Lake City-Columbia County Historical Museum facts for kids
The May Vinzant Perkins House in 2007.
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| Formation | 1985 |
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| Location |
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Region served
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Columbia County, Florida |
| Website | www.lccchistory.com |
The Lake City-Columbia County Historical Museum is a cool place where you can learn about history! It's located in the old May Vinzant Perkins House in Lake City, Florida. This museum helps history come alive.
Contents
The Museum's History
The Lake City-Columbia County Historical Museum is inside a special old house. This house is called the Vinzant House. It was built way back in the 1880s.
A man named John Vinzant Jr. bought the house for $450. He had moved to Lake City after fighting in the American Civil War. He was a sergeant in the 1st Florida Cavalry.
John Vinzant Jr. was important in Columbia County. He worked as the County Clerk of the Circuit Court. He was also the County Tax Collector. He even helped start the Florida Agricultural College in 1888.
John Vinzant Jr. was married to Mattie Vinzant. They had three daughters: Cronin Ives, Birdie Livingston, and May Perkins. John Vinzant Jr. passed away in 1907.
May Vinzant Perkins' Story
May Perkins was John Vinzant's youngest daughter. She married Herbert Perkins and moved to Washington, D.C.. Sadly, her baby son died very young in 1912. Her husband also passed away soon after.
May Perkins then moved back to her father's house in Lake City. Her mother, Mattie, died in 1926. May lived alone in the house until she passed away in 1981. She was 102 years old!
May Perkins became a well-known poet and historian in Lake City. Even after she died, the house is still called the May Vinzant Perkins House.
Saving the Historic House
In 1983, two groups bought the house together. These were the Historic Preservation Board of Lake City and Columbia County, and the Blue-Grey Army, Inc. They wanted to fix up the house. Their goal was to make it a historical and cultural center and a museum.
The Blue-Grey Army worked to renovate the house in 1984. The house was in bad shape and might have been torn down. They saved it and turned it into the museum you see today.
In the year 2000, a special plaque was put on the front of the house. It honors May Vinzant Perkins as an important person from Florida.
Museum Events
Lake City has a yearly festival about the Battle of Olustee. This battle was a big event during the Civil War. The festival takes place downtown.
The Lake City-Columbia County Museum also hosts events related to Civil War history. For example, they might show how wounded soldiers were cared for. They also put on plays about the Civil War.
Like many places, the museum had to close for a while. This happened from March to May 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Blue-Grey Army
The Blue-Grey Army is a group that collects items from the Civil War. They also help put on the yearly Battle of Olustee Festival in Lake City.
This group worked with the Lake City Columbia County Historical Society. Together, they bought the Vinzant house. A special room in the museum holds the Blue-Grey Army's Civil War items. It is called the Blue-Grey Army room.
Images for kids
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The Blue-Grey Room at the museum.
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The Vinzant/Perkins collection.
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The early 1900s kitchen at the museum seen in 1992.
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The Patriot Room at the museum.
