Historian Will Shed Light on Big Bend Lighthouses

Author, ranger and lighthouse historian Andrew N. Edel will spotlight Big Bend lighthouses Thursday, May 22, in the final presentation of the Big Bend Maritime Center’s 2008 spring lecture series.

The free evening program at Tallahassee Community College’s Wakulla Center, just south of Crawfordville on Highway 319, will begin at 7:30 following a complimentary 7 o’clock pre-lecture social.

Edel, president of the Tallahassee Historical Society, said his highly visual presentation will cover the general maritime history of Apalachee Bay with special focus on the St. Marks Lighthouse and others, including Dog Island, Crooked River, and St. George Island. 

A retired 20-year Air Force veteran from Jacksonville, Edel enrolled in a Masters of Administration in Public History program at Florida State University. He has served as an independent research historian for museum exhibits for Florida State Parks, Florida Department of State, and the Supreme Court of Florida.

He currently serves as interpretive program specialist at the Historic Capitol Museum, as archivist of the state Supreme Court, and as a ranger and lighthouse historian at the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Edel also authored “Historic Photos of Tallahassee,” a coffee table book with 200 rare photos, captions and text depicting Tallahassee’s growth from the mid-1800s to late 1900’s.

“Lighthouses of the Big Bend” concludes the five-part lecture series which began in January, made possible by a Florida Humanities Council grant to the Big Bend Maritime Center (BBMC).

The series is cosponsored by a Florida Coastal Management Grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and by Tallahassee Community College, which is providing the facility. KC Smith, BBMC board member and Florida Heritage Education Coordinator for the Museum of Florida History in Tallahassee, is coordinating the series.

This article originally published on May 8, 2008.

Written by :

mkwestmark

 

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