A sincere thanks to Laurie Alsobrook for a spectacular tour of the Melrose cemetery. It is truly fascinating to see family burial plots and to tie world events such as wars and flu outbreaks to the lives and deaths of Melrose pioneers. Laurie is a Melrose treasure.
We hope to arrange a future tour with the QIR club to the Baldwin Store, Daurer History Center, and the historic Homemaker’s Club…. and incorporate Laurie’s famous treasure hunt in the cemetery!
The QIR club also visited the historic grist mill site at Banana, Florida. The wonderful group of teens is researching and writing text for a state historic marker. Banana preceded Melrose and is all but gone, except for the iron mill wheel and the bridge remains from the old Orange Springs to Starke road.
Please watch the video of the late, great Jimmy Price about Banana. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9ICD570Czw
“The people of both places [Melrose and Banana] are one in heart…and they live, learn and worship in harmony and accord. Melrose is an outgrowth of Banana and has outgrown the parent stock. There is a post-office in each place and within short distance of each other.” P. 62, Eden of the South by Carl Webber, 1883.
Webber’s entire book is found at:
https://archive.org/details/edenofsouthdescr00webb/page/n5/mode/2up
