OCTOBER 25th, 2008
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HISTORIC SMALLWOOD STORE INVESTIGATION FOOTAGE FROM THE SATURDAY NIGHT PARANORMAL LIVE BROADCAST Ole Indian Trading Post and Museum, Chokoloskee, Florida |
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| PART 1 (1:38) | PART 2 (2:40) |
| PART 3 (1:32) | PART 4 (0:47) |
| RAW EVIDENCE AND RESULTS WILL BE POSTED ON THE WHITE NOISE FORUM, MEMBERSHIP IS FREE AND YOU CAN BECOME PART OF THE INVESTIGATION. | |
| PHOTOS, WITH LINKS TO THE ORIGINATING SITE | ||
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| HISTORIC SMALLWOOD STORE INFORMATION | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
EARLY HISTORY On the western edge of the Everglades and deep in the heart of the 10,000 Islands, Chokoloskee Island has been called one of Florida's last frontiers. Here at Historic Smallwood Store you will learn the story of the pioneers and settlers who tamed this vast wilderness. NATIVE AMERICANS OLD FLORIDA TED SMALLWOOD Settlement brought a need for goods and mail and that need was met by the Smallwood Store. Established in 1906, this Trading Post served a remote area, buying hides, furs and farm produce and providing the goods required. Ted Smallwood's store was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. It remained open and active until 1982. When the doors were shut, 90% of the original goods remained in the store. In the last few years Ted's granddaughter has reopened the store as a museum, and today it serves as a time capsule of Florida pioneer history. The center section of the building remains as Ted would have known it. The hide room has been turned into exhibit space, telling the history of the pioneers of southwest Florida. Come take a walk back in time. Experience the unique history of the 10,000 Islands
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In 1906, Ted Smallwood opened the Smallwood Store and Trading Post in Chokoloskee to first do business with the Seminoles, and later the new influx of white settlers to the area. The store thrived, and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and remained open until 1982. When the doors on the old store finally closed, "90 percent of the original goods remained in the store," as written in the brochure. Smallwood Store now served as a piece of history. Ted’s granddaughter reopened the store in 1989, and today it is a pioneer museum open to the public. Standing tall on hurricane stilts above Chokoloskee Bay, you can now walk through and see how things were, and how they changed during the 1900’s. The entire Smallwood family lived in the store at one time or another and there were remnants throughout. At the front counter were old cashed checks, payments from the store to the Seminoles for alligator hides. There was a working 1945 Coca-Cola machine, which we bought sodas from. There was also a small gift shop, featuring historical Everglades books and Seminole art and jewelry. The displays were arranged in groups that revolved around the various sections of the store. The area of the store that sold farm implements had several displayed on the walls. The area that was once the kitchen and dining room had an old fashioned barn sink and the original table where Ted and his family ate dinner. My favorite section was the school desk, and the many ancient text books and readers the students used on top of it. Also placed on the desk was a notebook with a young student’s writing. The story was about a trip to his grandparent's house and the gators and birds he saw. Throughout the story were blue pen marks from the teacher correcting his mistakes-changing thier to their, and adding the "u" to "beatiful." Not much has changed in these hundred years. The views from the back deck out into the bay were gorgeous and next to the store, just off the deck, were the railroad tracks that went right into the bay where rail cars could unload goods for the store. According to store information, the Seminole Indians would row their canoes up to the back deck to trade furs and hides with Ted. This made him a good friend of the Natives. We didn't stay long, the store was small, but we did enjoy the slice of Americana the museum had to offer. The store/museum was open daily from 10am to 4pm. 
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Chokoloskee, FloridaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Edgar
Watson)
Chokoloskee is a census-designated place (CDP) in Collier County, Florida, United States. The population was 404 at the 2000 census. Demographics As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 404 people, 183 households, and 139 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,445.0 people per square mile (557.1/km²). There were 589 housing units at an average density of 2,106.7/sq mi (812.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.51% White, 0.25% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.23% of the population. There were 183 households out of which 16.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.6% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.53. In the CDP the population was spread out with 16.3% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 21.8% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females there were 98.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $33,750, and the median income for a family was $36,389. Males had a median income of $26,333 versus $19,250 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,847. About 2.4% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.7% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over. History Before European settlement Chokoloskee Island was inhabited by Indians for more than 1,500 years before European explorers reached the area. By the time Spain transferred Florida to Great Britain in 1763, the area was uninhabited. During the first three-quarters of the 19th Century, Chokoloskee Island may have been occasionally visited by Seminoles, white hunters, "Spanish Indian" fishermen from Cuba and various "refugees from justice."[7] Chokoloskee was briefly occupied by the United States Army during the Third Seminole War. In November 1856 110 men of the Florida Mounted Volunteers reached Chokoloskee Island. From there, an expedition of 75 men went up the Turner River, where they burned a Seminole settlement and a couple of planted fields. After a skirmish with the Seminoles in which a Captain John Parkhill was killed, the expedition returned to Chokoloskee Island to find that their base had been moved to Cape Romano, because of a lack of fresh water on the island.