How a Community Rallied to Preserve Etna’s History
Sometimes, we think of a community as a group of people living together in a physical place. Still, it can also mean a unified group of people with a particular interest, like preserving history. In this case, the people reside in different states and counties.
Is it safe to say that when the Suncoast Parkway was planned to be built “over Etna’s still location,” there was an urgency to protect it? The copper still was long gone, maybe moved to another camp, but the brick firebox foundation became hidden over time under the landscape. A community rallied to preserve this historic structure rather than allow for the disinterest of others to build a road over it.
In the past few months, the Etna Pavilion, a significant outdoor exhibit, has been erected at the Withlacoochee State Forest Visitor Center, 15003 Broad Street, Brooksville, Florida. It proudly commemorates the rich history of the Etna Turpentine Camp.
I would have never known about Etna had it not been for the passionate community that learned of its existence when artifacts appeared during the power company’s digging of a gas line. Artifacts found halted the operation and brought the experts to determine the authenticity of a turpentine camp.
The reconstruction of the brickwork, now an outdoor museum piece, was meticulously carried out by William Remsen, a conservator for Preservation, Inc. The pavilion, a faithful representation of a still shed, and the painstakingly rebuilt brickwork bring history to life. The fire to cook the pine sap would have been started and kept going within this brickwork, and the fire was tended with access to the firebox. In Song of Jaybird we can relive the making of the bricks and the building of the stills firebox foundation, when the characters in the story show us how the process was done.
In Chapter Three, page 26, I describe the making of bricks and how the characters built the firebox.
“Two fingered scoops of clay were plopped into each mold, filling the four sections. Then using a striker, they scraped off excess mud and flattened the top. After they turned the molds over, bricks slid out like baked bread and were lined up on another board to dry.”
“James and Eddie carved a large hole in the ground and lined it with bricks before the still could be raised. Then they shoveled a narrow rectangle and lined the area with more bricks, which extended an opening to the firebox.”
Since learning about the completion of this exhibit, the community's collective effort in finding the location, hiring a professional to number the brick pieces, disassembling it, keeping it safe, tirelessly searching for a designated place to create an exhibition space, and putting it back together with meticulous accuracy has influenced this week's blog.
Why is it important? According to the Associate Director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Priya Chhaya, who wrote in her article, “Six Essential Reasons to Save Old Places”, she wrote:
Number 2: Save Old Places for the Advancement of Social Justice, “It is also about acknowledging whose community stories are lost when a place is not saved and how to prevent that from happening again.”
Number 6: Save Old Places to Preserve History for Future Generations, “Experiencing a space where history happened is crucial for fostering the shared connection that builds a stronger community.”
How has visiting a historic place helped you understand the history of a particular site? I would love to hear if you have a specific place that is most memorable to you. Please feel free to leave your comments below.
Photo Credit: Robert Roscow
