ffl_seminole

Florida Folk History

"Seminole County"

Our area cultural history was once handed down generation by generation, by word of mouth. However, as time goes on these stories become distorted and lose a lot of the original mystic. In order to preserve this valuable history, it's left to the dedicated historian to collect and catalog these past events, in the most accurate content. Darrel Bell had the honor of being acquainted with such an individual, this being Mr. Charlie Carlson.

He has indeed created an illustrious history of this county. The talents of this Seminole County Historian and Author is without a doubt amazing. Preserving local history in its most accurate format, is dependent of having excellent records to use. Mr. Carlson has this from the journals that were compiled by his mother, Gladys E. Hawkins-Carlson.

"Gladys Elizabeth Hawkins-Carlson, 1917-1996, considered it an honor to be called a Real Florida Cracker. She lived her entire life in the area of Lake Monroe, Florida and kept an extentive record of her life in Seminole County. She was a story-teller of Florida Folklore and chronicler of Florida folklife. In 1979 she provided the narrative for a series of children's Florida stories on cassette. She had traveled to half of the United States, and had visited several European countries. She is best remembered by close associates, as a notorious collector of salt and pepper shakers; who had accumalated a huge collection of shakers from all over the world."

Having been given permission to use some of these works by Mr. Carlson, I hope to give an insight of Gladys E. Hawkins-Carlson's description of the vanishing Folklore of the real Florida.
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