[8] Early settlement The modern settlement of Chokoloskee Island started in 1874. The second family on the island was that of Adolphus Santini, who was soon joined by his brother and his parents. By around 1880 the Santini family held claim to most of the island. In 1882 there were five families living on the island, including those of the two Santini brothers. These early residents farmed, fished and caught turtles, selling any surpluses in Key West. Other residents came and went fairly requently. Due to the efforts of C. G. McKinney, a post office was established in Chokoloskee in 1891, although it was known as "Comfort" for the first few months.[9] In 1897 Ted Smallwood moved to Chokoloskee Island. There were still just five other families on the island, including the Santini brothers. In 1899 The Santinis left and sold their claims to Smallwood, who became the major landholder on the island. Chokoloskee had acquired a post office in 1891, at first called Comfort, but changed to Chokoloskee within a year. At first, mail for Chokoloskee came by boat from Key West, then as the railroads extended down the Florida peninsula, the mail came from Punta Gorda, and later from Fort Myers. After the highway reached Everglades City, it came by boat from there until the causeway to Chokoloskee Island was completed in 1956. Because of the uncertainty of the mail boat schedule, a conch shell would be blown to alert the islanders that the mail had arrived.[10] Chokoloskee Island was quite isolated. At first it was in Monroe County, with the county seat in Key West, 90 miles away. In 1887, Lee County was created out of part of Monroe County, including Chokoloskee, but the county seat was in Fort Myers, almost 90 miles in the opposite direction from Key West. Finally, in 1923, Collier County was created out of Lee County, with the county seat at Everglades City, just a few miles across Chokoloskee Bay from Chokoloskee Island. However, access to the outside world was still by boat to Key West or Fort Myers until the Tamiami Trail was completed and connected to Everglades City in the late 1920s.[11] C. G. McKinney had moved to Chokoloskee in 1886. He had opened a small store soon afterwards and had been instrumental in getting the post office for Chokoloskee,. In 1912 McKinney wrote a complaint about how Chokoloskee was being ignored. He was insulted that two recent letters to him had been addressed to Everglade (Everglades City). He wrote, Now I wish folks could learn that there is another part of this neck of the woods beside Everglade. Everglade is a small place beside Chokoloskee. We have two business houses ... we have ten families living here.[12] Ted SmallwoodStarting in 1896 Ted Smallwood carried the mail by sailboat between Chokoloskee and Marco via Everglades [City]. In 1897 he married and settled down on Chokoloskee Island. He hunted alligators, cut buttonwood (for charcoal), fished and raised tomatoes. In 1906 he became postmaster for Chokoloskee and opened a general store which housed the post office. He remained postmaster until he retired in 1941. His daughter succeeded him as postmaster.[13] Ted Smallwood died in 1951,[14] but his daughters kept the store open until 1982. Ted Smallwood's store was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. His granddaughter has opened the store as a museum. Edgar WatsonThe Ten Thousand Islands country, including Chokoloskee, had a reputation as being a refuge for outlaws.[15] The Ed Watson story, as related by Ted Smallwood, is the best known example of that. Ed Watson first showed up in the Chokoloskee Bay country in the early 1880s. He had supposedly gotten into trouble in his native Columbia County, in northern Florida, and then gone out to the Oklahoma Territory where he allegedly was involved with the female outlaw Belle Starr. He then returned to Florida, and killed a man in Arcadia, apparently in self-defense. After that Ed Watson moved to the Ten Thousand Islands, where he bought a claim on the Chatham Bend River and began raising vegetables.[16] On a trip to Key West, Watson got into an argument with Adolphus Santini and tried to cut his throat. Santini survived, but the incident cost Watson $900. After that Watson bought a claim on Lostman's River. A man named Tucker soon squatted on the claim and would not leave. Eventually Tucker and his nephew were found murdered, and suspicion fell on Watson. After that Watson went back to Columbia County. While there he again became involved with bad company, and came under suspicion in the deaths of two men.[17] Watson returned to the Chatham Bend area and began making syrup (from sugar cane). Soon Watson had several people living at his place, including a man named Duchy Melvin, who is said to have killed a policeman and burned a factory or two. While Watson and Melvin were in Chokoloskee, a man named Cox and someone identified only as the Nigger killed an old woman named Hannah Smith and a man named Walker at the Watson place. When Watson and Melvin returned, Cox and the Nigger killed Melvin as well. Hannah Smith's body was found in the Chatham Bend River by some settlers and given a burial.[18] At this time, on October 17, 1910, a major hurricane struck the area. Ed Watson went to Fort Myers during the hurricane, and tried to bring the sheriff back afterwards to arrest Cox, but the sheriff would not go past Marco. Watson then bought some shells at Ted Smallwood's store and said he was going back to his place to kill Cox. When Watson returned to Chokoloskee a few days later a crowd met him at the landing and killed him. The sheriff did come down to Chokoloskee after that, and took a number of Chokoloskee residents back to Fort Myers for a court session, but nothing came of it.[19] Peter Matthiessen retold this story in his novel Killing Mister Watson.[20] Education, religion and medical careAs a small, isolated community, Chokoloskee did not support a continuously operating school or church. A small school building was erected, and teachers were sent on occasion, but the teachers were not generally prepared for the life at Chokoloskee, and most did not stay very long. The children of Chokoloskee Island did not attend school past the eighth grade until the late 1930s, when some began attending high school in Everglades City and Naples.[21] Religious services were also sporadic. A priest would come up from Key West on occasion to provide for the Catholics on the island. Protestant preachers also visited the island, and a small mission church was built. One week in 1915 there were two preachers on the island, with competing revival meetings every night.[22] Except for a "Doctor" S.L. Greene who lived there for a few months, Chokoloskee Island never had a resident doctor. C. G. McKinney provided most of the medical care on the island for 50 years. He was registered with the State Board of Health as a midwife, treated injuries and illnesses, and extracted teeth. His dental care was supplemented by the occasional visit of an itinerant dentist.[23] External links |
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