North Brevard Historical Museum

01/28/2023

Pulling from Mike Knights "Did You Know" Books.....a short story that caught my eye is about the beautiful, historic LaGrange Church. Here is how the Ox Cart story goes:

OX CART INCIDENT AT LAGRANGE CHURCH

The large cedar tree in front of the LaGrange church along the highway and the spreading limbs of this cedar over the church monument are the direct results of a typical scene of the early days. Night meeting was held at this church and after the church was over, Robert Singleton started home in his ox-cart. The ox became frightened and ran the cart over one of the cedar trees, splitting it and breaking out the top. That caused the great limbs to spread as they are today.
Also heading home at that time, W. S. Norwood, and some of his family and friends were in the Norwood cart pulled by a mule. The mule became frightened at the Singleton ox breaking the cedar tree and the mule ran away carrying the people in the cart for a fast ride that night.

Note: I believe the knarled stump of a tree in this old black and white picture could be that same Cedar tree.

11/11/2022

09/04/2022

Calling all Titusville Old Timers!!! I cannot picture where this building was located. The pic shows a date of 1918 on the building. I can find all kinds of information on Mr. William F. Allen as Insurance agent, but nothing on where his building was. I have even searched to no avail Pete Bennett's Feed Store! Thanks!
Margaret Vessels

08/18/2022

FREDERICK A. LOSLEY'S SALOON.

(published by Margaret Miller Vessels)

08/14/2022

Did you know that in the early 1900's, on the barrier islands East of us named North Merritt Island, was located J.W. Griffis' Citrus Packing House? It would process some of the bountiful fruit from Florida State's second producing orange groves, about 130 Acres located in Oak Hill? J.W. Griffis was married to Hattie M. Griffis. They had two sons who unfortunately died shortly after their birth. Charles Griffis and John Griffis are buried at the Griffis Cemetary at Shiloh. In the 1910 Census, J.W and Hattie Griffis lived in Allenhurst on a street just named County Road. I am assuming it would have been SR 3.

In the picture of the Griffis packing house, one of the children standing in the front row is my Paternal Great Grandmother, "Maggie" Cora Bennett. She was my Grandfather, Stephen A. Kittles Mother. My Mom, Maggie Kittles Miller, is named after her.

07/30/2022

I found this old newspaper article from 1925. Since the Brevard Packing Co a/k/a Blue Goose Packing House was located on SR 46, then I assume the Mims Sawmill was close by.

07/18/2022

This article was originally posted in 2020, but since it is another hot week, cool down by imagining yourself sitting on one of those big cold blocks of ice! Brrrrr!

07/04/2022

NBHM Member Ron Chicone Jr. posted this great article..........
The Museum is a great place to discover what North Brevard was like in the old days. Here's an interesting quote from the 1925 diary of a part-time Titusville resident:
"January 7 - Wednesday...Grady [Wright] & I are all about in his car most all over town later all of us except Norris [Froscher] go in his big car up to Mims & into the big packing house there. I had no idea there was such a big one there & they were a lot of girls & men packing them & on leaving there they gave Grady a boxful of nice fruit tho the fruit was rejected. We then came on through the big Hamoc & we see so many Orange trees full of fruit & many that had been striped of the fruit Then on to the big packing house owned & operated J.J. Parrish then on home off of a fine trip."
Apparently, Mims had three packing houses near Hwy 46 and the Jacksonville, Tampa & Key West Railroad. The largest was called the Blue Goose. The reference to rejected fruit fits with the Indian River Fruit Label being a trademarked name, known for high quality and uniformity of their fruit. But what was this “big Hamoc?” Turns out it is the moniker given to the expanse of low-lying area east of the Hwy 1 ridge to the Indian River Lagoon in the vicinity of Hammock Rd. This land had largely been cleared of its natural vegetation and cultivated for citrus production. Senator J.J. Parrish (1877-1948) owned and operated the Nevins Fruit Co. and his original packing house was not the one you see on Parrish Rd., but was actually at the end of Jay Jay Rd. by the RR tracks near the Lagoon.

07/01/2022

In June of 1776, during the Continental Congress meeting in Philadelphia, Virginia statesman Richard Henry Lee proposed a motion for the colonies to declare independence from Britain. A committee was formed to draft an official independence document, which became known as the Declaration of Independence. On July 2, 1776, Lee’s motion for independence was approved. Two days later, on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was officially adopted—and America became a free nation.

Every 4th of July, we still celebrate our Independence to this day!

06/23/2022

Another successful Museum Education Committee Meeting was held at Sunrise Bakery today. Our first History Educational Workshop will be held on July 16th, 2022, and we already have a few, cute little History buffs signed up to take our class.