic District in 1979. It is located at 226 East Intendencia Street.
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Wesley Odom portrays Don Francisco Moreno (1793 - 1883). He became known as the "Father of Pensacola" as a result of the 27 children, 75 grandchildren and 127 great grandchildren he fathered. He served as the Spanish representative of Pensacola for fifty-five years and is credited with building the city's first hotel.
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Lawrence Grimes portrays Thomas William Brent (1808 - 1875). He served as Commander in the US Navy and as Commander of the Confederate States of America. He saw action in the Mexican-American War and the Civil War. After settling in Pensacola, Thomas fathered eleven children and worked in the city's fire and casulaty insurance business.
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John Innerarity (1783 - 1854) is portrayed by Bill Thompson. Scottish born Innerarity became a partner in the Panton Leslie Trading Company early on and aided in the company in lucrative trade with the Creek Indian Nation. He became Director in 1817, and maintained the successful business until the 1840s. He was also involved in the beginnings of Floridatown, one of Pensacola's earliest surrounding areas.
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