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On this date, British Florida was divided into East Florida and West Florida by Royal Proclamation. The dividing line was the Chattahoochee-Apalachicola River. St. Augustine remained the capital of East Florida, while Pensacola became the capital of West Florida.
10/2 Today in Florida from the Florida Historical Society!
1947 – Today a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Chattahoochee for the Jim Woodruff Dam. The Jim Woodruff Dam is a hydroelectric facility on the Apalachicola River, about 1,000 feet south of that river's origin at the confluence of the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers. The dam impounds Lake Seminole along the Florida-Georgia line.
Crowds gathered on this date at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park in White Springs Florida to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the publishing of the tune “Old Folks at Home.” Commonly known by its first line, “Way Down Upon the Suwannee River,” “Old Folks at Home” was originally written for a minstrel show company out of New York, and although it’s composer Stephen C. Foster never saw the Suwannee River, nor did he ever visit Florida, the song became our state song in 1935. The park was established in 1950 and covers over 800 acres.
The City of Sanford was incorporated in this date. Situated on the banks of Lake Monroe on the St. Johns River, Sanford was first settled by Native American tribes who lived in the area until the 18th century. By the mid nineteenth century, the Second Seminole War prompted the U.S. government to build a fort at Lake Monroe, later named Fort Mellon in 1837. By 1842 a small community formed around the fort and was named Mellonville, which became the county seat of Orange County. In 1870, Henry Sanford bought a large track of land west of Mellonville and laid out the settlement of Sanford.
Francis P. Fleming, fifteenth governor of Florida (January 8, 1889-January 3, 1893), was born today in Duval County. His father farmed a large plantation in Duval County. Educated a home, the young Francis Fleming entered business prior to the Civil War. When the war came, he enlisted as a private in the 2nd Florida Infantry Regiment, but received a battlefield promotion to 1st Lieutenant. While on sick leave home, Fleming commanded a company of volunteers at the Battle of Natural Bridge. After the war, Fleming practiced laws.
The State Theater in Tallahassee opened its doors in this date. The original State Theater burned down in 1933, replaced by this building. The State Theater operated as a cinema house until closing in 1971, and it was finally torn down in 1988.
The University of South Florida held its first day of classes on this date. USF was the first major state university planned, built and opened in the 20th century. Described as a metropolitan university, the school was built on the site of Henderson Field, a WWII airfield. The school’s first president was John S. Allen Ph.D., an astronomer and former interim president of the University of Florida.
Former Governor of Florida Spessard L. Holland assumed the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Charles O. Andrews of Ponce de Leon, FL on this date. Holland had previously served as the 28th Governor of Florida from 1941-1945. Holland would be elected to the U.S. Senate another four terms before retiring from politics in 1970. Lawton Chiles succeeded Holland after Chiles’ famous walk through the state.
The Miami Seaquarium opened its doors today! The 38 acre facility located on Virginia Key in Miami is the oldest oceanarium in the United States. The Seaquarium is home to fish, sharks, sea turtles, birds, manatees and Lolita, one of the largest, oldest Orcas in captivity. From 1963 to 1967 the T.V. series Flipper was filmed at the Miami Seaquarium, which now hosts over half a million visitors annually. The Seaquarium also offers many educational programs and sea life rescue programs.